Music as “garden” and “theatre”

By Ju Hyuk Kim, 27 August 2016

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“like a perfect Japanese garden... with no plant outstanding nor overshadowed”

Reviewed at Suntory Hall: Main Hall, Tokyo on 26 August 2016

Takemitsu, I Hear the Water Dreaming

Takemitsu, Gémeaux

Dun, Orchestral Theatre II

Dun, Symphonic Poem on Three Notes

Tan Dun, Conductor

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

Bunkichi Arakawa, Oboe

Jörgen van Rijen, Trombone

Stephen Bryant, Bass

Will Tuckett's Nutcracker for National Ballet of Japan is delightful

Naomi Mori, 19th December

National Ballet of Japan premiered production of Nutcracker choreographed by Will Tuckett, that features a stylish and dramatic Act 1 and a hilarious, colourful and unique Act 2.

****1

Tokyo Philharmonic and Myung-whun Chung launch European tour in Berlin

Elena Luporini, 28th October

The Tokyo Philharmonic visits the Berlin Philharmonie to bring finesse to a catchy programme featuring Bernstein, Gershwin and Prokofiev.

****1

National Ballet of Japan revives Ashton's beloved Cinderella

Naomi Mori, 18th October

The National Ballet of Japan gave an excellent rendition of Sir Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, in spite of many new faces and role debuts.

****1

Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland dazzles again in Tokyo

Naomi Mori, 12th June

Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland returned to the National Ballet of Japan, a marvelous production that amply displays the many talents of the company.

****1

National Ballet of Japan's revival of Giselle: a dramatic return

Naomi Mori, 10th April

National Ballet of Japan has revived their production of Giselle, ahead of their tour to the Royal Opera House in London, replicating the triumphant success it had in 2022.

*****

Unity in Sound: Myung-whun Chung leads KBS and Tokyo Phil in Mahler 1

SangKwon Lee, 3rd March

Like the grainy intensity of a high-contrast black-and-white photograph, these rugged edges accentuated Mahler’s expressive extremes, reaffirming the conductor’s innate flair for crafting a grand aesthetic narrative within the symphony’s expansive architecture.

****1

More reviews...

Ju Hyuk Kim

Ju Hyuk Kim is a violinist and a conductor living in Tokyo. He has lived in South Korea, the Philippines, Japan, and the USA; and finds music as something that truly transcends cultures and languages. His musical passion is in chamber music, especially string quartets. His doctoral dissertation was on the string quartet scene in Japan, and hopes to conduct a similar research in nearby countries.

Music as “garden” and “theatre”: an homage to Toru Takemitsu by Tan Dun