Japanese band Akatsuki performs in Hue

(CLO) For the first time, the band Akatsuki will perform in Vietnam, with performances featuring traditional melodies from the Land of the Rising Sun.

According to information from the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam, for the first time in Hue , Akatsuki - a musical group consisting of four leading Japanese artists, will bring a special traditional music night, connecting culture through the delicate melodies of koto, shakuhachi and wadaiko drums.

Akatsuki brings together four talented artists: Nobutaka Yoshizawa (koto), Nobuhiro Kaneko (koto), Junya Okochi (shakuhachi) and Yuta Kanazashi (wadaiko drum). Each artist brings their own style, combining tradition with contemporary innovations.

Akatsuki band. Photo: Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam

While Yoshizawa advocated group practice with artists from many disciplines, Kaneko brought koto music to other artistic fields, Okochi incorporated the shakuhachi flute into many rich performance forms, Kanazashi brought a vibrant and energetic breath to the wadaiko drum. This harmonious combination helped them expand the boundaries of traditional Japanese music, making them closer to the modern public.

The name "Akatsuki", which means "dawn" in Japanese, also evokes the image of the "red moon", the red hue reflected on the moon's surface as it nears the horizon - symbolizing the powerful beginning of a new era of cultural exchange.

The program features works combining the quintessence of Japanese and Vietnamese music such as “Cherry Blossoms”, “Spring Sea”, “Yachiyo Lion”, “The Moment of Thread and Bamboo” and the Vietnamese folk song “Floating Water Fern and Clouds”.

More specifically, the program also has soundtracks associated with famous movies such as “Doraemon”, “Howl's Moving Castle”, “My Neighbor Totoro”, “Princess Mononoke”, “Kiki's Delivery Service”, “Laputa: Castle in the Sky” or “Princess in the Valley of the Wind”.

Audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy traditional Japanese music performed in a modern style, explore the fusion of Japanese and Vietnamese music, and immerse themselves in sounds imbued with the cultural identity of East Asia.

In addition to the performance, Akatsuki also organized small performances at 4 schools in Hue to introduce and inspire Japanese performing arts to the young generation.

Organized by the Japan Foundation, with the support of the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Association of Hue City, the program not only brings the audience an impressive performance but also contributes to building a bridge between Vietnam and Japan, based on the spirit of understanding, respect and artistic cooperation.

The program takes place at 7:30 p.m., March 8, at the Huong River Theater (No. 1 Le Loi, Vinh Ninh Ward, Hue City).

The Vu

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nhom-nhac-nhat-ban-akatsuki-trinh-dien-tai-hue-post337303.html