David Wheeler, shakuhachi performer, teacher and writer on Japanese music, will be presenting a shakuhachi recital June 19 at Hamarikyu Asahi Hall.
The recital, entitled "Shakuhachi Dream," follows his sold-out recital performance two years ago at Casals Hall. Like the previous concert, "Shakuhachi Dream" offers not only top-quality Japanese classical music, theater and dance in a superb hall with full English program notes for the foreign audience, but also, well, a chance to share in a dream.
Dreaminess is certainly not unknown to audience members of the traditional Japanese performing arts. The selective somnolence of the noh theater is a good example. The dreamlike quality of certain scenes from mugen (dream) noh results from the performers suspending themselves -- and the audience -- between worlds, allowing, through poetry, dance and music, a brief glimpse of the spiritual.