During the upcoming early summer weeks, one can experience a wide variety of fine hogaku concerts, including sublime gagaku court music, a lively group of kagura performers from Iwate Prefecture, contemporary koto music played by several fine young women performers, a large-scale biwa presentation and the National Theater's presentation of winners of its annual hogaku composition contest.
Gagaku, originally from China, has been the official music of Japan's Imperial Court since the 9th century, making it the oldest extant orchestral music in the world. Through the centuries the performance styles and tempos have changed considerably, but the music, with its rich timbres, enchanting rhythms and haunting melodies still continues to fascinate the sensitive listener.
The Tokyo Gakuso, a group formed in 1977 whose core musicians include the top performers from the Imperial Household Agency Music Department (the national standard setters for gagaku music), will perform a selection of instrumental (kangen) and vocal (utaimono) gagaku pieces, including roei and saibara.