People | WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN? Aug 11, 2018
Duo Yumeno: Making music across the Pacific
by Katherine Whatley
Contemporary classical duo bring together the cello, koto and shamisen for original classical contemporary compositions.
Film Jul 18, 2018
Soundtracking the thrill of the climb in Jennifer Peedom's 'Mountain'
by Oscar Boyd
With "Mountain," director Jennifer Peedom has done for the mountaineering film what Marks & Spencer's did for food advertisements years ago: taken the concept and beautified it to such an extent that it provokes a visceral response. Salivating over the movie's visual perfection is ...
Music May 16, 2018
Violinist Aiko Goto returns to Japan with an Australian orchestra in tow
by Benjamin Madden
Aiko Goto is excited to be going home. The violinist has been a member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra since 1998 and it has been a while since she and her fellow musicians have visited Japan. "We haven't played there since 2011," she says. "When ...
Music Mar 27, 2018
You too can grace the stage at Suntory Hall
by Chiho Iuchi
Concert halls aren't just venues to enjoy music, they're landmarks. And among the many scattered around Tokyo, Suntory Hall has had the distinction of being described as a "jewel box of sound" by Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan (1908-89). The hall, which will hold a ...
Music Dec 13, 2017
The year's not over till you hear Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
by Chiho Iuchi
It's "Beethoven season." The run-up to the new year has long been marked in Japan with performances of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 — known here simply as "daiku" — gloriously performed by large orchestras featuring around 80 instrumentalists and some 100 choir ...
Music Dec 2, 2017
Master class: Conductor Seiji Ozawa passes on his knowledge to a new generation
by Chiho Iuchi
An old piano sits by a window in the corner of a tiny room in Seiji Ozawa's office in Tokyo's Seijo neighborhood. The 82-year-old conductor's father apparently bought it for him more than 70 years ago. Upon entering the office for our interview, Ozawa sits ...
Music Nov 8, 2017
Klassik Underground attempts to shake up your typical classical music performance
by Erin Moran
Roppongi isn't the first place that jumps to mind when you're looking to have a night out with Beethoven. A concert hall with plush velvet seats, women in pearls listening to Symphony No. 9 — that's more of a Ginza thing. But Tahlia Petrosian, a ...
Music Jun 13, 2017
The cultural legacy of erhu artist WeiWei Wuu
by Chiho Iuchi
When erhu artist WeiWei Wuu took to the stage at Shanghai Concert Hall on April 30, she delivered a show that could be described as out of the ordinary. The Chinese audience likely expected to see a woman playing the traditional instrument while seated, wearing ...
Food & Drink | KNOWING KISSATEN Mar 24, 2017
Tokyo's classical music cafes are time capsules for audiophiles
by James Hadfield
In this age of musical abundance, it's hard to fathom that an LP once cost the equivalent of a few days' wages in Japan. In the 1950s, audiophiles who couldn't afford to buy their own music did their listening at coffee shops known as ...
Food & Drink | KNOWING KISSATEN Feb 24, 2017
Tokyo's retro coffee palaces are in a class entirely their own
by James Hadfield
The archetypical kissaten (traditional coffee shop) would probably be a cozy neighborhood joint with faded '60s decor, one of those vintage pink pay phones that only take ¥10 coins and a couple of elderly customers smoking furiously as they squint over their newspapers. If you ...
Music Feb 5, 2017
Passion rules in Japan's amateur orchestras
by Chiho Iuchi
Classical music has always been a big part of Ikuo Nakajima's life. He never became a professional trumpeter, opting instead to become a managing engineer, but that hasn't stopped him from performing. "There's an excitement that only an amateur orchestra can create," says the 58-year-old, ...
Music | Japan Nov 16, 2016
Orchestra from Jerusalem to tour Japan
by Chiho Iuchi
Classical music fans in Japan are set for a treat when the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra conducts its first tour of this country from Nov. 19 through Dec. 4. Throughout its 80-year history as a leading orchestra, the JSO has played a crucial role in shaping ...