Needle Mouse on the Roof (flute and five-string violin duet)

The "Harinezumi Series" is a duo project by flutist Raku Sakamoto and fiddler Sayoko.
The sixth performance of the series, "Harinezumi on the Roof," will be held on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at Space MURO in Otsuka, Tokyo.

A hedgehog, or a porcupine. They want to get close to each other, but if they get too close, they will hurt each other.
This duo of two melodic instruments explores the contours of music between intimacy and tension.

The sound of the flute comes from the breath, the sound of the violin from the friction between the strings and the bow. Although both are "singing" instruments, they are completely different in the way they use their bodies, the rise of their sounds, and the distance between them and silence. These differences make the two melodies not merely overlap, but attract, repel, and sometimes sharply sever each other.

The program will include their original compositions, pop covers, film music, and works from the classical and baroque periods. Rather than being categorized as classical, pop, or film music, the songs, rhythms, and colors of each piece will be re-captured by the two voices of the flute and violin.
The performance will also include improvisational exchanges that occur on the spot during the piece, and will emphasize the tension of the live performance, which changes each time it is performed.

The venue is MURO, a small space in Otsuka surrounded by Japanese paper wallpaper, where the performer and the audience are close enough to feel the details of sound, breathing, and the texture of silence. In addition to the performance, there will be a talk about the piece, the instruments, and the background of the music, creating a serene yet intense duet time.