Hitomi Nakamura Recital: Journey of the Reed #7—Ethnic Hichiriki

Welcome to the Ethnic World of the Hichiriki!

Memories of the Silk Road hichiriki played by a foreigner with a purple beard and green eyes
The elegant flow of time, intertwined with the drifting sounds of the gamelan
A dazzling array of bronze percussion instruments stands face-to-face with the hichiriki,
whose reed vibrates—a mesmerizing world of sound

The “hichiriki,” an instrument used in Gagaku (traditional court music), is a wind instrument that reached Japan via the Silk Road over a thousand years ago. In this recital by Hitomi Nakamura, she will reveal the new charms of the hichiriki through a collaboration with the traditional Indonesian music, gamelan.

Chiko Koide, who was captivated by gamelan from an early age and studied its performance and theory in Indonesia; Yasu Miyauchi, who has a strong interest in Asian music; and Eikichi Kiyomoto—a shamisen player and composer who has explored a wide range of musical genres, including gamelan—have all been commissioned to create new works for this concert, which focuses on gamelan and the hichiriki. Please look forward to Hitomi Nakamura’s new musical challenge.