One of the world’s most populous cities and certainly among the most interesting, Tokyo is a place where there is never a lack of worthwhile things to do, and that includes musical options in the countless “live houses,” or concert bars, peppered across the municipal map. Japanese musicians and fans have long demonstrated a thirst for sounds from abroad, and an informed respect as well, so quality rock, reggae, jazz, and much more can be found easily enough. For the foreign visitor, the distinctively domestic creations and interpretations are the most interesting. While tickets aren’t cheap, the online reservation system is practical (and honourably devoid of treacherous supplementary fees), sound quality is taken seriously, early start times much appreciated, and the sheer energy of the local audiences astounding. Below are a quartet of musical events from early spring that PAN M 360 is pleased to report back on. Stories by Rupert Bottenberg and Alain Brunet who were in Japan last spring.
Beethoven played by Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, conducted by French maestro Marc Minkowski at Suntory Hall, Akasaka, March 18th
On March 18 at Suntory Hall, Main Hall, 6:30 p.m., Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphonies 5 in C minor Op.67 and 6 in F Major (Pastoral) were performed by the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa under the direction of French conductor Marc Minkowski. Certainly one of the most renowned symphony orchestras in Japan, with over thirty members!
For a Westerner, attending a first symphonic concert of Western music on Japanese soil is an experience in itself, whatever the quality of the performance. It was a solid performance, but not an exceptional one. The orchestra has been in existence for almost 4 decades, and shows great maturity in each of its sections. One senses here a deep and integrated culture of this repertoire that so many orchestras have mastered today.
We also sense that the audience has a solid classical culture behind the tie and gala dress. Listening is respectful and disciplined, applause is generally polite, but we didn’t notice a single ovation, in stark contrast to Montreal, the capital of… standing ovation. We also noted this the day before at the Yeri Yamamoto piano recital.
The Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (OEK) was founded in 1988 with the support of Ishikawa Prefecture and the city of Kanazawa, northwest of Tokyo. Conductor Hiroyuki Iwaki set out to create the country’s first multinational chamber orchestra, comprising 40 musicians from all over the world. The OEK has a busy schedule, presenting over 100 concerts a year in Kanazawa, in all major Japanese cities, including Suntory Hall, one of Tokyo’s most important concert halls. The orchestra also performs regularly abroad.
The Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa mainly performs the classical repertoire, but also encourages today’s composers. Over 50 contemporary works have been premiered by the OEK. Michiyoshi Inoue was Music Director after Hiroyuki Iwaki, from 2007 to 2018. Since then, Marc Minkowski has been Artistic Director.
