Music, dance, contemplation
The idea to introduce Dubna citizens to artists from Japan arose in May last year. The official delegation of the Joint Institute visited several physics centres near Tokyo. Business relations were established with one of them, a research institute in Tsukuba. It contributed to the organization of the concert in our city.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the festival of Japanese culture in Russia. Performances of Russian artists in Japan began in May and are continuing these days. And two bands that have come to Dubna have already given concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The Japanese drummer ensemble "Toyo no kuni Yufuin Genryu Taiko" (Oita Prefecture) was founded in 1979. It is recognized as an intangible cultural heritage site of Yufu City. The local drum tradition implies maximum focusing and powerful drumming, performances take place without stage effects. Coherence and rhythm are worked out at night open‑air rehearsals on a mountain pass overlooking Yufa. Taiko drums are percussion instruments, playing on which unites craft, artistry, religious holiday traditions.
Several compositions were performed in which the sounds of different drums were intertwined with the sinobue flute melody and the overflow of bells. The emerging associations were echoed by the names: "Yufu wind blowing from the mountains", "Moon over an abandoned castle", "Source of the universe"... The audience greeted with applause the artist's exit to the biggest drum - odaiko. It is likely that it was the team leader Hasegawa Tadashi, the winner of the All-Japan Japanese Drum Competition among masters of the older age category that was awarded the title of master and the Japanese Prime Minister's Cup. To the impeccable technique of mastering musical instruments, then the increasing, then the fading rhythm was added to the muscle play for decades of a trained body. The artists performed the compositions with incredible dedication, energy, speed...
The concert was continued by the artists of the Japanese Association for the Development of the Art of Ginkenshibu from Tokyo.
Ginkenshibu is an ancient Japanese art that unites dance with a fan, dance with a sword and poetry. The components of this art: gingyei - melodic performance of Japanese poems of two genres: waka and written in Chinese Kansi; kenshibu is a dance part of two types: a dance with a kenbu sword and a smooth poetic dance, usually with a fan, - shibu. The principle of ginkensibu is that each performer in his own way conveys the feelings and images of the work, in general, they make up a harmonious sublime performance. And if you take into account the audience, then contemplation is also an integral feature of understanding the world and one's place in it.
Several dances were performed. They were preceded by detailed explanations in Japanese and Russian. These were dedications to the legendary Japanese spear "Nihongo," the samurai Nasu no Yoichi, Mount Fuji. Especially remembered by the audience is the love story of Shizuki Gozen, one of the most famous women in Japanese history and literature. The court dancer, shirabyoshi, was separated from her lover. Forced to dance at the court of another shogun, she expressed in dance devotion, the power of love, the dignity that a person retains in the most difficult life circumstances.
Empress Shoken's work "Water takes the form of a vessel" is based on an excerpt from the Japanese text "Jitsugokyo" that contains the basics of education and moral upbringing. It provides an analogy: just as water takes the form of a vessel, so a person changes under the influence of others. Thus, the importance of having good friends is emphasized in order to learn life with them and to improve their best qualities. This composition became the final chord, sounded in unison with the slogan of the Institute "Science brings peoples together".
Without special explanations, little would be clear in this heartfelt, subtle ancient art, uniting a beautiful strong voice, poetry, graceful movements, plastic moves, colorful kimonos. Most likely, even now we will not be able to fully appreciate what was happening on stage - the movements of a fan, spear or sword that become a metaphorical continuation of the actors' hands, static poses, pauses between movements, gait, in which the dancers' legs almost do not come off the floor... But the first acquaintance with the culture of a distant country took place. Many whom it inspired will have to continue stringing knowledge and impressions on the thread that outstanding artists stretched between Dubna and Japan on a September evening.
Galina MYALKOVSKAYA, photos by Igor LAPENKO