Tag Archives: Music

Daiwa Foundation Art Prize 2012 Exhibition Tokyo, SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, 18 January – 23 February 2013

18 January – 23 February 2013

Haroon Mirza, 2012 Daiwa Foundation Art Prize Winner, Solo exhibition at SCAI THE BATHHOUSE in Tokyo

We are delighted to present this solo exhibition by Haroon Mirza at SCAI THE BATHHOUSE in Tokyo, Japan. As the winner of the Daiwa Foundation Art Prize 2012, Mirza was given the opportunity to have this exhibition in Tokyo. Partnerships have been central to the successful realisation of the Art Prize and we are very grateful to Masami Shiraishi, President of SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, for agreeing to host this exhibition. I am confident that Mirza’s work will resonate strongly with Japanese audiences, and I hope also that his experiences in Japan will offer new inspirations for his artistic practice.

The Daiwa Foundation Art Prize aims to open doors in Japan for British artists. From over 700 initial applications, Haroon Mirza, Tom Hammick and Jennifer E. Price were shortlisted by our expert panel of judges – Jonathan Watkins, Mami Kataoka, Masami Shiraishi, Martin Gayford and Grayson Perry. Work by the short-listed artists was shown at the Daiwa Foundation Japan House Gallery in London in June and July 2012.

The Trustees of the Foundation join me in offering congratulations to Haroon Mirza. We hope that, in awarding the Daiwa Foundation Art Prize and holding this exhibition at SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, we will not only open new doors for British artists in Japan but also create valuable partnerships and opportunities for the future.

Jason James, Director General, Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

 

Art and Music and Haroon Mirza

 

“I was brought up Muslim … In certain regimes [in Islam] music is sort of frowned upon and related to things like infidelity and other terrible things if you listen to or engage with music”                                                                 

By Haroon Mirza

Haroon Mirza’s commitment to sound, to music in particular, is an intelligent challenge not only to the dogma of organized religion, but also to the institution of art. In Mirza’s work, music counteracts the religious tendencies in art, challenging the faith required to persist with the notion that art is somehow transcendent and distinct from everyday life.

Our ears, unlike our eyes, do not have lids. Waves of sound break through. Music is irresistible, undeniable, leaking in to affect us, insinuating, and pervasive. As a constant factor in the aesthetic equations devised by Haroon Mirza, music subtly contradicts the notion of a self-contained work of art, beautiful and true in itself. Our response to music stems from association, from the countless ideas and emotions we bring to our encounter with it, which can also be said of visual art.

Found objects, readymade and often ready-used, likewise occur in Mirza’s work as signs of free thinking, a philosophical scepticism that is, frankly, one of the only redeeming features of art. He knows, as we know, that the final artistic destinations of found objects were never envisaged by their makers, and so it becomes clear that this business of art is a question both of (our imaginative) projection and co-option. This applies as much to found objects that are works of art in their own right, and sounds that are music. All is revealed as being wonderfully unfixed.

Haroon Mirza was brought up Muslim. We were all brought up within some kind of prescriptive structure – be it ideological, religious and/or political – which insists that certain thoughts, tastes and behaviours are simply not acceptable. Art can be like that too, negative and dull. Haroon Mirza’s work, on the other hand, is life-affirming and positive.

 

Jonathan Watkins, Director Ikon Gallery

Haroon Mirza- Winner of the 2012 Daiwa Foundation Art Prize 

Haroon Mirza gained an MA in Fine Art at ChelseaCollegeof Art & Design with a Lynda Brockbank Scholarship (2007). He was awarded the Northern Art Prize 2010 and the Silver Lion for most promising young artist at the 54th Venice Biennale, 2011. He has participated in notable exhibitions including The British Art Show 7 (2011) organised by Hayward Touring, Preoccupied Waveforms (2012) at theNewMuseum inNew York, and the ninthGwangju Biennale inKorea.

 

Through his work, Mirza attempts to isolate the perceptual distinctions between noise, sound and music. He explores the potentiality for the visual and the acoustic to come together as one singular aesthetic form. These ideas are examined through lo-fi yet complex assemblages and installations that employ furniture, household electronics, video and existing artworks to formulate audio compositions with a temporal basis.

Image: Haroon Mirza, Digital Switchover, 2012 installation view of |||| ||, Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, 2012 Courtesy of the artist, and SCAI THE BATHHOUSE Photo by Gunner Meier

British Music for Lute and Early Guitar: Played by Taro Takeuchi

25 September 2012, 7:00 – 8:15pm

Daiwa Foundation Japan House

n the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the lute and the guitar ruled as king and queen of musical instruments. The lute gained popularity in Europe during the Middle Ages and soon took on an important role in music making. In the 16th and early 17th century in Britain, the lute was much loved by nobles such as Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The Baroque guitar came to Britain in the 17th century from France. Charles II and Samuel Pepys were great lovers of the guitar. The English guitar was invented in Britain in the middle of the 18th century and instantly became popular among citizens.

In this concert respected early guitar/lute player Taro Takeuchi will perform some of the finest pieces for those instruments from the 16th, 17th and 18th century Britain. The concert will include pieces by John Dowland, Henry Purcell, Francesco Geminiani, George Frideric Handel and others.  Taro Takeuchi uses antique guitars from the 18th century as well as a faithful modern copy of an original 16th century lute.

Taro Takeuchi

Taro Takeuchi was born in Kyoto, Japan. After completing his degrees in law and music in Tokyo, he studied early music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He now lives in London and he has been in great demand as a soloist and ensemble player. Taro has toured most European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, the USA and Japan. As a continuo player he has worked with The English Concert, The Royal Opera House, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Berlin Philharmonic, as well as Sir Simon Rattle, Rachel Podger and Nigel Kennedy. He has made numerous recordings for Deux-Elles, EMI, Hyperion Records, Harmonia Mundi, the BBC and others. His solo recordingsFolias!, The Century That Shaped the Guitar andAffectuoso: Virtuoso Guitar Music from the 18th Century were received with critical acclaim and high praise.

Concert: Toki Quartet

26 April 2012, 7:00 – 8:30pm

Daiwa Foundation Japan House

Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

The Toki Quartet was formed by four prize-winning musicians in 2010 at the Royal Academy of Music. They have studied with Martin Outram (Maggini Quartet), and the Vanburgh Quartet, among many others. The group were highly commended in the Sir Arthur Bliss Prize in 2010 and were selected by Peter Manning to perform at the 2011 MasterPiece Fair in Chelsea. They have also been selected to perform pieces by contemporary composers such as David Lumsdane and Steve Reich, in which the latter culminated in a CD recording produced by the Royal Academy of Music. In July 2012 they look forward to working with the composer Nicola LeFanu. Their experience of performing alongside the Scottish Ensemble and the Chillingarian Quartet, and individually with Nobuko Imai and Stephan Picard, has fostered their great interest to explore chamber music further. The Tokis enjoy an ever-expanding performance schedule and are currently planning a tour through England and Japan to promote the link between British and Japanese music. Toki Quartet website.

The concert will include pieces by Kosaku Yamada, Frank Bridge, Toru Takemitsu and Edward Elgar.

Aki Sawa (1st violin)

Born in Tokyo, Aki obtained her BMus with the highest ever marks from Tokyo Geidai. She won major prizes at university, and also obtained the 2nd prize at the International Bach Competition in Paris. Aki is now studying for her MA in Performance with Professor Gyorgy Pauk at the Royal Academy of Music, where she has been awarded major prizes and awards. She was a member of the London Symphony Orchestra String Experience Scheme 2010/2011.

Midori Komachi (2nd violin)

Midori is currently undertaking the Master of Music programme at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Maurice Hasson. At the age of 12, she studied at Basel Music University in Switzerland with Adelina Oprean. She has appeared as a soloist with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, and has performed recitals in major venues including Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St.George’s Bristol and Muza Kawasaki. She has won many awards from the Royal Academy of Music and the Hattori Foundation.

Steve Doman (viola)

Steve was awarded a scholarship to attend Wells Cathedral School at the age of sixteen, where his viola teacher was Patricia Noall. He then went on to study with Mark Knight at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is currently studying for his Masters degree at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Garfield Jackson. He recently took part in an Erasmus exchange to the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki to study with Pirkko Simojoki.

Amy Jolly (cello)

A student of Josephine Knight at the Royal Academy of Music, Amy will tour to South Korea with the Sainsbury Academy Soloists and will perform in New York and at the London Proms 2012 with the Academy/Juilliard Symphony Orchestra. Amy performs extensively with her duo partner Mari Kawamura and is a recipient of the Birmingham Royal Ballet Mentorship Scheme.

BOOKING FORM

The Music of Toru Takemitsu: A talk by Noriko Ohtake

 

20 April 2012

2:00 – 3:00pm, followed by a drinks reception to 4:00pm

Daiwa Foundation Japan House

Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996), undoubtedly one of the most representative Japanese composers of the 20th century, conceived a unique synthesis of Japanese and Western aesthetics and, to a large extent, defined the role of the cosmopolitan artist. Highly influenced by musical languages of the West, especially Debussy, he merged in his music the Japanese philosophy of selflessness. By exploring Western musical style and by searching for his true inner self, Takemitsu succeeded in achieving individuality and universality at the same time.

In this talk, Dr Ohtake will discuss Takemitsu’s life and works and will demonstrate with music his style and sources of inspirations.

Ultimately, Takemitsu’s art cannot be classified as solely Western or Japanese, but as a unique composite of many influences.  Through his attainment of spirituality, Takemitsu conceived cosmopolitanism and the quality, which determines prominence in art by its ability to relate to human sensibility in any age and place.

Dr Noriko Ohtake

Dr Noriko Ohtake is a pianist, author and lecturer. Born in Japan, Dr Ohtake went to the United States at the age of 15 and studied the piano at the Juilliard School in New York. After graduating from Juilliard with a BM and an MM, she completed her doctoral studies at the University of Maryland. Her main teachers include Martin Canin and Thomas Schumacher. As the first prize winner of Enrico Fermi Foundation Competition, Dr Ohtake has also won the first prize at Brooklyn Arts and Culture Association Competition and the Homer Ulrich Award at the University of Maryland. She held recitals in Washington, DC sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF. After returning to Japan, she has performed in numerous recitals and chamber music concerts, specialising in contemporary Japanese composers. In 1996, she appeared on a BBC broadcast program commemorating the death of the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. In 1997, she made a concert tour in Chile for the centennial celebration of the relationship between Japan and Chile. Dr Ohtake’s musical publications include: Creative Sources for the Music of Toru Takemitsu (Scolar Press, London) and The Dictionary of Piano Composers and Their Compositions (Yamaha). She has translated into Japanese the Study Guide series (Zen-on) and J.S. Bach Well-Tempered Clavier (Ed. Mugellini) (Yamaha) among many others. She has also edited scores including Haydn Piano Sonatas and Schubert Drei Klavierstücke (Zen-on). Dr Ohtake currently holds positions as an associate professor of music at Sagami Women’s University and a lecturer at the Open University of Japan.

BOOKING FORM

Chiang Mai Fest 2012

March 23 to April 7, 2012
At the Three Kings Monument, Chiang Mai

Earth Wind and Fire and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) are joining hands to reintroduce the Chiang Mai Fest to the cultural surroundings of the Three Kings Monument from March 23 to April 7, 2012.

Yut Wanichanond, Consultant of Earth Wind and Fire, said following a much-hyped inaugural year in 2011 as a three-day event, the Chiang Mai Fest would return this year with 16 days of packed programmes. “The Chiang Mai Fest 2012 will be even bigger, starting with the First International Street Painting Festival in Thailand,” he said.

The inaugural Street Painting Festival will bring in world-famous chalk painters such as Melanie Van Latum and Lysa Ashley from the USA and Tony Cuboliquido from Italy to turn streets, pavements and temporary walls at the Three Kings Monument into an outdoor art exhibition and workshop from March 23 to April 7.

The “Art on Street” exhibition will start with a curtain raiser at the Old District Court on Friday, 23 March from 17.00 to 18.00 hrs. The Chiang Mai Fest 2012 will also reintroduce the city’s first and only International Music Festival from April 6- 7.

In its second year, the two-day event will feature world-class performances by international artists such as German contemporary singer Thomas Kiessling, South African opera – classic pop crossover male vocal group Il Quinto, American Blues and Soul revivalist band Blues Brothers and Thai musical maestro Neung Jakkawal.

Last year, the three-day Chiang Mai Fest attracted nearly 10,000 visitors and generated 150 million Baht revenue to Chiang Mai, as well as boosted tourists’ length of stay in the city from 2 to 15 days during the Songkran Festival.

“This year, we expect the 16-day Chiang Mai Fest to attract over 35,000 local and international visitors and help to generate some 200-300 million Baht in tourism-related revenue,” Yut Wanichanond added.

Mr Wiwatchai Boonyapak, Events Department Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said the Chiang Mai Fest 2012 would attract more tourists to Chiang Mai between late-March and early-April in addition to the expected high turnouts during the Songkran Festival.

“The Chiang Mai Fest 2012 will boost tourism revenue and raise the image of Chiang Mai as the centre of international music, art and culture,” Mr Wiwatchai said.

For more information, please contact
Tel: +66 (0) 53 292 224
E-mail: info@wind-and-fire.com
Web site: www.chiangmaifest.com

Hyper Japan 2012

Hyper Japan 2012

HYPER JAPAN 2012 Spring will be held on Friday 24, Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 February 2012 at Brompton Hall at Earls Court. Join us at the UK’s biggest J-culture event.

Event 2012

Friday Saturday Sunday
10-11
11-12
12-13
13-14
14-15
15-16
  • 15:30 History of Cosplay with Helen McCarthy
16-17
17-18
18-19
19-20

O-ARC @ The Bowery

Musical event at The Bowery.
O-ARC @ The Bowery
Thursday 8th December
@ The Bowery
36-38 New Oxford Street London WC1A 1EP [map]
Stage Time: 7:45pm - 8:15pm (there will be 3-4 more bands on the night)
Age Restriction: 18+
Admission: £8 or £5 early bird guest list
(To be on the early bird guest list you need to email your name to 
iidamasayasu@hotmail.com or contact O-ARC FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/OARCinUK 
or alternatively O-ARC TWITTER: www.twitter.com/oarcmusic 

www.thebowerylondon.co.uk/
www.themonto.com/

United Cube Concert in London

Date and Time: 5th December 2011, Doors open 17:30, Show 19:30

Place: O2 Academy Brixton

Tickets: Visit Live Nation or Ticketmaster

Cube Entertainment will hold ‘United Cube in London’ concerts starting on December 5th at the O2 Brixton Academy.

 The concert plans to show off what k-pop has to offer through the dynamic performances of 4minute, B2ST, and G.NA, through two segments, and capture the hearts of 5,000 European fans.

 O2 Brixton Academy has been the home to many legendary performances from Madonna, Bob Dylan, Marilyn Manson, Rihanna, etc. Cube artists will be the first Asian artist to perform at the facility.

  Cube Entertainment stated, “‘United Cube Concert’s venture into London, the birthplace of pop and rock, during the beginning of the Kpop movement is especially meaningful and something to be proud of… This will be an opportunity to ignite the flame of Kpop which has gone beyond the boundaries of the digital silk road.”

 Doojoon, the leader of B2ST, stated, “For all the European fans who have been waiting, we are so glad that this concert in England has been confirmed… We are already excited thinking about performing at a place where many artists that we look up to, have performed. As the starting point [of a venture into Europe], we will prepare a concert in England that will be unforgettable to everyone.”

Pianist Sunwook Kim – Wimbledon International Music Festival 2011

SUNWOOK KIM     

Wednesday 23 November 8.00 pm

St John’s, Spencer Hill SW19 4NZ

 BEETHOVEN: THE THREE LAST PIANO SONATAS

SUNWOOK KIM piano

BEETHOVEN Sonata in E major, op. 109

BEETHOVEN Sonata in A flat major, op. 110

BEETHOVEN Sonata in C minor, op. 111

 22-year old Korean pianist Sunwook Kim came to international recognition when he won the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition in 2006: the competition’s youngest winner for 40 years, as well as its first Asian winner.

 “The major discovery of this concert was the extraordinary young Korean pianist Sunwook Kim. His technique and the extensive range of his tone colours allowed him to grasp every single nuance in the score with poise and natural ease.” ResMusica, Brussels

 “Quite a superb display and as well as a dazzling technique, he showed an interpretation of maturity and conviction.”  Dundee Courier

“Kim’s lightness of touch and finesse never less than compelling.”

Classicalsource

 

TICKETS: £28 – £23 – £15

Booking: Visit Website

Underwater Love

Dir:

Shinji Imaoka

Writer:

Shinji Imaoka, Fumio Moriya

Cast:

Sawa Masaki, Yoshiro Umezawa, Ai Narita, Mutsuo Yoshioka

From Germany’s Rapid Eye Movies and Japan’s Kokuei Company comes a whimsical pink film musical about a woman and a sea creature.

Directed by pink-film veteran Shinji IMAOKA (Lunch Box, Frog Song), shot by Christopher Doyle – the famed cinematographer behind Hero and countless films by Wong Kar Wai – and with music by Germany’s Stereo Total, Underwater Love – A Pink Musical promises to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

Asuka works in a lakeside fish factory. She is just about to be married to her boss. One day, she encounters a Kappa, a water creature living in the lake and learns that it is the reincarnation of Aoki, her first love. What ensues is a zany spectacle of love, music and sex.

DVD Release Date:

November 21st, 2011

DVD Specifications:

Anamorphic widescreen with removable english subtitles

DVD Bonus Features:

3 Interviews with Christopher Doyle. Interview with Shinji Imaoka. Behind the Scenes footage. Theatrical Trailer. First 2,000 copies include a limited edition soundtrack CD by Stereo Total

Yose: An Evening of Japanese Vaudeville

Thursday 10 November 6.30pm for 7.00pm

Nippon Club
2nd floor, Samuel House
6 St. Albans Street
London
SW1Y 4SQ

Booking Essential
Free for Japan Society members
Non members: £5

The Japan Society is delighted to welcome three outstanding exponents of Japanese vaudeville tradition for an evening of popular culture.
The evening will include:

Music by Shunputei Shomatsu and Yumiko on drums and shamisen
Paper cutting by Hayashiya Imamaru
Rakugo performed by Sanshotei Charaku

In Hayashiya Imamaru’s hands, a pair of scissors can produce detailed cut-out images with extraordinary speed and dexterity. He travels the world, impressing people with his kamikiri prowess, including in his show audience requests.

A master of the rakugo comic narrative,Sanshotei Charaku has nearly 50 years’ experience and a repertory of over 100 tales. He describes the story telling process as a developing relationship between audience and narrator, in which the choice of content emerges from their meeting.

To reserve your place, please call the Japan Society office on 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk or submit the online booking form

Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs Government of Japan in the fiscal 2011:

68th Venice Film Festival

31st August to 10th September 2011

The 68th Venice International Film Festival, organized by La Biennale di Venezia, will run at Venice Lido August 31st through September 10th, 2011.

The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote all the various aspects of international cinema in all its forms: as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and tolerance. The Festival includes retrospectives and homages to major figures as a contribution towards raising awareness of the history of cinema.

Marco Müller is the Director the 68th edition. He has been heading the Venice Biennale’s Cinema section since 2004.

For further information see here.

Rigoletto – Tenor Jaewoo Kim: Opera Holland Park

Date: August 2, 4, 6, 9, 11 13 at 7.30 pm

Sung in Italian with English subtitles

Directed by the brilliant Lindsay Posner and conducted by Stuart Stratford, this new production of Verdi’s mesmerising, horrifying and painfully moving opera is a mouth watering prospect for OHP audiences. A father’s suffocating love for his daughter has tragic consequences and it is no less powerful a piece for having an almost constant presence on the world’s opera stages. With aria after aria that seem to define the art form itself, Rigoletto is an essential visit.

 Opera Holland Park

Central Library

Address:12 Phillimore Walk, W8 7RX

Tel: 020 7361 3570