Kodo 40th Anniversary Commemorative Performance: Tsuzumi.
Kodo will commemorate this milestone with two new productions. In our first commemorative work, Tsuzumi, we will perform Dyu-Ha on tour for the first time in around 15 years. The late Maki Ishii, a modern composer who was introduced to Kodo by conductor Seiji Ozawa, presented this piece to Kodo as a gift to congratulate our ensemble on its debut in 1981. Tsuzumi will also feature Ishii’s masterpiece Monochrome and other Kodo signature pieces such as O-daiko, Yatai-bayashi, and Zoku, coupled with new compositions. Join us as we trace our group’s origins back to the beginning, to reflect on our history and reaffirm what has shaped Kodo today. Tsuzumi will serve as a cornerstone for Kodo’s next ground-breaking chapter.
Under the theme “One Earth,” Kodo endeavors to bring the sound of the taiko to all corners of the globe so our music and message can resonate with myriad cultures and ways of life. In February 2022, Kodo looks forward to embarking on a two-month Europe tour. The concerts will be our first overseas performances since our last Europe tour was suspended in March 2020, almost two years ago. Over the course of four decades, we have honed our expression as we traveled the globe with taiko. Our journeys have led us to encounter different cultures, step outside our comfort zones, and we’ve even found ourselves in dangerous situations at times. But even when our surroundings are completely foreign to us, the sound of our taiko receives loud applause and cheers from the audience. In those moments, we can feel everyone in the venue suddenly become one. That sense of connection brings us indescribable joy.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are ongoing, but the forced break from touring has had a silver lining: it allowed us to reaffirm the joy and purpose of sharing our sound with audiences firsthand. Now that we can travel again, we look forward to continuing our mission to bring the resounding sound of taiko to people far and wide. We hope our performances give everyone a profound, much-needed boost.