After successful concerts featuring Indonesian gamelan and the Chinese erhu (Chinese violin), this season it is Japan’s turn to complement the Fokker organ with a traditional instrument. Among the many remarkable Japanese instruments is the shakuhachi flute. The shakuhachi has been played since the 13th century by the monks of the Fuke sect within Zen Buddhism. A leading Dutch virtuoso on this instrument is the renowned flautist Harrie Starreveld, who has long been affiliated with the conservatories of Amsterdam and Bremen.
During this meditative concert, he will be accompanied by regular Fokker organist Ere Lievonen and Taiwanese composer I-lly Cheng (live electronics), who has written a new work for shakuhachi entitled Kodama, meaning “striking wood that echoes in the mountains”. The act of striking wood is used in Japanese and Chinese temples to summon monks to meditation.
In addition to this piece, compositions by various composers from the Netherlands to Tokyo will be performed during the concert. Parallel to this, everything will be played on an organ with a strong Dutch connection and a flute deeply rooted in Japanese musical tradition. As rich in sound as these instruments are, so colourful this concert will be!