By Robert M. Tilendis, on February 22nd, 2011
“Symphony Center” is what, after renovations and expansion, they now call Chicago’s Orchestra Hall. And it would seem an ideal venue for Kodo: a relatively intimate space (I said “relatively”), almost perfect acoustics, excellent sightlines from almost anywhere in the house. And so it was with some anticipation that I went downtown last night to see them at roughly the mid-point of the North American leg of the Kodo: One World tour.
As one might expect, seeing Kodo live is a vastly different experience than hearing them safely ensconced on a compact disc, or even a DVD: they take command of the space in a way that few performers can manage. However, contrary to expectations, the program, with two exceptions, did not rely on the works from their new album, Akatsuki.
The opening number was Masaru Tsuji’s “Sakaki,” almost a dance-theater piece, one that lays bare the meeting place of dance, music, and ritual. The notes claim that this solo for male dancer is adapted from an ancient Shinto ceremony, and one can see that readily. My own notes describe it as “angles and curves, song and chant, highly abstract: defines the evening.” This was followed by a new work, Mitsuru Ishizuka’s “Stride,” which is included on the album, performed by the full company. This is the drumming that we have come to expect from Kodo, precise, ranging from delicate to thunderous, and seemingly unstoppable. My notes say “relay race” — indeed, the way the drummers pass the rhythms back and forth recalls nothing so much as witnessing the passing of the Olympic torch. That and the next number, Roetsu Tosha’s “Chonlima,” pointed up the incredible precision, the perfect synchronization of the performers. (My notes for the next piece, the traditional “Miyake,” note “even the drummers’ strokes seem choreographed.”) Maki Ishii’s “Monochrome,” which closed the first half of the program, pointed up the degree of mastery we are experiencing here: the range of sounds produced from the drums was amazing, beginning with a spare and somewhat cryptic soundscape and building layers and layers of texture until one had the distinct impression of melody coming from the stage. But it’s here, and looking back, through the first half of the program as a whole, that we can see how the interplay of rhythms builds patterns that in turn become larger structures, shaping the work and our experience of it.
The first half of the program was fairly serious, the troupe focused on the stage and what was happening there. In the second half, the company began to loosen up a bit and magic really began to happen. Ryutaro Kaneko’s “Jang-Gwara,” which opened the second half, is performed on jangara cymbals, with one drum. It was quite obvious that the company were showing off a little, and having lots of fun doing it — complete with mock fist-fight, the onlookers cheering the combatants — with cymbals. “Sora,” which I noted in my review of the CD has a strong Irish flavor, is much more than that in the extended live version. There’s still an Irish lilt in the flutes, but it becomes very complex, drawing in a number of traditions, some of which I could identify, some not. It’s a challenging and rewarding piece of music.
Shogo Yoshii’s “Kumo no Namiji” brings the ritual aspect of Kodo back full force: performed in half light, it incorporates song and percussion in a hypnotic piece of theater. The program closed with two traditional works, “O-daiko” and “Yatai-bayashi,” both giving full voice to the drums, including the great “o-daiko” itself, which, quite frankly, can sound like the end of the world.
It was a thoroughly engaging program, showcasing the mastery of the performers as well as the elements of the traditions on which their work is based — including that element of playfulness that crops up again and again in Japanese art of all kinds. My one cavil is that Symphony Center is perhaps not the best venue: this is a powerful company, and the hall may very well have been a little too intimate. There were times when the sound was almost painful. Ideally, I would opt for a deeper space, not quite so reflective.
But all things considered, that’s rather minor.
(Symphony Center, 21 February, 2011)
Kodo is well represented on YouTube, where you can find performance videos of “O-daiko,” Part I and Part II.
02/22/11 >> 
