The first time since 5 month and half

Finally a concert for the first time in 5 and a half months.

The first month of confinement, I thought to check up my basic technique again etc, but after 1 month, I was discouraged and then I lost the motivation to work without concerts and without seeing the end of the pandemic.

Finally, a little concert thanks to Kumi-san. Playing each piece, I thought "the flute is so beautiful✨"

I forgot to take a picture with Kumi-san, so I took a self-portrait at lunchtime.

Flute, talk, Shinobue, Piccolo and vocals ... I played various things like a surprise concert.

After the concert, after having had a small glass of wine (during the day, exceptional for a Japanese woman) I took a walk around Kanazawa Hakkei to refresh myself. This neighborhood is close to my high school and it was a vacation spot during the Edo period (1600 - 1867). There is quite a bit of Ukiyoe (Japanese Prints) which was made by Utagawa Hiroshige.

Thanks to everyone who came! Next time is Saturday September 26 at Café Monton on the Mabori coast with the Arai-san guitar from YMSA 😀

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Discography 

Sky echo (shinobue, flute, koto, shamisen etc...)

Early 20th Century Jewels
  ( flute, viola - with cello, doublebase, harp /
 Debussy, Huybrechts, Roussel, Schulhoff) 

Tokyo Bruxelles Trio Albumflute - cello - piano
Kapustin, Pierné, Martinue


4tempi Album 
flutes, piccolo, altoflute, voice
Bozza, Piazzola .... 

Noh Theatre 4 – Silence and Spirits in Noh Music

I feel that in Noh music, there is something in common with kendo, the Japanese martial art I practiced as a teenager.

That shared element is the tension in silence, and the spirit—Kiai. Kiai is a burst of inner energy, an expression of spirit. Because I practiced kendo, I understand this sensation (even though I wasn’t a particularly strong player). In kendo, you must avoid unnecessary movements and focus your entire being—just like in Noh theatre. During Noh performances, there is barely any movement, and the silence is far from empty.

There is a flute piece called "Mei", composed by Kazuo Fukushima, which is influenced by Noh music. I performed this piece in Zurich at a concert where I played in the first part, followed by a performance by a Noh music ensemble.

After the concert, the musicians from the ensemble told me that it sounded like Noh music played on the flute. I had the same impression when I first encountered the piece—over 20 years ago!

So, what gives this music a Noh-like feeling? I would say it’s the tension and the spirit. But how are those qualities created?

This is just my perspective as a flautist, but I believe that tension is often created in silence and in the long notes. In addition, I don’t count strictly in the slow sections.

Compared to European music, which maintains a beat—even in slow passages—and emphasizes resonance, Noh music has no fixed beat in the Western sense. The phrasing and timing are much more fluid.

Between the notes, there's always tension, as though the energy is transforming the next note. For the percussionists, long silences between each stroke seem to be moments of gathering strength—as if they are charging energy in their hands, like the Kamehameha wave in Dragon Ball, if you’re familiar with it!

The sound of the Nohkan (the Noh flute) is more direct than that of the European flute, which produces a warm, resonant sound.

When I play Mozart or French contemporary music, I imagine the sound of the flute spreading through the hall like blooming flowers.

In contrast, the long notes of the Nohkan seem to shoot forward—sharp and straight—as if they’re piercing through something.

Of course, classical music also has moments of silence filled with tension, but those are occasional. In Noh music, even while playing, the silence is present. It breathes within the sound.

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