Amin Abbas

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates: As part of the second edition of Sharjah Art Foundation’s four-year collaboration with curator Yuko Hasegawa, the Artistic Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, the Sharjapan exhibition hosted a performance named “Nature’s Rhythm: Heartbeat from Japan” by Japanese Taiko drum performer, Eitetsu Hayashi, at the Sharjah Academy for Performing Arts on January 25.

Hayashi is recognized as an innovator in the history of Japanese music for having taken his art beyond the traditional techniques of Japanese drumming and creating a new style of drumming, which requires unprecedented levels of virtuosity and physical prowess.

In this way, he has launched a new realm of music by freeing the drum from its traditional role as percussion accompaniment and bringing new life to it as a contemporary solo instrument.

“The history of Japanese drums (Taiko) is very old and was being performed mostly in traditional occasions, when I started this path 50 years ago, the young generation had no interest in Japanese drums, and I thought it would die. For that reason, I decided to create a unique style of modernized music with Japanese drums,” Hayashi said.

The performance was comprised of two parts which collectively showcased the art of traditional Japanese practices.

The first was a unique collaboration between Hayashi and pianist Takashi Niigaki, who performed the renowned classical work Bolero by Maurice Ravel and Oni-Arare, composed by Japanese composer Akira Yuyama.

The second part of the performance focused on Japanese drums Hayashi performed Mio no Hasu with the members of Eitetsu Fu-un no Kai in a display of new contemporary Japanese taiko drumming styles. This work was inspired by the life and work of scholar Takumi Asakawa, who actively tried to create ties between the different cultures of Japan and Korea.

After the performance, Hayashi told Arab News, “I have visited many places in the Middle East over the past eight years, including the UAE and Oman. I was very pleased and amazed by the reactions and feedback from people who have attended my previous performances. I look forward to keep doing performances that give the true meaning of Japanese drums in the modern era”.