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HOME > Past World Cultural Forum 2008 (6th) > Cultural Diversity, Music and Culture in Contemporary Japan
Past World Cultural Forum
2008 (6th)
2008 (6th)
Cultural Diversity — The Power of Culture connects the world —
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・Opening Keynote Speech: Musical Encounters — The Sonic Realm of Cultural Interaction — Michael S. MOLASKY (USA) Professor, University of Minnesota |
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・Performance: Commemorative Performance for the Japan-Brazil Year of Exchange — Brazilian Music — Wilma de OLIVEIRA (Brazil) Singer |
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・Session I : Music and Culture in Contemporary Japan — The Power of Music fostered through embracing diverse genres — From traditional to contemporary, ranging from jazz and classic to pops, music is a universal art form of great diversity. We will examine the cultural power of music, with reference to the diversity of music in Japan as it developed and embraced a variety of genres. |
Saturday, October 11, 2008 (15:05 – 17:30)
International Conference Hall, Plaza HEISEI, Tokyo International Exchange Center
The second part of the forum's opening day featured a session chaired by AOKI Tamotsu, Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, Japan, on the music and culture in contemporary Japan with a panel that included leading Japanese musicians from diverse genres of jazz, Western classical and traditional Japanese music.
Dr. Aoki commenced with the remark that Japan may be unique in terms of the sheer number of opportunities there are to perform and listen to such a huge range of music. He backed this up with a list of 20 pieces in genres ranging from the Western classics to traditional Japanese folk songs. He pointed out that Japanese culture derives from a mixture of diverse elements and is characterized by high receptivity which could make it a role model for 21st century culture. He asked the panelists to share their thoughts on the characteristic features of contemporary Japanese music, its potential, and the challenges ahead.
HONNA Tetsuji, the music director of Orchestra Nipponica and the music adviser and conductor of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, suggested that Japan's receptivity to diverse cultural forms may be related to its longstanding fascination with the exotic cultures of distant places. He also spoke from his own experience of conducting amateur Japanese orchestras of their high quality even by global standards.
Composer and arranger TSUNODA Kenichi, the leader of the Kenichi Tsunoda Big Band, described his own first encounter with jazz and touched on distinctive features of jazz and its history. He described also the impact of his encounter with the music of TAKEMITSU Toru, which convinced him of the futility of merely imitating American jazz and motivated him to invent a Japanese jazz style, a goal towards which he is still working today.
MIYATA Mayumi, the sho player, took the stage playing the sho, a Japanese reed instrument. She spoke of the history of the sho, which was introduced from China during the Nara Period (710-784 A.D.) and became a courtly art in Heian Period (794-1185 A.D.). She emphasized her own enthusiasm to preserve the sho as a part of contemporary music despite its great age and concluded by playing contemporary German composer Robert HP Platz's composition for sho, "senko-hana-bi". Professor Molasky, who had given the keynote speech, observed that nationality and national culture do not necessarily correspond and proposed that there is also no need for musical creativity to be based on a consciousness of them. This produced a mixed response. Mr. Honna suggested that the awareness of being Japanese musicians is in fact the key point of contemporary Japanese music. Ms. Miyata commented that Japan's ancient court music, Gagaku, although deeply traditional, sounds unclassifiable, futuristic and extra-terrestrial to her.
Dr. Aoki then posed some questions. Brazil's Bossa Nova and Samba are loved by people around the world. Has Japan produced any counterpart to them? Also, can archetypal Japanese music be described as the music which reminds us of Japanese scenery? One response was that TAKEMITSU Toru might be a composer creating such music. There was a feeling that contemporary Japanese culture is now more generally associated with animations, comic books and cuisine and no form of Japanese music has ever swept the world. It was suggested, however, that the Asian interest in enka and J-pop should not be overlooked.
Questions were then asked about where Japanese music should go from here and what the panelists themselves would wish to contribute in the future. Professor Molasky advocated steady, fulfilling work in multiple directions. Mr. Tsunoda spoke of continuing his own steady pursuit of music that only he, Tsunoda the Japanese, could possibly create. Mr. Honna stressed how important it is for Japan to provide leadership in vitalizing musical activity across Asia and promoting direct people-to-people exchanges. Ms. Miyata spoke on the need to expose Japanese children to a great variety of music from infancy through both listening and performing in order to find which music suits them best. She drew attention to activities being undertaken in this regard by the Agency of Cultural Affairs.
Dr. Aoki concluded with his view that Japan is a place of free cultural creativity and should be aiming to serve as a hub of musical activity in Asia, and eventually the world, that draws performers and composers from all over the world.
The day closed with the performance of five jazz pieces by the Kenichi Tsunoda Big Band.
*Back to the forum report "Cultural Diversity-The Power of Culture connects the world-"
International Conference Hall, Plaza HEISEI, Tokyo International Exchange Center
The second part of the forum's opening day featured a session chaired by AOKI Tamotsu, Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, Japan, on the music and culture in contemporary Japan with a panel that included leading Japanese musicians from diverse genres of jazz, Western classical and traditional Japanese music.
Dr. Aoki commenced with the remark that Japan may be unique in terms of the sheer number of opportunities there are to perform and listen to such a huge range of music. He backed this up with a list of 20 pieces in genres ranging from the Western classics to traditional Japanese folk songs. He pointed out that Japanese culture derives from a mixture of diverse elements and is characterized by high receptivity which could make it a role model for 21st century culture. He asked the panelists to share their thoughts on the characteristic features of contemporary Japanese music, its potential, and the challenges ahead.
HONNA Tetsuji, the music director of Orchestra Nipponica and the music adviser and conductor of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, suggested that Japan's receptivity to diverse cultural forms may be related to its longstanding fascination with the exotic cultures of distant places. He also spoke from his own experience of conducting amateur Japanese orchestras of their high quality even by global standards.
Composer and arranger TSUNODA Kenichi, the leader of the Kenichi Tsunoda Big Band, described his own first encounter with jazz and touched on distinctive features of jazz and its history. He described also the impact of his encounter with the music of TAKEMITSU Toru, which convinced him of the futility of merely imitating American jazz and motivated him to invent a Japanese jazz style, a goal towards which he is still working today.
MIYATA Mayumi, the sho player, took the stage playing the sho, a Japanese reed instrument. She spoke of the history of the sho, which was introduced from China during the Nara Period (710-784 A.D.) and became a courtly art in Heian Period (794-1185 A.D.). She emphasized her own enthusiasm to preserve the sho as a part of contemporary music despite its great age and concluded by playing contemporary German composer Robert HP Platz's composition for sho, "senko-hana-bi". Professor Molasky, who had given the keynote speech, observed that nationality and national culture do not necessarily correspond and proposed that there is also no need for musical creativity to be based on a consciousness of them. This produced a mixed response. Mr. Honna suggested that the awareness of being Japanese musicians is in fact the key point of contemporary Japanese music. Ms. Miyata commented that Japan's ancient court music, Gagaku, although deeply traditional, sounds unclassifiable, futuristic and extra-terrestrial to her.
Dr. Aoki then posed some questions. Brazil's Bossa Nova and Samba are loved by people around the world. Has Japan produced any counterpart to them? Also, can archetypal Japanese music be described as the music which reminds us of Japanese scenery? One response was that TAKEMITSU Toru might be a composer creating such music. There was a feeling that contemporary Japanese culture is now more generally associated with animations, comic books and cuisine and no form of Japanese music has ever swept the world. It was suggested, however, that the Asian interest in enka and J-pop should not be overlooked.
Questions were then asked about where Japanese music should go from here and what the panelists themselves would wish to contribute in the future. Professor Molasky advocated steady, fulfilling work in multiple directions. Mr. Tsunoda spoke of continuing his own steady pursuit of music that only he, Tsunoda the Japanese, could possibly create. Mr. Honna stressed how important it is for Japan to provide leadership in vitalizing musical activity across Asia and promoting direct people-to-people exchanges. Ms. Miyata spoke on the need to expose Japanese children to a great variety of music from infancy through both listening and performing in order to find which music suits them best. She drew attention to activities being undertaken in this regard by the Agency of Cultural Affairs.
Dr. Aoki concluded with his view that Japan is a place of free cultural creativity and should be aiming to serve as a hub of musical activity in Asia, and eventually the world, that draws performers and composers from all over the world.
The day closed with the performance of five jazz pieces by the Kenichi Tsunoda Big Band.
*Back to the forum report "Cultural Diversity-The Power of Culture connects the world-"
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| Dr. Aoki chairing the Forum | Session participants | Performance by Kenichi Tsunoda Big Band |
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[Participants] AOKI Tamotsu (Japan), Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, Japan Michael S. MOLASKY (USA), Professor, University of Minnesota TSUNODA Kenichi (Japan), Band leader, Kenichi Tsunoda Big Band; Composer; Arranger HONNA Tetsuji (Japan), Music Director, Orchestra Nipponica; Music Adviser and Conductor, Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra MIYATA Mayumi (Japan), SHO Player Kenichi Tsunoda Big Band *Positions held at the time of this event |
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