Spotlight Japan — one of those amorphous, cross-disciplinary festivals that grant writers love — quietly opened last week in Toronto. Yesterday, I received an invitation to Cinema Kabuki, which has been rolled into the festival this year.
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
I politely wrote back to the friend of the Japan Foundation, Toshiko Adilman, the widow of my former Star colleague Sid Adilman, that I wouldn’t be able to make the Feb. 9 and 10 screenings at the TIFF Lightbox, and made a comment about how Kabuki is worth a lifetime’s study.
Here is the response she had waiting for me this morning:
Yes, Kabuki is a high art with depth and richness, but it’s also a mass entertainment in its origin. So, instead of “study in and of itself,” look at it as “life time fun.” In other words, one does not need expert knowledge to enjoy it.
That was the case with me and classical music. Having grown up in Japan strictly with Japanese music (my father’s obsession), I knew nothing about western classical music until first Ken Winters (Telegram days) and then William Littler took me to concerts.
The more you listen, the more you enjoy, Ken told me.
Kabuki is the same. If and when you have an opportunity and time to see Kabuki in the future, just relax and enjoy.
Amen to that.
I wrote back saying that I don’t have the temperament to relax and enjoy a lot of the time (a trait I used to find so annoying in my father). But I think it serves as an excellent lesson for anyone working in the arts.
We spend so much time brandishing studies that show how the arts generate so many millions in ancillary revenue for business and government and citing studies that show how music is good for the brain.
But the real story — one that probably has the most resonance in our stressed-out lives — is that a good book, fine theatre, a great concert or opera is, ultimately, a fantastic way to relax and enjoy — with far fewer side-effects than a case of beer or a pipeful of crack.
(To find out more about Cinema Kabuki — and some of the fascinating-looking filmed performances on offer — click here.)
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In case you have too much free time, here is a Kunqu-Kabuki mix. Kunqu is the oldest form of traditional Chinese opera, with roots in the Ming dynasty. This is an excerpt from The Peony Pavilion, which dates back to the late 16th century, just before the birth of Kabuki in Japan. One of the neat things about this particular performance is how it features a Chinese actor (Jun Zhang) as well as a Japanese one (Emiya Ichikawa):
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
