Yamato the Drummers of Japan will be coming to Israel for three shows only: December 10th in Haifa, December 12th in Tel Aviv, and December 14th in Beer Sheva.
The Yamato ensemble of drummers was founded in 1993 in the Nara Prefecture region of Japan, one of the oldest regions whose capital city Nara has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Historically the region was known as the Yamato Province, and from this the ensemble takes its name. They made their international debut in 1998 at the Ediburgh Fringe Festival, where they received the “Spirit of the Fringe” award. The ensemble tours worldwide for the better part of the year and have performed in over 51 countries.
Taiko (or Waidako) is the word for drum in Japanese and refers to the traditional drums of Japan, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and also to the ensemble drumming performance called Kumi-daiko. Taiko has a long and rich tradition in Japanese history and culture. Kumi-daiko was developed by Daihachi Oguchi, who was trained as a jazz musician and drew on the taiko traditions and music, developing this form of ensemble drumming as performance, rather than folk or religious ritual. The contemporary performance of Taiko was further developed by Den Tagayasu, who inspired by the folk traditions of drumming on the island of Sado, which demanded great physical strength on the part of the drummers, incorporated long distance running into the drummer’s training.
Yamato’s Artistic director Massa Ogawa was trained in graphic design, and in creating the performances places an emphasis on the aesthetics of the music, as well as the sound, viewing the stage as a landscape. (from an interview with the Asian Global Press) Ogawa came to drumming performance by coincidence, after his mother brought home a Taiko she found. Ogawa is continuously creating, developing a new program for the ensemble every two years. The drummers train rigorously, often beginning their day with a 10K run, and are able to lift drums weighing 500 kilograms!
Performances:
Saturday, December 10th at 20:30 – Haifa Auditorium. Tickets may be purchased via Barak Tickets, www.barak-tickets.co.il or call: 04-8377777.
Monday, December 12th at 20:30 – Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center. Tickets may be purchased from Leaan www.leaan.co.il , or calal *8780.
Wednesday, December 14th at 20:30 – Beer Sheva Performing Arts Center. Tickets may be purchased from Shefa Productions www.ticket4u.co.il , from the Performing Arts Center www.mishkan7.co.il , or call *8557.
