Last weekend, I got invited to an orchestra concert by the Hong Kong Philharmonic with a special program featuring Taiko drum master, Eitetsu Hayashi. SO COOL. As far as orchestra programs go, the whole thing was pretty light, starting off with Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade (think Arabian Nights/Aladdin). The second piece by a Japanese composer was kind of creepy/haunted-sounding, but the main attraction was well worth any reservations you might have had. It was simply amazing. Basically a concerto for taiko drums, I assure you no one was focused on the orchestra. The one-man show had all our attention and then some. I felt like I was back in fourth grade, but all I could think over and over was "So Cool." If any of you ever get a chance to see taiko drums, do it. The number and range of sounds that can come from just one drum, and the immense power of it all, is beyond words. I want to learn taiko drumming.
Separately, during intermission, my friend and I were amused to hear a woman complaining to her companion that she couldn't even hear the taiko drums. I hope they stuck around for the second half.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
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1 comment:
i can totally see you saying 'SO cool!'
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