Ono & Kimura
North Japanese lute music – World Classical Music
Tradition with a punk twist
When the Japanese musicians Etsuro Ono and Shunsuke Kimura play their traditional long-necked lutes with rapid touches, they produce a driving, almost punk-like dynamism. Ono and Kimura are virtuosos of the three-stringed shamisen, an accompanying instrument for geishas and troubadours in days of old. Now elevated to the status of solo instrument, the old North Japanese lute enters into dialogue with the shinobue flute, which Shunsuke Kimura also plays.
It is easy to imagine this elegant form of traditional music in a club context underlaid with electronic beats, but – with its percussive style of playing – it also offers a springboard for jazzy improvisations. The Ono-Kimura duo was formed in 2009. The latter has collected traditional music in many regions of Japan and used the material in his own compositions for music theatre, dance and film. Etsuro Ono comes from Akita in north-eastern Japan. He studied with the shamisen master Chisato Yamada.
Performers
Ono & Kimura
Shunsuke Kimura Tsugaru-shamisen, shinobue
Etsuro Ono tsugaru-shamisen
Programme
»Shamisen«
Lute music of travelling musicians from northern Japan
Subscription
World Classical Music