Dyu-Ha
| [Genre] | Taiko |
Dyu-Ha appears on the following albums
| Album | Artist | |
 | Taiko no Sekai |
Shakuhachi : Riley Kōho Lee |
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Shimedaiko & taiko set solos: Ben Walsh "Dyu-Ha" is a term employed in Gagaku (the ancient court music of 8th Century Imperial Japan) meaning, “to enter a new sphere': Although in this context it refers to a mode of variation, Ishii has taken it to describe the development and exploration of a new sound world for taiko. The piece opens with the sound of hiyoshigi, the wooden clappers used in the Kabuki theatre to herald the beginning of a performance. Hiyoshigi tell the audience that something is about to happen and are inviting us into a special place - a different world where stories are told, emotions shared, and characters explored. However, the maniacal chattering of Ishii's massed hiyoshigi creates confusion and from this discordance he pits a soloist - one who represents the voice of coherence and reason against three duos of warring drummers. A tightly structured work, Dyu-Ha explores themes of light and darkness, chaos and order, evil and goodness. Drawing on his deep knowledge of traditional Japanese music, Ishii uses the folk drumming style of Sado Island to give shape to his ideas. This ancient form has the players wearing the mask of "oni", a demon, playing out a ritualistic drum dance of aggression and submission. In our piece we hear and see the protagonist solo taiko player triumph over the crazed cacophony of these "demon drummers”. | ||