Acclaimed Japanese musician and composer Masanori Takahashi, better known by his nickname Kitaro, will perform for three nights at the Ministry of Interior Hall from May 6-8.
Most Iranians know Kitaro, 65, for the beautiful music he made for the documentary The Silk Road. “When I was composing for the Silk Road, I became particularly interested in Iranian ethnic music. Over and over I listened to Iranian ethnic and folk pieces, learning and discovering many things from them,” Persian news agency ISNA quoted Kitaro as saying.
“Obviously, there is a treasure of ethnic music across Iran. It takes a very long time to review and appreciate the music of all the ethnicities … it is part of my professional approach to learn about the culture and tradition of a nation before performing in the country. This way I can create something more to their liking. Cultural dialogue or more precisely, musical dialogue is of utmost importance for me,” he said.
“It makes me happy to see people liking the soundtrack of The Silk Road. I would like to express my gratitude to Iranian culture for its influence in making of the documentary’s music. I attribute the global success of the work to Iranian influence. It will certainly be among the repertoire of the May concert. I’ll offer Iranian fans a new experience,” the Japanese noted.
Portrait of the Universe
Kitaro is to perform parts of his 1990 album Kojiki in his Tehran concert. Nominated for a 1990 Grammy award, the album features the string section from American composer John William’s Skywalker Symphony, along with Kitaro’s signature keyboard and flute sounds.
Including a total of seven pieces, the album “is a charming portrait of our planet and the universe. In creating the album, Professor Kazunari Shibata (director of Kwasan and Hida observatories in Kyoto) who is among the renowned experts in the Solar System, offered me great help. Only through contemplation can an audience grasp the concepts behind the notes of the work. In Iran I will perform Kojiki and the Universe.”
The live presentation of Kojiki and the Universe will also be a unique visual experience. It merges Kitaro’s music from the album ‘Kojiki’ with dynamic space-age photographic scenes of the Universe, featuring time- lapse images, intertwined with real-time films.
“My music takes listeners to the far corners of the world, and this gives me excitement and satisfaction. The audience will accompany me to the end of the exciting journey while I experience the greatest of joys and ecstasies,” Kitaro said.
Kitaro is one of the most popular and influential new age artists, having sold millions of records and toured across the world numerous times, in addition to winning the Grammy and Golden Globe awards.
He first performed in Tehran in 2014 with his new age music and was highly welcomed.
