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My sister, Triona, is touring harpist with the Chieftains and following the Chieftains’ Japan Tour 2007, she remained in Japan to do a few performances with me. We have a small programme of Irish and Japanese music for biwa and harp, and shakuhachi and harp. Over the last week we have performed in Kunitachi, at Inishowen pub in Ebisu, and at the University of Creation. The main joint numbers in the programme are “Kadobiwa”, performed on biwa and harp, and Port na bPucaí, The Parting of Friends and the Drunken Sailor hornpipe performed on shakuhachi and harp. The programme has been very well received and I was left with the impression that most people enjoyed it. Triona will be back in December and we are both looking forward to performing again together.

Today I would like to take the time to introduce the university I work at a little more. To begin with, I would like to explain a little of one of the courses that is available to students – namely, the hogaku course 邦楽コース. The principal member of the course is Shin Miyashita 宮下 伸, renown koto 箏 (Japanese zither) player and dean of the University of Creation; Art, Music & Social Work.

He is also a prolific composer for koto, following in the tradition of his father. He heads a team of teachers in Japanese traditional music, including other koto teachers and teachers of shamisen, wadaiko (Japanese drums), modern satsuma biwa, traditional satsuma biwa, shakuhachi, and shinobue.

For those students who are majoring in one of the tradtional instruments, classes in that instrument are on a one-to-one basis and last at least forty-five minutes. For those who are doing the instrument as a second “subject”, classes are at least twenty minutes in length, but generally they extend to thirty minutes. Practice instruments are provided for all students.  

If I may add a little to the entry on Marlene Dumas’ work which I made a few days ago, I would like to say that I do not regard myself as an art critic, and I feel it rather foolish of me to have rambled on in the manner I did about the works of art I saw, but I do think that there is sense of something being beautiful which is common to both music and the other arts. I do not say that this gives me a right to claim that my opinions are valid, or are in any way on a par with peole who do know a thing or two about the plastic arts, but merely use it as an excuse for a fool taking the liberty of driveling on a particular matter as I did.  

Yesterday, I had two performances, one planned, the other unexpected. I played in Niigata for a 30 year anniversary of the foundation of a clothes and fashion business there. It went well considering that I am down with a pretty dreadful cold, and running a temperature. I finished at about two o’clock and raced back to Tokyo for the Chieftains with my sister, Triona, on the Irish Harp at Triphony Hall. I managed to arrive pretty early, but could not find Triona. Eventually, I got to see her backstage at about five minutes to six, only to learn that the Chieftains were planning on having me play biwa with them at this concert. Well, hearing this threw my life and evening asunder, but I was ready to accept the challenge and sure enough for the last number of the concert, I got to play my little bit on stage on the biwa. It seemed to have taken the audience quite by surprise, from what I heard later. Anyways, I enjoyed it very much, and speaking with Paddy Moloney and hearing his opinions of the biwa was great fun afterwards.

Over the next few days, I like to give a little information on the University I work at, and the events that are coming up soon.

Recently, I heard the Tallis Scholar’s perform at Kioi Hall near Yotsuya Station in Tokyo. It was my first time to hear them perform live, and to visit the Kioi Hall. The tenor singer in the Tallis Scholar’s, Mr. Nicholas Todd, and I read music together at Cambridge. He also graduated in 1994.

The concert on the whole was satisfying. This was only due to the wonderful performance of Vittoria’s Requiem. The first half of the concert was a considerable let down. In fact, I was left feeling that they wre sightreading the pieces, what with the lack of a unified tone colour amongst other things. The second half was for me a wonderful experience. There was so much I found to enjoy in it.

The Chieftains concert at the Bunkamura in Shibuya went very well last night. The hall was packed as far as I could tell. The beginning of the concert was also the beginning of the tour, so it seemed a little tense, but by the end of the first half things were in full swing. Everybody seemed to enjoy it so much and most people commented on how quickly time flew by – two and half hours went by in what felt like an hour and twenty minutes. By the end of the concert everybody was up and dancing!

Triona Marshall, the eldest of my three younger sisters, is here in Japan as touring harpist with the Chieftains on their 2007 Japan Tour. She arrived on Wednesday. This evening wil be the first concert. I am very excited about seeing her this evening. It wil be the first time in over ten months for us to meet again. After the tour, she will stay on with me for a few days and we have set up one or two private performances for friends and close acquaintances. She has also released her first album. I haven’t heard it yet but everybody says it is great.

She will be coming here again in December (with a different group) and hopefully we will get to do a few more performances together then, too.