oohh, this sends chills up my spine. I didn't see this troupe, but I
did see another in Tokyo at Kamegaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Ichigaya:
Suenobu Togi-sensei and his students. There was only one dancer. This
press release doesn't make it clear how many dancers there will be
performing in Milwaukee. I wonder how they'll set up the space. The way
the jinja was lit was just as important as the sound and movement. It
was very dim, but warm, lighting, perfect for trancing. Also, there
wasn't a lot of talk once the performance started, just some
introductory remarks and instructions as to how to behave in a jinja,
beforehand. There was a tiny amount of gagaku music at Higashi Honganji
for Shinran's memorial, but it was not the same setup. It was more
processional music as they moved a statue of Shinran from the Goei-do
to the Amida-do prior to closing the former for major restoration work.

Gagaku has an eerie sound, not like anything a Westerner might think of
as music. It almost sounds like a random assemblage of noises, but it
is scored, and it produces a much different sort of listening
experience from that of a concert of Western music for the listener who
approaches it with an open mind.

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Burmeister, Ellen" <Burmeister@...>
Date: Thu Sep 6, 2007 23:45:31 America/Chicago
To: "Burmeister, Ellen" <Burmeister@...>
Subject: Japanese Gagaku Orchestra to Perform Unique Mix of Musical and
Buddhist Tradition at Milwaukee Public Museum

MEDIA INQUIRIES

Ellen Burmeister: (414) 278-6199 or (414) 530-8676     
Japanese Gagaku Orchestra Plays First Wisconsin Concert at MPM

The Milwaukee Public Museum will welcome theDaihonzan Zojo-ji Temple
Gagaku Orchestra in their premiere Wisconsin appearances on Friday,
October 5, 2007. They will perform at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at MPM’s
Gromme Hall. The afternoon appearance is free of charge; the evening
performance is $10, $7 seniors and children.

The Zojo-ji Temple of Tokyo is one of the most popular destinations for
tourists to Japan. It is the main temple of the Jodo Shu (Pure Land)
sect of Buddhism. TheDaihonzan Zojo-ji Temple Gagaku Orchestra was
established in 1937 at Zoji-ji,to perform at the annual ceremonies
marking the death of Honen Shonin, a very important teacher in the Pure
Land Buddhist Tradition. In 1980 they began traveling the world to play
in China, India, Taiwan, Denmark, Germany and the United States.

The Orchestra will play the togaku style of gagaku music,1,200 year-old
genre derived from the Chinese court music of the T’ang Dynasty and
later introduced to Japan,where it was incorporated into Japanese
Imperial court ceremonies. Performing this slow, elegant music on
flutes, percussion, and string instruments,they will play an
instrumental style called kangen, a dance/instrumental style called
bugaku and a recital/poetic style called roei (based on Chinese poems).
The orchestra will include 16 musicians and dancers.

Please call (414) 278-2728 to register for the free afternoon matinee,
or to purchase tickets for the evening performance. Tickets can also be
purchased online at www.mpm.edu.

This performance marks the first of two Japanese cultural events slated
at the Milwaukee Public Museum this fall. The other is a homecoming
celebration and exhibit of the Museum’s newly restored Friendship Doll,
Miss Ibaraki, which is being planned for November.