BBC Proms in Japan: The Experimental Session (3rd November 2019)

This concert took place at the fringes of the first BBC Proms in Japan, a six-day festival last November headed up by the Scottish Symphony Orchestra.  At the EdgeOf venue in Shibuya, Tokyo, artists and composers from the Japanese avant-garde journeyed into sound for an engrossing hour and a half, and the concert was first broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Boxing Day.

The first performer is Sugai Ken, who creates 'vernacular electronic music' that he describes as "neo-japonica".  It's a fascinating 20 minutes of drone & glitch electro-acoustic sound, vocal samples and more.  The middle set spotlights two instrumentalists, on saxophone and piano.  Firstly, Masanori Oishi performs two solo sax pieces, followed by Emiko Mirua on two pieces for piano, including a lovely Takemitsu miniature.

Oishi and Miura then perform together, on a short improvisation and a lengthy piece by Jacob Ter Veldhuis (aka JacobTV) entitled Sho-Myo, which translates as 'voice and wisdom'.  Set in three movements and sampling Japanese Buddhist chants in the first two, it's a gorgeous sound-world that I'd say is the highlight here.  To close, American composer Carl Stone (who has been resident in Japan since the 90s) performs a stunning 25-minute improv with voice artist Akaihirume.

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