Kodo

The Kodo ensemble aims to take the traditional Japanese art of taiko drumming to all corners of the world. It wants to explore the inexhaustible rhythmic possibilities of taiko and preserve the tradition as a living, ever-changing art form. Since making its debut at the Berlin Festival in 1981, the drum group, which is based on the small Japanese island of Sado in western Honshū, has given over 7,000 concerts in 53 countries on five continents. Since 1988, it has organised the annual international festival »Earth Celebration« on Sado, the longest-running music festival in Japan. Kodo also regularly gives taiko workshops for thousands of schoolchildren throughout Japan.

»Luminance«
With the programme »Luminance«, Kodo presents characteristic pieces that the ensemble has perfected over decades of world tours, including the powerful O-daiko drum solo and the finale Yatai-bayashi, which is designed to build up. In addition to the classics of the repertoire, the programme also includes new works that have emerged from the encounters and ideas of the current Kodo members, inspired by the impressions and experiences of their worldwide travels.