Japanese guitarists Tomonori Arai and Duo Trussardi's music journey around the world

Featuring:

Tomonori Arai

Duo Trussardi

     Eisei Tanigawa

     Takashi Endo

Sting Asistores

Marlee Pabico

Programme:

Agustín Barrios Mangoré

     La Catedral

Lucrecia Kasilag

     Prelude Etnika

Agustín Barrios Mangoré

     Julie Florida

Georges Bizet

     Serenade Espagnole

Shingo Fujii

     Rhapsody Japan

Hirokazu Sato

     Journey to the Far Valley

Rami Vamos and Randall Ayers

     12 Silly Song

Dušan Bogdanović

     No Feathers on this Frog

Celso Machado

     Imagens do Nordeste

Roland Dyens

     Saudade No. 3

Francisco Tárrega

     Caprichio Arabe

Heitor Villa-Lobos

    Prelude No. 1

Leo Brouwer

     Elogio de la Danza

Klaus Wüsthoff

     Samba Quica

Luigi Boccherini

     Introduction and Fandango

Paulo Bellinati

     Baiao de Gude

Goran Ivanovic

     Ethno Dance

Agustín Barrios Mangoré

    Zapateado Caribe

Máximo Diego Pujol

     Fin de Siglo

Hirokazu Sato

     Song of Birds

Encore:

Fujii Keigo

     Soap Bubble Variations

The solo, duo, and trio performances by Japanese guitarists Tomonori Arai and Duo Trussardi’s Eisei Tanigawa and Takashi Endo earned their recent concert the title …Three, Two, One, Arai!  But for me, the title was more apt as a countdown to the music journey across the world that these artists took the audience that gathered inside the Abelardo Hall Auditorium at the UP College of Music in UP Diliman.

Performing a diverse selection of music from the Americas, Europe and of course, their home country of Japan, the concert was a great venue for increasing knowledge and awareness of the vast guitar repertoire that included transcriptions and those composed specifically for the instrument.

Duo Trussardi, made up of Eisei Tanigawa and Takashi Endo performed a mixture of traditional Japanese tunes transcribed for guitar duo along with contemporary pieces by Japanese, American, Yugoslavian, and Brazilian composers. Takashi, who is able to communicate in limited English, provided brief backgrounds before playing each piece. And with such a varied selection, the duo’s set brought about different moods like nostalgia and cheeky playfulness. I particularly enjoyed the duo’s performance of Hirokazu Sato’s Journey to the Far Valley which evoked a laidback, rural vibe accompanied by guitar taps that added a percussive element to the piece.

A clear and rich tone (mostly owing to a combination of a superior instrument and impeccable technique) was evident when Tomonori Arai played his first notes. Presenting Romantic era music with more of a Hispanic/Latin flavor, Arai played most of his pieces during his set without pauses in between. It felt as if he played a long, multi-movement composition like a sonata or a suite. Arai's take on Capricho Arabe by Francisco Tárrega was a highlight with him bringing out the exotic flavor in this Romantic piece.

Arai and Duo Trussardi later on joined forces for the trio portion of the concert. The humorous banter among the three made the crowd more relaxed and resulted in a more enjoyable listening experience not minding that the concert clocked for more than two hours already by this point. What was very interesting for me was seeing how the main melody, harmonies, and other passages were passed from one guitarist to another. And having a visual of these things made me appreciate more the layers, textures, and overall structure and form of the music. Máximo Diego Pujol’s Fin de Siglo, with the music resonating well to 21^st century ears and sensibilities, was the gem for me during the trio portion.

And to cap the evening after travelling all over the world music wise, the trio ended in the bathtub with a fun piece called Soap Bubble Variations by Fujii Keigo. The trio explained that the main theme of this variations was a children’s song about soap bubbles and if my impression is right, these bubbles are the one made during bath time.

Prior to the Japanese guitarists’ performances, opening acts Sting Asistores and Marlee Pabico gave guitar performances that belied their youth.

The concert …Three, Two, One, Arai! was a presentation of Independent Philippine Art Ventures, Inc. (iPav) and was supported by the Japan Foundation, Manila.