Friday, Dec. 3  7:30 pm

First Friday Forum with Harry Aoki Ensemble

Presented by Harry Aoki Ensemble

National Nikkei Heritage Centre, #100-6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby

Harry plays his chromatic harmonica, accompanied by Tembo on African drum, Kyra on cello and John on trumpet – photo courtesy of John Endo Greenaway

Harry Aoki is a man who gets excited about discovering the journeys that music takes between cultures.  Once a month he brings together friends with musical influences from around the world and invites them to play with him.  He also interweaves stories about how music travels between and transcends cultures.

Usually they each perform pieces solo or in ensemble in their chosen genres, and Harry plays with them on his Bass, or one of his many harmonicas.  Sometimes they will perform music on the spot when Harry hands them a written score.  To close the evening, there is often an improvisational piece building from a single note to a multi-voice or multi-instrument wall of intermingling sounds, that will gently ease back to the beginning note.  Harry loves these improvisational pieces.

Tonight, joining Harry were a number of musicians: African drummer Tembo, celtic violinist Max Nguen, Cellist Kiara, + many others. Harry is always a thoughtful host, weaving in his stories about the musicians he meets, and how music from one country, is inter-related somehow to another country far away.  Tonight he told a story about how a Greek musician once complimented him on how well he played a Greek song.  “That was a Japanese song!” exclaimed Harry, explaining how Greek music was very close to Persian music, and how the Silk Road was a conduit for not only silk and spices, but also for songs.  The song was then played on violin, cello, clarinet, piano with Harry playing finger cymbals.  The clarinet sounded very middle eastern, amidst the rhythms of the cello and piano.  It immediately reminded me of the Saint-Saens composition “Samson and Delilah Bacchanale” that is one of my favorite pieces to play on my concert accordion.

Harry's Clarinet String Ensemble featuring ? on clarinet, Kyra on Cello, Max on Violin, Harry on Bass – photo courtesy of John Endo Greenaway

After a brief intermission, Harry explained that the evening's program was also being sponsored by the Vancouver Opera as part of their Views of Japan a program that highlighted programs related to and created by the Vancouver Japanese Canadian artistic and performing community.  http://www.vanopera.bc.ca/community/viewsofjapan.html

Harry then invited the Japanese Consul to say a few words.  The consul thanked all the musicians and the music lovers in the audience, and also invited the audience to attend a concert at UBC Robson Square Auditorium that would highlight a Japanese choir and famous musicians, he said.

The evening's program continued with one man playing a traditional japanese stringed instrument, accompanied by a fellow on an African djembe drum.  On a celtic theme, Harry's string ensemble played a celtic, then a scottish tune led by Max Nguen on violin.  This was followed by a female singer performing a classical piece, then a Scottish popular song.  Finally the evening closed with many of the musicians on stage for some group pieces.

It was an enjoyable musical evening, and Harry explained that some of the expected musicians had cancelled sick, and that his planned program for the evening was instead improvised.  It wasn't professional production standards, but then Harry explained that the group only gets together the Friday before to go through the planned set list, and then it is up to Harry to host, and adjust pieces and performers as he best thinks should happen.

Harry Aoki and his musical ensemble often performs during Asian Heritage Month, and he has performed for Gung Haggis Fat Choy with vocalist Margaret Gallagher.  I really enjoy Harry's musical vision and authority.  For the 2003 GHFC dinner, he easily suggested musical directions, and I welcomed them.  One of the highlights of the 2003 GHFC dinner was having a “spontaneous band” suddenly appear to accompany myself on accordion and 13 year old Alex Sachs on violin as we performed Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Brahms, with Harry on bass.

Check out the pictures taken by John Endo Greenaway, managing editor of The Bulletin, published by the Japanese Canadian Citizens' Association.

Madama Butterfly: Review

Vancouver Opera

November 29th, 2004

Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver BC.

Vancouver Opera's 2004 production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly is not only exciting on stage, it is exciting in the Vancouver community, and has created a good buzz, especially through the creation of the Views of Japan community outreach program.

Madam Butterfly is one of the most controversial and most loved operas in the North American Asian community, due to the importance of Asian roles and storyline as well as the reinforcement of Asian stereotypes.  The 2004 VOA production has a bit of everything, especially an Asian Soprano in the lead role of Cio-Cio San, Chinese-Canadian Liping Zhang.  But more importantly, the VOA production attempts to go beyond the stereotyping and to provide a deeper understanding of Japanese culture, that Puccini probably wasn't even able to grasp in his day, as his opera was based on play and not on an actual visit to Japan.

The curtain is open with a raked raised stage in the middle of the stage floor.  This is the Japanese home, complete with shoji screens.  The story begins with American Officer Lt. Pinkerton (Scott Piper) explaining to the American Consul Sharpless (Gregory Dahl), that he has just taken out a 999 year lease on a house, and has arranged through Goro the marriage broker to take a 15 year old Geisha as a wife… and when he feels like it, he can cancel both on 30 days short notice. 

Piper and Dahl both sing in good strong voices, as Sharpless cautions Pinkerton that his devil may care / enjoy life no matter the cost attitude will have a devastating effect on the young bride. But Pinkerton is so enamoured of the young bride's fragile beauty, that he goes through with his plans.  And so begins a now classic tale of mistaken cultural understanding and insensitivity as both Pinkerton and Cio-Cio San have different expectations for the marriage.

Cio-Cio San (Liping Zhang) arrives and it is learned that as part of the celebration of her marriage to an American, she has now forsaken her Buddhist beliefs and embraced Christianity, in an effort to become more American.  It is in this first act that Zhang plays a young teen-aged girl, giddy with marriage, yet restrained in her inexperience.  It isn't until Act 2, set 3 years later, as a love-lorn abandoned bride with no returning husband in sight, that Zhang's vocal power and theatrical presence really establish themselves.

Meanwhile, all around the outside of the house, are figures clad in dust grey ninja-like robes. They move like ghosts, these are known as the “ancient ones.” This is an addition by director Glynis Leyshon, that reinforces and strengthens the unseen ties to tradition and culture that Cio-Cio San can never completely free herself from.  While many viewers might see the slow moving silent figures as a distraction, I personally found it fascinating.  My companion (who has seen Madam Butterfly 6 previous times by different companies) was equally struck by the added dimension that the figures brought to the stage.  The slow Butoh-like movements reminded me of the many performances that I had seen of Vancouver's Kokoro Dance Theatre, led by Jay Hirabayashi.

The musical highlights in Act 2, soared with Zhang's singing of one of the most famous arias ever, “Un Bel Dei”, as Cio-Cio San declares to her maid Suzuki (Julie Nesrallah), that no matter how much the community is talking, and Goro is trying to set her up with another husband, or that her family has disowned her – she still has faith that her beloved husband, the erstwhile globe-sailing American sailor, will return home to her.  Zhang demonstrated why she has made this role her own, and is now recognized internationally.  Her range of dynamics demonstrated great control from soaring voice to almost a whisper.

And on the day that she sees an American Naval ship arrive in the harbour, her joy erupts.  Cio-Cio San orders Suzuki to decorate the house with flowers until the garden is bare.  Flower petals gently fall on the stage as if from heaven.  But it is in Japanese culture, that while heigh of the cheery tree blossoms are a scene of exquisite and sublime beauty, it is also recognized that soon will come a time of great sadness, when the blossoms must fall.

With great anticipation, Cio-Cio San begins her long vigil for her husband's return.  The lighting effects subtlely recognize the shifting of time from day to evening, to night and to dawn.  Zhang looks patiently into the audience, as the Vancouver Opera orchestra plays the plaintive “Hummer's chorus”.  As if  to demonstrate the emotional aguish within Butterfly, two of the “ancient one” take the entire song to move the 5 minutes across the stage, while others move on either side of the “house set.”

It is in the final scene that the “ancient ones” really fulfill their role, as they first assist Butterfly in preparing for her inevitable choice of honourable suicide in the face of Pinkerton's return to Japan with an American bride, despite her having born a child of him in his absence.  These “ancient ones” hand Butterfly her father's sword, as they help her bind herself.  When Pinkerton finally dashes into the house which he remembers only as a “love nest”, he is met with a prone Butterfly.  He tries to reach her but a circle of “ancient ones” form a protective ring around her, to greatly increased psychological and dramatic effect.

Vancouver Opera director James Wright has  done an incredible amount of community building to bring an understanding to the opera audience of both Vancouver's Japanese Canadian community and the Japan of the Meiji Period where Puccini's opera is set.  It is almost as if VOA has followed the lead of the Vancouver Public Library's award winning One Book One Vancouver program which very successfully helped make the inaugural book Wayson Choy's The Jade Peony, come alive through author talks, related topics, and walking tours… Damn! That's exactly what VOA is doing… One Opera One Vancouver!  Complete with Opera Speaks talks at the libary.

Does all this community programming help the production?  I think it has helped to make the 1906 opera more vital and interesting in these times of cross-cultural examination.  It is with having attended some of the Views of Japan events at the library, that I attended Madama Butterfly on Tuesday evening with an even greater appreciation of Japanese culture, and for what it means for Canadians and Japanese Canadians.