#3310: West Looks East: Japan

For this New Sounds program some Western musicians look to Japan for inspiration both melodic and instrumental. Hear selections from a recent release by cellist/composer Jordi Savall called "Hispania & Japan - Dialogues," created following the catastrophes in Japan in 2011.  It's actually based on a previous project from 2006, "The Route of the Orient," revolving around the Spanish Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier (Francisco Javier). 

Xavier relied heavily upon music, setting Christian texts to Japan's native melodies. In fact, he and the Portuguese missionaries accompanying him walked through the country singing Psalms, with these new musical settings.  In 1605, a publisher in Nagasaki printed a volume containing 19 of these pieces, which was the template for Savall and a talented group of Japanese musicians to begin improvising and distilling the essence of the original 16th century tunes.  As if "Hispania & Japan," weren't enough, there's also a bit of music from the New York-based shakuhachi (bamboo flute) player James Nyoraku Schlefer, plus a work for koto, flute, tabla & sitar, featuring Ravi Shankar. And more.

PROGRAM # West Looks East: Japan, (First aired on 3/7/2012)