Nihon Gagaku Doshi Kyokai - AFGELAST

'Gagaku', or 'elegant music', first appeared in Japan almost fifteen hundred years ago. This style draws abundantly on music and dance from India, Vietnam, China, Korea and even Persia. The instruments too were imported from Persia along the Silk Route. It is remarkable that 'gagaku' has been preserved for so long, especially because most of the styles on which it draws themselves no longer exist in their original form. It was about twelve hundred years ago that 'gagaku' assumed its present form with a complex and sophisticated structure. It was passed down from one generation to the next, among musicians at the imperial court, and in its turn, as music of great prestige, influenced numerous other styles. There are three styles: 'kangen', an instrumental style very similar to the music of the mainland; 'bugaku', a vocal style with dance that accompanies Shinto rituals; 'kayo', a collection of songs with poetic lyrics. The Japan Gagaku Music and Dance Ensemble, founded in 2002, comprises some of the best imperial gagaku musicians, brought together specially to perform 'gagaku' at home and abroad. Some of the musicians are from families that have been connected to the court for more than a thousand years. PLEASE NOTE! This concert has been cancelled.