SONEZAKI-Program notes-

SONEZAKI

CONTENTS

SONEZAKI

Program notes

Synopsis

Sonezaki

Profile

The most sensational
flamenco artists ever
from Japan

Activities of MAMI & HIRO
in Spain

Festival de Jerez

SONEZAKI

Program notes

Awesome marriage between flamenco and Japanese classics

“Cante (vocal of flamenco)” sung in Japanese
for the first time ever in the history of flamenco

There are two trials in this work.
One is that how to express Chikamatsu-Monzaemon's world of Japanese emotion and pathos. The other is how to play the entire original work with lyrics in Japanese.
Mayumi Kagita and Hiroki Sato outline the story at a quick tempo using boldly dramatic techniques. Furthermore, there are original movements in the choreography based on the flamenco at every turn in order to explain the story. Clear away the restrictions of flamenco, and the audience can be brought into tune with the world of Chikamatsu. The real significance of flamenco lies in the emotional expressions that are passionate and real. They give power to their choreography, when they express the emotions and the pathos of Japan.
This work challenges to marry flamenco with a Japanese classic.
Kagita and Sato have challenged to depict the Japanese emotional world, “Love Suicide” through flamenco, which they have been able to do with tremendous success.It is much more than the mixture of the flamenco techniques and Japanese culture. Here, through this work, we cannot help but believe that “The Love Suicide at Sonezaki” has to be played by the art of flamenco, because the spirit of flamenco acts in concert with the spiritual world of Japanese culture.

And the dancers' perfetly trained bodies express the heartbreaking spiritual world of Chikamatsu.
It has been a taboo to sing flamenco in foreign languages other than Spanish. Flamenco consists of Dance, Guitar and Cante (vocal), three in one. “Cante” is the most crucial part of flamenco. The rhythm of flamenco is inalienable from that of the Spanish language.
The lyrics written by Yoko Aki keep this work within the frameworks of flamenco. The music composed by Ryudo Uzaki is more melodious than usual flamenco scores, which helps to make this play more appealing. His music is elaborately arranged by all the other musicians such as pianist Yuji Tanaka and guitarist Takashi Suzuki. Sato's dance, full of melody and Uzaki's free, diligent approach to flamenco are the keys to the incredible music that compose this play. Apart from the main flamenco guitar, there are Japanese classical instruments such as “Wadaiko”(Japanese percussion), “Shinobue”(Japanese flute), “Tosabiwa”(Japanese guitar) accompanied by the piano and Latin percussions.