ONE ASIA Joint Concert 2016: A fusion of two cultures
In celebration of the 60 years of friendship between Japan and Philippines, ONE ASIA Joint Concert 2016 was held last night at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza to highlight the talents and the music of both countries.
With the motto “Tradition and Innovation,” this event is an international cultural exchange project that was formed around the Japanese musical group AUN J Classic Orchestra. It was launched in 2013 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan friendship. Since then, the group has travelled and performed in various SEA countries to “develop a mutual understanding of cultures and traditions.”
Featuring performances from Japan’s AUN J Classic Orchestra and the Philippines’ UP TUGMA, last night’s event was a showcase of, not only the traditional music from both countries, but also the talents and the passion of the musicians.
AUN J Classic Orchestra is composed of 8 musicians playing traditional Japanese instruments.
AUN J Classic Orchestra performed a selection of songs, both upbeat and mellow, that conveyed just how rich and beautiful the Japanese culture is. Every song played was moving, and the audience later found themselves subtly moving to its beat. The musicians also made sure that the people wouldn’t just be sitting idly in the crowd, encouraging them to follow their lead and clap their hands to the music. Humor was also injected to one of their performances when two shamisen (Japanese string instrument) performers took over the stage and played a song whilst playfully trying to “overshadow” each other.
UP TUGMA showed their versatility when they played “Mindanao Kulintangan.”
Representing the Filipinos are the UP TUGMA Philippine Traditional Music Ensemble hailing from the University of the Philippines. They performed “Mindanao Kulintangan” which highlighted the kulintang, a set of eight gongs that differ in pitch. What made their performance special and remarkable was the versatility among its musicians. Members switched from one instrument to another, showing their mastery on their craft.
AUN J Classic Orchestra and UP TUGMA took over the stage together and played a total of 7 songs, fusing Japanese and Filipino traditional music together.
The highlight of the night was when the two groups went onstage together, and performed a set of songs with the fusion of Japanese and Filipino music. The set included songs such as Salidumay, Furusato, HANA, and ONE ASIA.
Symbolizing the 60 years of friendship between the two countries, the joint performances proved that there’s no such thing as borders and boundaries when it comes to music. Last night’s event was a great way to introduce the traditional music from both countries, and to preserve these kinds of music for the years to come.
