Music

Under the artistic direction of the legendary veteran Kabuki artist Tamasaburo Bando, taiko drumming group Kodo will present “Dadan 2015” in late October to provide a fresh take on taiko drumming with innovative staging. Performed by an all-male troupe, the programme summons up immense power from within to push physique, percussion techniques and emotive resonance to the highest realms. It juxtaposes traditional taiko artistry with new motifs, thunderous bombardment and sudden tranquillity to deliver a muscular musical experience that offers a primordial and strikingly touching encounter with the inner self.

“Dadan” was greeted with overwhelming acclaim at its European premiere in 2012. Since then, it has continued to evolve, displaying in each show a pulsating tribute to the timeless call of the taiko drum.

Kodo spends one-third of the year at home on Sado Island and the rest on tour. The group has performed more than 5,500 shows in nearly 50 countries since its establishment in 1981, appearing in prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall in New York, Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Time Out in the UK praised the performance for its “dynamic, electrifying vision”, and the Chicago Tribune wrote, “Superlatives don’t really exist to convey the primal power and bravura beauty of Kodo.”

“Dadan 2015” is one of the programmes of the World Cultures Festival – A Decade of Exquisite Arts. It will be held at 8pm on October 30 and 31 at the Sha Tin Town Hall Auditorium.