21.10.24, 20:00, Lukas Huisman & ensemble, Sawari

That pianist Lukas Huisman has some merit would be to underestimate the man’s record. Cum Laude graduate of the Conservatorium in Ghent; regular pianist of the Spectra Ensemble; rave reviews from, among others, composer Michael Finnissy himself about his latest musical venture (Finnissy: Gershwin Arrangements — it has to be said, Finnissy was perhaps a tad biased); and nominated for the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik for his recordings of Toru Takemitsu’s piano music. It makes Huisman one of the most remarkable and original pianists of his generation.

Accompanied by a few select musical friends, Huisman presents at this concert the result of a six-year post-doctorate on the Japanese concept of Sawari. You don’t speak Japanese? No problem. In short: noise. It wouldn’t be modern classical if it didn’t involve a little discomfort. T. Takemitsu himself described Sawari as ‘an intentional discomfort that creates some of the expressiveness of the sound’. Entirely intentional noise and discomfort, in other words. So. That. Your humble servant does not tend to lie.

It ensures that the works of many a modern Japanese composer have a particularly edgy edge without ever completely jettisoning tradition. Takemitsu’s Les yeux clos 2, meanwhile, became a classic for solo piano; composers like Takahashi, Komatsu and Hori are by no means inferior. Rarely heard musical cherry blossoms, now imported to the MIRY Concert Hall especially for your enjoyment.