Kazuhito Yamashita and Bambini (Kasane) Concert Review

“A display of technical brilliance tragically marred by cultural differences.”

This sentence best describes my experience at the Kazuhito Yamashita and Bambini Concert I attended last Thursday evening at the DBS Auditorium.

I had previously met Kazuhito’s father Toru and his sister Naoka in Nagasaki about 5 years ago. The Yamashita clan is arguably the most prominent classical guitar family in Japan and the world.

I had great expectation of the Kazuhito’s children, and they did not disappoint. Koyumi, Terukaka and Kanahi are excellent guitarists in their own right. With sufficient time and temperament, I have little doubt that they will be as good, or even better than their father.

Unfortunately, last Thursday’s performance was a miniature disaster, created by a clash of shockingly different cultures.

Kazuhito and Bambini chosen a program that focused on the works of Keiko Fujiie. The quartet performed works that were far too abstract for the Singaporean audience to appreciate.

Having gone to Japan on a classical guitar ‘pilgrimage’ I knew what to expect and I appreciated the opportunity to enjoy such a performance outside of Tokyo.

Unfortunately, this sentiment was not shared by the majority of the audience.

Miscued applause was injected during musical pauses instead of musical endings. And at the very end, approximately 60% of the audience stood up to leave.

For the uninitiated, for high caliber classical guitar performances, it is usually customary for the audience to call the artistes out for encores as a show of respect.

Fortunately, someone in the front row called out ‘encore’. To help save face, the MC awkwardly came out to tell the audience to clap if they wanted more.

I am thankful that those who were nearly out the door decided to stay and ask for an encore.

To a certain degree, I cannot fault the Yamashita clan for their choice of material. As artistes, they have earned the right to perform what they see fit.

It is regrettable that they chose music that even local classical guitarists cannot enjoy. Nonetheless it is their prerogative. I strongly believe that classical guitarists should promote classical guitar music. Playing another rendition of the Chaccone would do absolutely nothing to promote the classical guitar.

But I can’t help but wonder if the audience would have been more receptive if they had performed some works of Tarrega, Barrios, Sor or even the works of modern day French genius Roland Dyens.

I think we may have pissed-off the Yamashita clan with our lukewarm reception. I got a feeling it will be many years before they come back to Singapore, if they come back to Singapore.

I am surprised that the members of the audience with the least etiquette were the Westerners. I have heard stories about how Westerners are much more polite than Singaporeans when it comes to performances.

When they performance ended, they were the first ones to stand up and leave.

I sincerely hope we did not bruise the ego or raise the ire of one the best classical guitarists in the world.

Despite that lack of chemistry between the performers and the audience, I still enjoyed the performance tremendously.

Kazuhito is absolutely brilliant. His technique is flawless and he is subtle in tone, dynamics and musicality.

His children take after him greatly, even going as far as adopting his on-stage showmanship. All but Kanahi have a tendency to sway slightly as they play (like their father). They also make occasional flourishes with their right hand.

However, Kanahi has developed her own distinct style, and she has an extremely liquid tone to her right hand. Musically, she is subtle like her father.

Personally, I would interpret some sections of the music with a more dramatic emphasis, but her understated style is sublime and magical.

Besides, her father, she is the technically-cleanest player in the quartet. I could hear the ringing of strings on flesh for Koyumi and Terukaka on rare occasion.

It did not happen often or detract from the experience, but it did show that they still have a ways to go.

It should be mentioned that all 4 played unamplified and could be heard clearly. I was seated at the second last row in the stalls and I could hear all 4 of them. I’m not certain if they could be heard in the stalls.

If you are a classical guitar enthusiast, I highly recommend you see Kazuhito Yamashita and Bambini. What Kazuhito has achieved is nothing short of remarkable. Not only is he a technically brilliant classical guitarist, but he has raised 4 child prodigies that are extremely apt at the classical guitar.

The travesty of last Thursday’s performance could have been easily avoided if more popular classical guitar pieces had been played.

The language barrier also prevented the performers from explaining the pieces to the audience; something that is sorely needed when attempting such a sophisticated and abstract repertoire to an audience with virtually no exposure to Japanese classical guitar music.

If you missed the Yamashita recital but still have a craving for classical guitar music, make sure to check out the Flavio Cucchi recital that will take place this Thursday. For more information check out Sistec.