Time: 7:30 pm, Tuesday - Wednesday, July 16th-17th, 2019

Ticket prices: RMB 80, 180, 280, 380, 480, 680

Venue: Opera Hall, Guangzhou Opera House

Add.: No. 1 Zhujiang Xilu, Tianhe District, Guangzhou

Nearby metro station: Zhujiang New Town, Line 3 or 5

* Duration: 123mins (with 20 minutes intermission)

* Note: Children under 1.2 meters aren’t allowed to attend.

A stage photo of Kodo's performance. [Photo: Guangzhou Opera House]

The primal beat of Japan's best-known taiko ensemble, Kodo is coming to Guangzhou Opera House for two shows on July 16th and 17th, forming part of the 2019 Guangzhou Art Festival.

Since its international debut in Berlin in 1981, Kodo has given over 6,000 performances in 50 countries on five continents. In 2003 Chinese audiences got to know Kodo through their work on the soundtrack of Zhang Yimou’s movie Hero. Kodo can be translated as either ‘children of the drum’ or ‘heartbeat’, a name that plays to their music's universal appeal, says flautist and Kodo’s artistic director Motofumi Yamaguchi, who was one of the founding members of the group back in 1981.

A stage photo of Kodo's performance. [Photo: Guangzhou Opera House]

Over the past three years, the ‘Kodo One Earth Tour’ productions ‘Mystery’ (2013), ‘Eternity’ (2014), and ‘Chaos’ (2015) have intentionally excluded the most iconic symbol of the ensemble: the o-daiko, or big drum. Instead, these past three years of performances have seen Kodo’s next generation performing new compositions — a telling sign of the group's determination to move forward. The latest production, ‘Evolution’, begins by taking a look back at the innovative repertoire composed under the guidance of Artistic Director Tamasaburo Bando between 2009 and 2013.

A stage photo of Kodo's performance. [Photo: Guangzhou Opera House]

Repertoire

1. KeiKei; 2. Phobos; 3. Mute; 4. Kusawake;5. O-daiko; 6. Monochrome;

Intermission

7. Color; 8. Akenomyojyo; 9. Yu-yami; 10. Ayaori; 11. Rasen.

A stage photo of Kodo's performance. [Photo: Guangzhou Opera House]

Author: Monica Liu

Editor: Simon Haywood