Kitaro serenade
Once again, the maestro mesmerises fans with his ethereal music
at his recent Genting concert
Sharyn Yap
THERE are criteria to observe to enjoy a Kitaro concert. You must truly love his unique style of presentation and most importantly, you must be in the right frame of mind.
Bearing in mind that the man is a living legend and musical maestro, you must also be prepared to leave conventional musical styles behind when you enter his domain.
He has been quoted in the past that his music comes from a power beyond – from heaven to be exact – and that it flows through his body and out of his fingers when he composes.
The fact that he has never studied music, don’t read or write music and, according to him, “never practises” – it is indeed hard to fathom how those beautiful out-of-this-world sounds come from.
It was certainly a different experience when I attended his Kitaro Live in Genting 2009 concert at the Arena of Stars last Saturday.
There was an air of respect, and after the initial cheers and applause that greeted his appearance on stage, the packed hall settled down to enjoy his first piece.
It was a new song that Kitaro said has yet to be released. It was performed with the double flute and his trademark improvisations.
This was followed by a surreal performance in the dark. As the whole hall was plunged into darkness with only the screen flashing scenes of different landscapes, the seasons and a kaleidoscope of sky colours, the audience either focused their attention on the screen or closed their eyes and immersed themselves in the rousing sounds of Alex, Gamelan, Morning Prayer, Waterfront Mandolins and Oasis.
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