Dialogue: Bach and Samourai

The Ausonia ensemble is based in Belgium. Through the play of Masato Matsuura, master of noh theatre and Japanese martial arts, the ensemble will interpret extracts from the second volume of the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II, by Johann Sebastian Bach in dialogue with and mirroring samurai choreography.

Harmonizing Bach, a keystone of occidental classical music, with an art form representing the highest point of the Japanese cultural identity is, indeed, not a naïve move. It is a search for a deployment of life with intensity, theatricality, and jubilation blended with music considered to be a pinnacle of formal perfection. Beyond shimmering costumes and exotic forms and masks, the performance will reveal the degree to which noh theatre is, above all else, a perpetual search for essence that spans continents and ages. The juxtaposed points of view of two eminent disciplines are a wellspring of discovery and inspiration.

Frédérick Haas and Masato Matsuura of the AUSONIA Ensemble created this performance for their Quebec tour in the spring of 2013.

AUSONIA is an instrumental and singing ensemble, founded and directed by Frédérick Haas and Mira Glodeanu.  The ensemble is devoted to revitalising 17th and 18th century music through the challenging practice of traditional interpretative techniques and a constant search for expressive possibilities this music inspires.

Harpsichord: Patrick Haas
Interpreter: Masato Matsuura