Kodo returns to Plymouth

Kodo returns for their first Barbican performance in a decade as part of their Kodo One Earth Tour 2016: Mystery The 35th Anniversary.

Twinning contemporary music and dance that are based on Japanese traditional arts, the production is directed by Tamasaburo Bando (one of the most celebrated Kabuki actors) and expresses the Japanese sensation of 'Mystery' defined by a dynamic taiko drumming performance.

Kodo describes this pioneering program as follows: Amidst reverberations like rumbles in the earth, large serpents coil, demons and lions move wildly. They surface from the gloomy dark, eerie at times, and in some respects, even nostalgic… This work fuses Kodo's real worth, the dynamism of taiko expression, with the wondrous beauty and true charm that lie within rituals expressing the worship of myriad gods and reverence for nature that have been traditions in Japan since ancient times. This performance takes you on a voyage to the extraordinary, to a mysterious realm that lies in the beyond.

"It's hard to put into words, but I'm aiming to create a world of mystery," says artistic director Bando. "Across Japan, the folk arts have been handed down for countless generations. There's a sacredness there, an air of mystery within each prayer. The drums express this, and I would like for the audience to feel it, too. I hope theatergoers will experience the same sort of otherworldly splendor that they sense in temples, shrines, and moments of discovery in the forest."

Kodo has seen a departure from its traditional costume styles and musical direction since Tamasaburo Bando took the helm as full-time artistic director in 2012. Mystery represents a further evolution of the group's new expressions and promises to transport both seasoned fans and first-time viewers alike to uncharted artistic territory.

Based on Sado Island in Japan, Kodo, Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble, made its debut in 1981, at the Berlin Festival. Since then, they have vigorously worked with many taiko drums in all shapes and forms as well as other traditional instruments and tour extensively across five continents.

Tickets cost: £24.20, £27.50, £29.70 (ticket prices inc 10% booking fee)

To book tickets please visit www.plymouthpavilions.com or call the Box Office on 0845 146 1460.