Concert

Gotō (archipelago) is a soundscape, video, and solo piano work based on audio and video recordings of the Gotō Archipelago in Nagasaki, Japan. It was commissioned by Montreal-based, Nagasaki-born pianist Kimihiro Yasaka, and Canadian-born, Japan-based composer Daryl Jamieson. 

Gotō is important for early Japanese Buddhism, has a deep history including Neolithic archaeological sites, and plenty of beautiful natural sounds. Its unique musical culture includes local traditions of Shintō ritual music and the hymns of the Hidden (persecuted) Christians.

The recordings used in the work were made over four trips – once per season – to the five main islands of the Gotō archipelago. Jamieson composed the piano part in dialogue with the natural sounds he recorded, as well as Yasaka’s improvised responses to those recordings. The result is a true collaboration of both artists with the place and its cultural history, and a true collaboration between Canadian and Japanese artists and ways of listening.