Ryoko Aoki Noh Prayer

Prayer Against the Pandemic

On 19 February, Ryoko Aoki joined musicians from Ensemble Musikfabrik in the virtual space to perform Peter Eötvös' melodrama Secret Kiss.

The work, which she premiered in Gothenburg in 2019 and subsequently took on tour with Ensemble Musikfabrik, continues the Noh performer's streaming series HO NOH - Pray for an end to Covid-19, which began in May 2020. During the global suffering caused by the pandemic, Ryoko Aoki commissioned international composers to write pieces for Noh voice and premiered them in live streaming concerts with musicians from different countries. In doing so, she also refers to the origins of the Noh tradition: starting in the 14th century, Noh performers in Japan performed in religious rituals to pray for recovery from illness.

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