Musica Viva concert Thursday 2nd November 2023 - Taikoz, Side By Side

Abstract

<p>The author was invited to provide a concert review of Taikoz's Side By Side performance in November 2023 at Lazenby Hall, the University of New England which was touring with the National Musica Viva concert series. Artistic director, Ian Cleworth describes their new Side By Side program as a response to the pandemic through 'an emotional and intimate exploration of shared human experience: our hopes, anxieties, contentment, and desires'. Based on the Hachijō-style of taiko playing, Side By Side takes on further meanings in this program, including the two-player method of playing a single drum, where one provides the underlying beat and the other builds on this rhythmical foundation with unique and improvised rhythms. This collaborative and improvisatory ingenuity was displayed throughout.</p>