Midori Takada: The Song of the Name Without a Name

A pioneering figure in ambient and minimalist music, composer and percussionist Midori Takada (1951, Tokyo) will present an intimate live solo concert. In her work, Takada distils rhythms from around the world into a unique blend of percussion and minimalism. She began developing her genre-defying style in tune with the peak period of ambient and Fourth World music in the 1980s, but with a distinct sensibility towards Japanese ceremonial and meditative music. In her compositions, Takada emphasises repetition, rhythm, structure and space, creating hypnotic, trance-like environments. As such, she shifts the focus from musical categorisation to a shared sense of transcultural humanity.

Takada’s sonic output of nearly fifty years spans solo, group and theatrical practices. Over the past twenty years, she has worked interdisciplinarily, composing and performing live music for theatre productions as well as concert halls.

Biography

Midori Takada (1951, Tokyo) is a Japanese composer and percussionist whose output over the past 40 years weaves through solo, group and theatrical and practice. Verdant utopias, meditative caves and abundant life – her music invokes entire ecosystems, connecting mind and soul to tree and soil. Takada’s 1981 album Through the Looking Glass is considered an essential recording of minimalist music. Now in her 70s, and with a number of new recordings released recently, Takada brings a deep understanding of musical and theatrical technique to her performances, allowing rhythm to become as important as the music itself.