REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- A Japanese musical group, Aun J, held its "One Asia" concert at Usmar Ismail Hall in Jakarta on Tuesday, following successful performances in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Bangkok, Thailand.
Kohei Inoue, one of the lead musicians of Aun J, said, during an opening concert attended by Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yasunori Katori here on December 9, that the "One Asia" concert tour was created to expressly commemorate the 40th ASEAN-Japan Relationship, as well as to introduce Japanese traditional music to ASEAN member states.
"This is the first time we are holding a concert in Jakarta and collaborating with Indonesian musicians Kabumi UPI," Inoue added.
During the opening concert on Monday night, Aun J classic orchestra collaborated with Kabumi UPI from the University of Indonesian Education, Bandung, West Java, and performed several Sundanese numbers, including "Es Lilin" (popsicle), "Badminton," as well as a Japanese folk song called "Furusato"(hometown).
Kabumi UPI's members include Syafrudin (percussion), Deri Wardani (lute) and Elang Rahayu (flute).
Aun J, which means "A to Z of Japan," comprises twin brothers Kohei Inoue (who plays the taiko or Japanese drum, koto or Japanese lute, and shinobue or Japanese flute) and Ryohei Inoue (taiko, shamisen or Japanese guitar), Hide (percussion), Hideki Onoue (shamisen), Hideki Ishigaki (shakuhachi or Japanese oboe), Shin Ishikawa (koto), Michiko Yamada (shinobue) and Azumi Yamano (koto).
Apart from collaborating with other musicians, Aun J also performed five songs: "Hana" (flower), "Aoi Bara" (blue rose), "Playback" (performed by Shamisen Kohei, Ryohei Inoue and Hideki Onoue), "Furusato" and "Umi no Michi" (the sea road).
"Hana, Furusato and Umi no Michi are Japanese folk songs, while the other two songs are from our albums," Kohei said.
Since their first album, "Wagakki de Ghibli," an instrumental music compilation of Ghibli animation soundtracks released in December 2008, Aun J has released five albums, including "Hachinin no Hibiki" (resonance of the eight), which marked their fifth anniversary in 2013.
"During our concert on Tuesday night, we will play 17 songs, including the five we played during the opening concert, as well as some specially arranged music for the 'One Asia' tour," Kohei revealed.
The One Asia concert in Jakarta is organized by the Embassy of Japan in Indonesia and sponsored by Idemitsu Kosan Co, Ltd.
"Aun J aims to bring traditional music closer to young people and to popularize Japanese traditional music. We would also like to introduce our traditional music to the Indonesian people," noted Ambassador Katori.
After performing in Jakarta, Aun J classic orchestra will fly to Hanoi, Vietnam, which will be the group's last stop in the "One Asia" concert tour from December 4 to 12.
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