“Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Relaxing Performance-Concerts that can be enjoyed across generations and obstacles-” Coverage Report

Tokyo Bunka Kaikan

On November 3, 2021, “Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Relaxing Performance-Concerts that can be enjoyed across generations and obstacles-“ was held at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Ueno, Tokyo.

Unlike general classical music concerts, we covered this performance, which has an environment that even people who have difficulty watching quietly due to developmental disabilities and physical characteristics can enjoy it with peace of mind. And reports on our efforts.

Is it okay to make voices and sounds in the audience seats !? What is “relaxing performance”?

One of the most important etiquettes in a regular classical music concert is not to make noise.

Refrain from speaking privately while playing, and of course turn off your cell phone, but be careful of sneezing, coughing, flipping programs, and touching plastic bags. In order to prevent noise caused by opening and closing the door, theater staff will restrict admission except between songs and movements …. It is usual for each person in the venue to be aware of actions that interfere with performance and appreciation.

The consideration is to allow everyone to concentrate on the performance, but on the other hand, people with developmental disabilities who make voices or upset due to external stimuli, people who cannot sit still due to illness, respiratory organs For some people, such as those who are indispensable, the hurdles for appreciation are inevitably high.

The “Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Relaxation Performance-Concerts that can be enjoyed across generations and obstacles-” will create an environment where people who are worried about art appreciation at such theaters can enjoy it with peace of mind, and the rules and etiquette. A new form of performance that has begun to take root in Europe and the United States called “relaxing performance” that alleviates the problem. This is the second performance of this performance, starting in 2020.

As the name suggests, it’s a concert held in a relaxed atmosphere.

It’s okay if you make a little voice or sound, or if you move your body.
Do not completely dim the lighting in the audience seats.
If you need a break during the performance, you are free to go out of the hall .

By doing this, healthy people who feel that “classical music concerts have a lot of etiquette and are stuffy” and parents who are “anxious about whether their children can watch quietly” are all concerned if they are 4 years old or older. It is an environment that you can enjoy without any problems.

Braille program and experience sound system … Various ideas to make music more enjoyable

If you go to the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan on the day, you will notice that the program you can get at the reception is a little different from that of a general classical music concert, and there are many illustrations and it is very colorful.

“I learned that visuals are very important because the usual program is mostly text, but people with autism and developmental disabilities have less information coming from the text, so the” Relax Performance “program. In addition to writing the song commentary in easy Japanese, I tried to create a page that visually shows the order of the songs by attaching illustrations that match the image of the song. ”

Mr. Sugiyama, who was in charge of the production of this performance, was in charge of the business planning section of the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan .

In line with the universal design guidelines, the program was completed by trial and error based on feedback from the teachers of the special school workshop so that the font size and color scheme would be easy for people with color blindness to understand. And.

In addition, Braille programs and program data corresponding to the reading function are also available. It seems that this information was posted on the homepage about 3 weeks before the performance for the families and caregivers of people with disabilities, and I felt the careful consideration.

The audience seats are equipped with equipment called “Body Sonic,” a sensory sound system that allows people with hearing impairments to feel music through vibration. In addition, various support was introduced for this performance with the cooperation of each company, such as “Mobile Connect”, a system that can adjust the volume and sound quality according to each hearing characteristic using a smartphone application.

Actually, on this day, a viewing support equipment experience meeting was held for performance production staff, cultural facility / group staff, and local government staff, and I will be able to experience it as well.
In particular, “Body Sonic” is impressed by the fact that there is almost no time lag in the experience! “Mobile Connect” was a simulated experience while imagining how hearing aids and cochlear implant users would hear, but it seems very convenient to be able to freely adjust not only the volume of the sound but also the ease of listening to the bass and treble with the app. bottom.

Regarding the audience seats, it was adjusted so that about 70% of the total would be filled. Mr. Sugiyama reveals the intention as follows.

“Admission restrictions for corona measures have also been lifted, and in consideration of sales, I was able to fill 100% of the audience seats if I wanted to fill it. However, I was nervous when others were nearby. Some people will end up, so I decided to vacate a seat between the customers.
Speaking of ingenuity of seats, in addition to your own reserved seats, you can also use seats near the doorway called “evacuation seats”. Although it is a performance where you can freely enter and exit the hall, I hope that the psychological resistance to entering and exiting will be further reduced. ”

“There are many people with disabilities who are having a hard time going out. Even so, they come all the way with the expectation that they will be able to enjoy the concert themselves with” Relax Performance “. We want our customers to relax as much as possible and enjoy high-quality music, “says Sugiyama, who talks about his thoughts on the performance. It was said that all preparations were from that heart.

A state of the performance wrapped in a laid-back sense of unity

Before the performance starts at 14:00, children run around the audience seats, and there are people who start laughing out loud because of tension or excitement. It was a very rough atmosphere, and I already realized that the atmosphere was completely different from the classical music concerts I had experienced so far.

The performance was performed by five talented young artists who will lead the Japanese music world in the future.

The piano is Kaito Kobayashi, who won the second prize in the 11th piano category at the Tokyo Music Competition held every year at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. String Quartet is everyone of the group “HONO quartet” that the 9th string department # 1 of Moeno Kishimoto pressurized’s et al. Was formed.

(First violin: Pressurized Moeno Kishimoto’s, the second violin: HayashiAmaneMasashi’s, Viola: Takeshi Nagata, cello: Kanie Keigyo’s)

During the performance, Shiori Sakurai, the workshop leader of the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, who conveys the joy and enjoyment of music and connects people with music, appears on the stage as a navigator. By explaining each song and inserting simple activities, we will liven up the progress so that even small children can watch the performance without getting tired until the end.

The songs played on the day are as follows.
In order to convey the charm of classical music such as the piano quintet, we are conscious of the tone of each instrument and the fact that this instrument can be played like this, and from each genre so that both beginners and advanced players can be satisfied. It seems that the songs were selected evenly.

 

With the first song “Promenade” and the second song “Salut d’Amour”, and the gentle songs that were famous from the beginning, the audience couldn’t concentrate. Many people may have been confused about how to deal with the unfamiliar performance format. (The same was true for the author)

However, as soon as I entered the third song “Atom Hearts Club Quartet” by the string quartet, the atmosphere until then changed completely. Cool sound with a sense of speed. The movement of the strings that dance violently and sometimes cut the wind. The performers also seemed to be starting the engine, and I felt that the consciousness in the hall was quickly concentrated on the stage.

In particular, the jerky and boogie-style rhythm of the 4th movement seemed to catch the hearts of the audience, and the girl who had been just looking around the audience seats until then was screaming with her hands rolling. It’s impressive.

The seventh song “Moonlight” by piano solo is the most moist and quiet song in this performance. It was a time when the buzz of the audience was noticeable, but thanks to Mr. Kobayashi’s outstanding playing technique, which made the listeners imagine the scene richly, I was immersed in the world of sound without losing my concentration.

I thought I knew the purpose of “relaxing performance” in my head, but for a while after the performance actually started, every time a loud voice or clapping sound echoed in the hall, I felt uneasy. was.

Perhaps because I had experience watching general classical music concerts, I was worried about “Is this okay?” And “What should I do if there is a problem between the audience?”

However, I feel relieved that everyone accepts everything loosely. If you can divide it by saying, “That’s what it is,” you’ll get used to the noise and be ready to enjoy playing. By the end of the day, the audience seemed to be satisfied with the hall, and it was 60 minutes that I realized that “this kind of concert is also good”.

Not all concerts should take this form of performance, but one of the options.

It is not suitable when you want to concentrate 100% on music, but there are many people who want to choose “relaxing performance” when they want to face music naturally and feel the music in their relationships with people. must.

 

When I asked the boy about 5 years old and his mother who loved the classical music that he was visiting, he said, “‘Moonlight’ was the best” and “I want to come again!”. The mother also smiles, “I’m always careful to keep quiet at the concert! But today’s performance is slow and the children can relax and listen.”

According to Mr. Sugiyama, many joyful voices were received from parents with children with disabilities.

“I was really impressed today because I had given up on going to a classical concert with my son with a disability. I couldn’t stop crying from the first song.”

“I was happy that my child, who was always listening to the performance from the monitor in the lobby, was able to watch it in the hall for the first time today.”

It shows how the “relaxing performance” performance could be an invaluable experience for people with disabilities and their families.

The challenge of Tokyo Bunka Kaikan has just begun

The “Relax Performance” performance is scheduled to be held every year in the future, so as long as we can’t wait for the next one.
Finally, Mr. Sugiyama talks about the significance of the performance.

“I learned from a special school that there are opportunities for cultural institutions and artists like us to go to school, but as soon as we graduate from school, art and cultural things It seems that many people are away from the school.

When I wanted to touch something musical, I received an urgent voice saying that I had no choice but to go to karaoke so as not to bother others.

If you think about it, we have been planning for various groups such as concerts for preschoolers and workshops for children from the age of zero, but there are plans that feature adults with disabilities. I didn’t.

I want to create a place where such people and their caregivers and their families can come with peace of mind without worrying about the eyes around them. The reason for this performance was that we wanted you to enjoy the real thrill of music not only with your eyes and with your ears, but also with a sense of distance that you can hear the sound from your skin. I feel that this is the mission of our hall, which is a public cultural facility.

The “Relax Performance” initiative has just begun. We are gradually powering up not only the content but also the system for delivering information and the system for welcoming you.

Now it’s time for everyone to come and teach us a lot. It’s a performance that reflects everyone’s voice more and more, so if you are interested, please consider watching it. ”

Outline of “Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Relaxing Performance-Concerts that can be enjoyed across generations and obstacles-“

Date and time	Wednesday, November 3, 2021 14: 00-15: 00
venue	Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Small Hall
Ticket price	Flat rate 1,100 yen * Target age 4 years and over
Organizer	Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Arts Council Tokyo
Special cooperation	Sennheiser Japan Co., Ltd., Pioneer Corporation, Furuno Systems Co., Ltd.
inquiry	Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Business Section 03-3828-2111 (Representative)
Official homepage	https://www.t-bunka.jp/

 

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