Noh Reimagined 2024: Sumidagawa and Kinuta – Classics of Noh Tragedy
21, 22 June 2024
Noh Reimagined festival returns to Kings Place, celebrating two masterpieces, Sumidagawa and Kinuta.
“Sumidagawa” by Kanze Motomasa (c. 1394-1432) is one of the most renowned Noh plays and has inspired artists over the years, including Benjamin Britten for his opera Curlew River. It is a story about a mother whose son has been kidnapped. The mother embarks on a journey which ends in despair as she finds that her son died a year previously.The performance of Sumidagawa will be preceded by a newly written storytelling ” The Tale of Sumida River ” co-written by Xanthe Gresham – Knight and Gareth Mattey.
“Kinuta” is believed to be the last and greatest work by Zeami Motokiyo (c.1363 – c.1443), who established Noh of the current style almost 650 years ago. The rhythmic beating of the “kinuta” (fulling block) is associated with the nightfall of late autumn nights and the solitude of an abandoned wife, as well as the fading love of the husband.
Visit the Kings Place websiteSumidagawa at the Aldeburgh Festival 2024
The performance of Sumidagawa on 18 June will be one of the main events of the 75th Aldeburgh Festival.
The timeless masterpiece “Sumidagawa” makes its return to the Aldeburgh Festival after a 33-year hiatus. Nine renowned Noh performers from Japan will grace the historic Snape Maltings stage. To honour this historical relationship with Benjamin Britten and his opera “Curlew River” which was strongly influenced by Sumidagawa, we will present insightful pre-performance talks and present a commissioned storytelling performance by Xanthe Gresham-Knight, co-written with young dramaturgist Gareth Mattey, offering a fresh interpretation of the Noh play to the audiences today. Additionally, we will shed new light through pre-performance discussions with two experts and unveil a secret performance in collaboration with Cerith Wyn Evans’ Noh-themed artwork.
Visit the Aldeburgh Festival website