On 26 November 2025, as part of the Catalunya–Japó Year, we presented a unique encounter between two artistic worlds: classical Japanese Noh theatre and the music of Catalan composer Frederic Mompou.
The programme centred on Matsukaze by Zeami Motokiyo, one of the great masterpieces of Noh theatre, presented outside Japan for the first time in 56 years.
Alongside this, the performance introduced a first-ever encounter between Mompou’s piano works and Noh. Performances by Yoko Suzuki and Kanji Shimizu created an unexpected dialogue between tradition and modernity.
Leading experts on Mompou, including Miquel Badal, President of the Frederic Mompou Foundation, described the encounter as “an absolutely transcendent act.” Pianist and Mompou specialist Adolf Pla noted that Noh’s refined physical language offers “one of the most compelling ways to establish a dialogue with Mompou’s music,” calling the concept “a brilliant success.”
Frederico Mompou Encounters Noh
Quiet Music I, Impressions íntimes I–IV, Landscapes: The Fountain and the Bell, Suburbis: The Carrer, the Guitarist and the Old Cavall, Cançó i Dansa VII, Cançó i Dansa IX
Yoko Suzuki – Piano
Kanji Shimizu – Noh Dance
Photo Credit: Javier Ortega
Matsukaze (Pining Wind) by Zeami Motokiyo
Kanji Shimizu (Kanze School) – Shite (main actor)
Accompaniment: Jiutai choir, Noh flute (nōkan) and traditional drums
Photo Credit: Javier Ortega
About Yoko Suzuki – Pianist and composer
Trained at Musashino University of Music and the Academy MarShall, has worked with disciples of Alicia de Larrocha and Carmen Bravo (Mompou’s widow). In 2019, she received recognition from the Japanese Consulate in Barcelona for her work in cultural exchange.
About Kanji Shimizu – Shite (Kanze School)
A renowned Noh performer, he has participated in international tours and collaborates with disciplines such as contemporary theater, dance, and other traditional Asian performing arts. In 2024, he received the prestigious Kanze Hisao Award and is designated an Important Intangible Cultural Asset by the Japanese government.
