The King's Singers, also known as the kings of a capella, performed a special concert at St. Mary’s Tokyo Cathedral on Thursday, July 11, to celebrate the new Reiwa era.
Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado (Hisako) graced the occasion, making the evening all the more special for the full house of 800 people in the cathedral.
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As the concert opened, The King’s Singers took the stage and, in an utmost display of respect, faced her Imperial Highness and performed “Kimi Ga Yo,” the Japanese national anthem. The balance of six voices created by the two countertenors, tenor, two baritones, and base vocalists created a magnetic atmosphere.
The all-male group subsequently charmed the crowd throughout the two-hour performance. Tenor Julian Gregory’s mother is Japanese, which encouraged a personal connection with the audience that was at play from the first notes. The affection and respect for their host country shone through to the end as all six members participated in explaining the program to the audience exclusively in Japanese.
Gregory said to the audience, “We are overjoyed to be able to celebrate Japan’s new Reiwa era with all of you.”
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The program reflected the aim of celebrating the new Reiwa era and the link between the United Kingdom and Japan. The first half of the repertoire was taken from English royal music through the last 500 years. It began in 1515, with a song that was popularly attributed to Henry VIII, and gradually came closer to current times, ending with a 20th-century jazz exponent arranged by Richard Rodney Bennett, “The Season of his Mercies.”
The second half included songs taken from The King’s Singers repertoire over the past 50 years since the group’s founding. The highlight was a song specially arranged for the evening using the lyrics of a poem by Empress Emerita Michiko, “Nemunoki no Komoriuta,” written in 1966, with music composed by Masami Yamamoto.
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After the concert, the group had an opportunity to meet Princess Takamado, who spoke to them in perfect English and complimented them on their performance.
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