Symphony Kukai returns to London, bridging cultures through music

A cross-cultural collaboration

Composed by Zou, conducted by Yuasa, and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra alongside the London Philharmonic Choir and the Choir of the Central Conservatory of Music (China), the concert highlights a cross-cultural collaboration.

"I'm performing Chinese music written by a Chinese composer about Japan, played by an English orchestra," Yuasa said. "It's wonderful, isn't it?"

For Mark Templeton, a past board member of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and its current principal trombonist, the motivation to perform the work was straightforward.

"We have no prejudices and no political axes to grind," he said. "We like music, and music is the one thing that brings all of us together in the world."

Madeleine Venner, chorus director of the London Philharmonic Choir, echoed that sentiment. "It's been a wonderful opportunity to learn about Mandarin, about Buddhism, and about this incredibly important figure in Japanese, Chinese, and Eastern culture," she said. "It's also been a lovely coming together of these two cultures."

Audience members expressed similar reactions. Catherine Wilmers, who previously toured China as a cellist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, described the concert as familiar. "We played side by side with Chinese musicians, and that same feeling of crossing the continents and sharing came through very strongly tonight," she said.

Another audience member, Deborah Baines, a former violinist with the Royal Opera House, drew parallels with Daniel Barenboim's West–Eastern Divan Orchestra. "Daniel Barenboim has done the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra and it was with Muslims and Jews, and initially they were a little bit worried," she said. "And then in the end, they realized we're all the same. And it didn't make any difference, and it was a wonderful orchestra."

"When you're playing the music, you're doing the same thing. You don't have to be able to speak the same language, you just sit down and play music together," she added.