Yuki-Onna / The SNOW Woman (2024)

アヌーナの音楽を聞いて、新しさと同時にある種の懐かしさを感じる人が多いという。それは日本ではアイルランドの旋律が唱歌への翻訳を通じて長年にわたって親しまれ、無意識の記憶として蓄積されてきたこととも、両国の神話や伝説の共通性とも無縁ではないだろう。
"Many who hear Anúna's music find in it not only something new but a kind of half-remembered familiarity -- partly because Irish melodies have long been woven into Japanese school songs through translation, lodging themselves as unconscious memory, and partly because of the deep correspondences between Irish and Japanese myth and legend."
Mikiki, October 2024 - 北中正和 (Kitanaka Masakazu)

アヌーナの歌声は、トールキンの『指輪物語』の舞台である「中つ国」のような、あるいは『雪女』の見せる幻想のような、ファンタジーに満ちた「異界」に通じる扉を開いてくれることだろう。 "Anúna's voices open a door to an otherworld filled with fantasy -- something like the Middle-earth of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, or like the visions summoned by the Snow Woman herself."
Freude classical music media, October 2024 - 原典子 (Hara Noriko)

In December 2024 ANÚNA embarked on our second major collaboration with Noh Theatre at Sumida Hall in Tokyo. This performance covered the well-known story The Snow Woman - Yuki-onna 雪女, a classic ghost story from Japan.

Michael McGlynn writes, “Yuki-onna, the Snow Woman, brings to life the haunting Japanese folk tale written by Lafcadio Hearn. She is traditionally portrayed as a supernatural entity who appears as a beautiful woman in a white kimono. There is a huge element of ritual and history dating back a millennia in this work, combining the worlds of Japanese and Irish mythology seamlessly.

The music was a real challenge. While I used existing pieces as a framework for the play, coordinating with the movement and the musicians in a convincing way was difficult. Many rehearsals involved improvisation and input from all the participants. It was a joyous and wonderful meeting of minds and a unique cultural moment. The audience at すみだトリフォニーホール Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo received it with great enthusiasm.

The principal actor is Reijiro Tsumura (津村禮次郎), an icon of Nō theatre. Tamami Tono (東野珠実), an extraordinary player, performs on the shō, a traditional Japanese court instrument with a unique, ethereal sound integral to classical gagaku music. Mitsuhiro Kakihara (柿原光博) performs on the ōtsuzumi drum, a hand drum that must be carefully constructed and tuned before each performance, carrying centuries of ritual significance.

The beauty of Hideko Ise’s (伊勢英子) incredible illustrations hugely enhanced the live theatrical experience.

This project was made possible with support from the Earth Music Project Executive Committee, Sumida Triphony Hall, the アイルランド大使館 - Embassy of Ireland, Japan , the EXPO’70 FUND (公益財団法人 関西・大阪21世紀協会), and Culture Ireland

Yuki Onna is a special example of cross-cultural storytelling that blends Japanese folklore with Irish musical traditions in a way I hope resonates deeply with audiences.

I especially want to thank Culture Ireland and the Irish Embassy for their support in bringing us to Japan and for their ongoing support.”

The concert was planned and produced by プランクトン　Plankton - Keiko Kawashima (川島恵子)