日曜日のマリンバコンサートが無事終了しました。
雨はそれほどではなかったのですが、音板が木のマリンバは湿気を嫌う楽器（厳密には湿気を吸った音板が乾いた後に音質が微妙に変化する）とのこと。部屋のエアコンをドライにしてリハーサルが始まりました。
開場を待つ間、カフェでコーヒや軽食を召し上がる方も結構いらして、お手伝いくださったスタッフは大忙し。戸は閉めてあるものの、布谷さんがスポット的にチェックするマリンバの音が障子の外で待つお客様にも聞こえるのは古民家ならではで、中の音が遮断される音楽ホールとは違うお客様にとってはお得な時間だと思いました。
さて、今回もソロで７曲＋アンコール曲の布谷マリンバを堪能しました。１３時と１７時、どちらも６０名あまりのお客様でしたが、皆さん、どんなピアニシモの音も聞き漏らすまいと集中して聴き入る姿に私自身感動。マレットを両手に曲に入る布谷さんを見るところから曲を聴くというよりも、表現の世界に誘（いざな）われると言ったほうがいいような。観客はそれぞれの想像力で風景であったり、物語に包まれていったり。静かな深い世界にいるかと思うと、軽妙なリズムに身体までじっとしてはいられなくなったり、気がつくと家全体がマリンバの音色に包まれていました。途中の布谷さんによるマリンバの説明も分かりやすく、その後の観客と布谷さんとの質疑応答は内容もさることながら、マリンバを聴き入るある種の緊張した空気が一気に和やかなものとなり、布谷さんの謙虚で誠実な人柄がそのまま出て好感度がぐっと上がる時間でした。
普段はコンサートホールで聴くことが多い布谷さんの演奏を間近で見て聴けるというのが、私ども多賀あさひやでの布谷マリンバの魅力のようで、遠く県外からもマリンバのプロやファンが何人もお越しくださいました。また、マリンバは初めてという地元の方も布谷さんの演奏に感動してくださいました。
忙しいスケジュールの中、多賀で演奏を聴かせてくださった布谷史人さん、コンサートに来てくださったお客様のお一人ひとり、そして準備から後片付けまでテキパキ抜群の動きで助けてくださったスタッフの方達。皆様のお陰で、今年も素晴らしいマリンバコンサートが開催できました。厚く御礼申し上げます。
The marimba concert on Sunday was over successfully. Although the rain wasn't heavy, the marimba, with its wooden bars, is an instrument that is sensitive to humidity (the sound quality changes subtly after the soundboard which has absorbed moisture dries. Therefore the rehearsal began with the AC of the room to "dry" mode.
While waiting for the door to open, quite a few people enjoyed coffee or light snacks at the cafe, and staff members who were helping the cafe were very busy.The sliding doors which divided stage area and waiting area were closed while Mr. Nunoya was rehearsing his marimba, the sound of the marimba reached the guests who were waiting in the cafe unlike a music hall where sound is sealed off and that was a special gift for the audience in the old Japanese house.
Well, in the concert, we enjoyed Nunoya's marimba featuring seven pieces of music plus one encore. Both 1pm and 5pm performances had just over 60 audience members. I was deeply moved to see everyone listening to Nunoya's marimba with such intense concentration,determined not to miss even the "pianissimo" sound. We started watching the scene where Mr. Nunoya was just about to start playing with mallets in his both hands. It was better to say that we were being drawn into a world of expression rather than simply listening to the music. Using each one's imagination, the audience was immersed in landscapes or their own stories. We felt we were in a quiet,profound world, then the next, we swung with a lighthearted rhythm and I noticed that the entire house was covered in a beautiful sound of the marimba. During the performance, Nunoya explained about the instrument of marimba and it was easy to understand. After that, the Q & A session with the audience was remarkable not only for its content but also for the atmosphere which turned warm and relaxed.
It is a special point having Nunoya's concert at Taga Asahiya, that is you have a chance to see and listen up close to an artist whose music is usually enjoyed in concert halls, so many professional marimba players and fans came from as far away as other prefectures. On the other hand, many local residents who were experiencing the marimba for the first time were also deeply moved by Nunoya's performance.
I would like to say thank you to Mr. Nunoya who came and performed in Taga despite a busy schedule, every single audience member who attended the concert, and the staff who provided such efficient and outstanding support from setup to cleanup. It couldn't be such a wonderful concert without these people's help. I express my deepest gratitude.
