This performance was inspired by the idea of delivering a very slow performance to the people of fast-paced Yurakucho.

In The Carnival of the Animals No. 4, “Tortoises”, French composer Saint-Saëns quotes the famous Can-Can melody from Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. Although the original melody is vivacious and energetic, Saint-Saëns expresses the tortoise by stretching (and thus slowing) the melody in a lower pitch. Inspired by this, we interpreted the word “slow” to not only mean moving slowly, but also in a broader sense, such as taking it slow to breathe or relax. By playing “slowly” we seek to open up our senses; to notice the unique acoustics of the instrument and to become aware of the natural soundscape of the urban surroundings.

This time, over four days we will be performing pieces that quote Chopin’s Minute Waltz. Known as the “Little Dog Waltz” in Japan, this piece is characterised by a sense of lightness and speed, like a little dog chasing its own tail. We restructured this piece into “slow” music, adding more details that can now be interspersed throughout. For example, while one instrument is stretching out the melody, another may add some unique embellishment; thus incorporating qualities that cannot be included at the original speed.

Though it is possible to accumulate more information by living fast, we may also gain new and different information by stretching “slowly.”

We hope that this performance will provide an opportunity to look at everyday life and the city from a different perspective, just like a tortoise looking at the world “slowly” from a viewpoint close to the ground.