Night of Japanese, Ghanaian creativity
Lovers of classical music had something to cheer about last Monday, April 21 when the highly-rated Japanese violinist, Ryu Goto, performed with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) at the National Theatre.
Advertisement
The audience at the concert included members of the diplomatic corps, senior state officials and a heavy dose of Japanese nationals in Accra.
A man of average size who looked full of life and energy, Ryu Goto was accompanied on a rendition of the Japanese national anthem by the NSO.
Collectively, they then served the appreciative audience with Italian composer, Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
Ryu Goto, who is a graduate in physics from Harvard University in the United States, is also a businessman and philanthropist.
His career as a violinist is said to have started at the age of seven when he made his debut public appearance at the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan.
After a brief intermission, the audience returned to hear him in a series of solo performances. He demonstrated his firm grasp of the dynamics of classical music with varied tempos.
Goto has appeared as a soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras and ensembles in places such as England, Germany, Australia, China and the United States.
He therefore felt at home and seemed to be enjoying himself as he sat in with the NSO, conducted by Isaac Annor, to play some Adowa-driven Ghanaian tunes.
By the time the concert finished with a rendition of the Ghana national anthem, it was clear the audience had thoroughly enjoyed the evening of Japanese and Ghanaian creativity.
Ryu Goto’s performance with the NSO was supported by the Japanese Embassy and sponsored by Toyota, Daikin, Yoshiken Travel & Tours Ltd, Golden Palm Investments Gh. Ltd, Ryu Goto and Marine Logistics Co. Ltd.