Why Kuniko Kato’s marimba performances are like ballet for the ears

Japanese percussionist explains her intuitive approach ahead of Abu Dhabi concert

Kuniko Kato reimagines classical works through the marimba. Photo: Abu Dhabi Festival

There are various ways to play the marimba – an instrument similar to the xylophone but with warmer tones and a wider range. The standard approach often involves a player standing upright, delivering each note with efficiency and restraint.

Then there is the Kuniko Kato way: a fluid, visceral dance in which the mallet glides through the air with precision and grace. It becomes a show within a show – a visual treat of balletic movement, conjuring sounds at once compelling and ethereal.

It's no wonder her live performances and YouTube videos – some shot cinematically in black and white – have become a niche fascination among ambient music lovers. Notable admirers include minimalist composer Steve Reich, whose works feature prominently in Kato's oeuvre.

Selections from her repertoire, which spans more than two decades, will be performed during her Abu Dhabi Festival concert at NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Centre on Monday. The programme includes her reimagining of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suite No 5 and Conversation – Suite for Marimba by Japanese composer Akira Miyoshi.

“I’ve never approached music purely through interpretation,” Kato tells The National. “A lot of it is intuitive and I really go by feel and emotion. At the same time, I understand that the marimba is very visual and captivating – especially when there’s movement from the performer. But I don’t want that to define me. I make sure to maintain a strong musical thread throughout the performance, while still making it sound emotionally direct to the listener.”

It’s an approach rooted in rigorous training and a sense of practicality. Born in the city of Toyohashi in central Japan, Kato began studying piano as a child before shifting to the marimba at 13. She raises her petite hands to the camera during our Zoom call to demonstrate why. “I played the piano very seriously, but my hands were too small. As you can see, my fingers are quite short, and that would affect me in competitions.”

Her disappointment, however, gave way to curiosity. “I started exploring other instruments, especially percussion. That’s when I discovered the marimba. It’s like playing a very large piano, and because I use mallets, I didn’t have to worry about the size of my hands,” she says.

Even so, the marimba demands its own distinctive form of training – something Kato pursued at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Japan, before refining her craft at the Rotterdam Conservatory in the Netherlands. “One of the things you learn through studying and performing is that it can't just be about technique,” she says. “It's about developing your own sense of feel and letting the instrument breathe.”

That signature approach is evident in her interpretation of Bach’s Six Cello Suites, in which she transforms the 18th century compositions written for a bowed string instrument into a melodic and percussive experience. The work also inspired her standout 2017 album Bach. By performing all six parts on the recording, Kato makes a case for the marimba’s place in classical music, delivering a warm, quivering interpretation of the German Baroque composer’s work.

The fact that the recordings closely resemble her live shows (aside from the occasional improvisational flourish) is entirely intentional. Kato says she has never been a fan of the sonic embellishments a studio setting can offer. Instead, she prefers her albums to be as close to a live document as possible.

“I look at it as a form of archiving,” she says. “While I am dedicated to live performance, what I can say about studio recordings is that they allow me to capture some of the very small nuances at play – and these develop as I grow my craft further. So while nothing can really beat the live performance, I see albums as also a way of documenting my work in high definition.”

Kuniko Kato performs at The Blue Hall, The Arts Centre at NYU Abu Dhabi on Monday. Tickets from Dh175; show starts at 7.30pm