‘Saiyuki, journey to the West’

Saiyuki Trio and Friends: 
Nguyên Lê electric guitar - Prabhu Edouard indian percussion & vocals - Mieko Miyazaki koto & vocals​​​​​​​

Special guests:  
​​​​​​​Raphaelle Brochet vocals - Illya Amar vibraphone - Michel Alibo bass - Israel Varela

​​​​​​​

In a Brussels preview of the ASEM Cultural Festival, a set of exceptionally talented musicians presents a legendary story, set between East and West. You may have heard of the Xiyou ji or Journey to the West, the 16th century masterpiece by Wu Cheng'en. Set in the 7th century, this novel tells the story of the monk Xuanzang’s expedition to India in search of sacred Buddhist texts. In his fantastic adventures, he receives the help of the Monkey King Sun Wukong. It is a wild epic that has given rise to many adaptations in China and Japan, ranging from the Beijing Opera to manga.

Saiyuki, its name in Japanese, offers a vision that combines tradition and modernity and fuses the rich cultural heritage stretching from India to Japan with world music and jazz. This show builds bridges between modernity and tradition, between jazz and traditional music. Surrounded by his faithful partners, Prabhu Edouard on the tablas (India) and Mieko Miyazaki on koto (Japan), as well as a number of special guests, guitarist Nguyên Lê creates an exquisite musical alchemy. They use the dialogue between cultures to distill the message of the Xiyou ji, one of the most beautiful stories of humanity.

Every year Asia and Europe are celebrating together their creativity and cultural diversity at the ASEM Cultural Festival with multi-disciplinary performances, exhibitions, and discussions.
Music, dance, theatre, literature, architecture, visual arts and cinema contribute to strengthening the dialogue among over 50 European and Asian countries, connecting the two continents.