Sköna söndag: Japansk flöjtmeditation

At this Sköna Söndag, Gunnar Linder plays meditative pieces on the shakuhachi flute. The pieces come from 18th- and 19th-century Japan and offer you the chance to experience a different world of sound, where you can immerse yourself in the microcosm of each individual note.

Bring your own yoga mat to lie on, or borrow one at the venue.

Like so much else that is Japanese, the shakuhachi has its roots in China, but since the 7th century it has developed in its own distinct way in Japan. During the Edo period (1603–1868), the instrument was played by a group of samurai monks who called themselves komusō, “monks of emptiness and nothingness”. The music they created has an evocative, meditative character and is used by some practitioners specifically for meditation.

Gunnar Jinmei Linder has been playing the shakuhachi since 1985. He studied and worked with the instrument in Japan for over 20 years, but has been based in Stockholm since 2005. He trained as a soloist on this instrument at Tokyo Geidai, Japan’s foremost conservatoire for traditional music, and holds a traditional master’s title (shihan) awarded by his teacher, who also gave him the professional name Jinmei.