Paolo Cotrone:
”A Shamisen Orchestra” is Paolo Cotrone, a musician, composer and songwriter from Naples, Italy.
Paolo started as a guitar player, under the wing of his father, but eventually he took up the challenge to master other instruments.
In 2014 he became a student of the Shamisen, even going as far as spending time in Japan to learn from the masters of the craft. Since 2023 he is also earned the title of Shihan Natori, becoming the first non-Japanese to achieve the rank of Master in this discipline.
He started “A Shamisen Orchestra” as an outlet to combine the sounds of the Shamisen with a wide range of influences, including progressive rock and electronic music.
It was just in 2014 that he discovered the Shamisen, a Japanese stringed instrument descended directly from the Sumerian times, more than 6000 years ago. He felt a deep bond between him and that culture, so he started studying it by himself. It was just a year after that he found his Teacher, Mariko Ohno of Kine-Ie Kai. With her, he managed to discover the secrets of the plays and songs of the Japanese Traditional Theater and Music (Kabuki and Nagauta).
In May 2019, he graduated at Kine-ie Kai in Tokyo as the first European Natori (Holder of a Japanese Stage name), becoming 杵家弥蝶ノ嵐 (Kine-ie Ya Cho no Ran). In April 2023, he completed his studies and earned the title of Shihan Natori, becoming the first non-Japanese to achieve the rank of Master in this discipline.
He’s always looking for a way to develop his own style of composing and playing, merging different arts and different cultures in his works, both alone and with other artists.
Paolo Cotrone:
”A Shamisen Orchestra” is Paolo Cotrone, a musician, composer and songwriter from Naples, Italy.
Paolo started as a guitar player, under the wing of his father, but eventually he took up the challenge to master other instruments.
In 2014 he became a student of the Shamisen, even going as far as spending time in Japan to learn from the masters of the craft. Since 2023 he is also earned the title of Shihan Natori, becoming the first non-Japanese to achieve the rank of Master in this discipline.
He started “A Shamisen Orchestra” as an outlet to combine the sounds of the Shamisen with a wide range of influences, including progressive rock and electronic music.
It was just in 2014 that he discovered the Shamisen, a Japanese stringed instrument descended directly from the Sumerian times, more than 6000 years ago. He felt a deep bond between him and that culture, so he started studying it by himself. It was just a year after that he found his Teacher, Mariko Ohno of Kine-Ie Kai. With her, he managed to discover the secrets of the plays and songs of the Japanese Traditional Theater and Music (Kabuki and Nagauta).
In May 2019, he graduated at Kine-ie Kai in Tokyo as the first European Natori (Holder of a Japanese Stage name), becoming 杵家弥蝶ノ嵐 (Kine-ie Ya Cho no Ran). In April 2023, he completed his studies and earned the title of Shihan Natori, becoming the first non-Japanese to achieve the rank of Master in this discipline.
He’s always looking for a way to develop his own style of composing and playing, merging different arts and different cultures in his works, both alone and with other artists.
Introduction:
“Iwa” (岩), meaning “rock” in Japanese, is a captivating piece composed by Paolo Cotrone as part of the Shamisen Orchestra project. This composition uses the symbolism of rock to explore themes of transformation, continuity, and the delicate balance between stillness and movement. Through this song, Cotrone takes listeners on a journey, where even the most solid and immovable elements of nature, like rock, subtly release fragments of themselves. These pieces travel the world with nature — carried by wind, water, and earth — while the core remains whole and still.
The Shamisen – A Traditional Instrument as a Storyteller:
The Shamisen, a three-stringed Japanese instrument, plays a crucial role in bringing the story of “Iwa” to life. The Shamisen’s unique sound, which ranges from sharp, rhythmic plucks to soulful, resonating tones, echoes the contrast between the solid and the free. The instrument has long been associated with storytelling in Japanese culture, from its use in kabuki theater to traditional folk music. In “Iwa,” the Shamisen becomes the perfect vehicle to narrate the rock’s journey and its subtle interaction with the forces of nature.
Origins of the Shamisen:
The origins of the Shamisen date back to the 16th century, when it was adapted from the Chinese sanxian and the Okinawan sanshin. Over time, it developed into an iconic instrument within Japanese music. Its body is typically made of wood, covered with animal skin, which helps produce its distinctive, resonant sound. Players use a large plectrum called a bachi to pluck the strings, creating sharp, rhythmic notes or soft, flowing melodies that mirror the natural world.
The Shamisen’s versatility in both sound and storytelling makes it a fitting choice for Cotrone’s “Iwa.” The instrument’s ability to convey both tension and harmony mirrors the themes of the song: the strength of the rock and the freedom of the dust. Through delicate plucks and powerful strums, the Shamisen captures the movement of dust as it travels with the wind, flows with the water, and settles in new landscapes — all while remaining connected to the original rock.
Conclusion:
“Iwa” is more than just a musical piece; it’s a reflection on nature’s ability to transform while retaining its essence. Through the Shamisen, Paolo Cotrone tells the story of a rock that, though seemingly immovable, allows parts of itself to travel and merge with the world around it. The dust that floats on the wind, flows with water, and blends into the earth speaks of freedom, yet it always belongs to the rock from which it came. The Shamisen’s evocative sound echoes this balance — stillness and movement, strength and fragility, permanence and impermanence.
In “Iwa,” Cotrone captures the poetic beauty of how nature allows even the most solid forms to find freedom and connection without ever losing their core. The rock remains, yet pieces of it move through the world, bringing its presence to faraway places, always whole, always part of something greater. Through the Shamisen Orchestra project, Cotrone takes listeners on a journey where the boundaries between stillness and motion blur, revealing the hidden ways nature moves within itself.
The Story of ‘Iwa’ – A Rock That Moves with Nature:
The essence of “Iwa” lies in the idea that even the most steadfast forms of nature, like a rock, are not entirely motionless. Over time, pieces of the rock in the form of fine dust can naturally separate and move freely, becoming part of the broader forces of nature. The dust, though small, carries the essence of the original rock. It is picked up by the wind, flowing through the air across distant lands, or washed away by water to travel through rivers, lakes, and oceans. It may settle into the earth, finding new places to rest, only to be lifted again.
This idea is not one of destruction but of continuity. While the rock remains solid and unmoved in appearance, it is simultaneously able to spread itself across the world in small, delicate ways. These tiny dust particles symbolize the rock’s ability to connect different places, becoming part of the environment without ever truly being lost. In this way, the rock exists in two states: still and unmoving, yet fluid and free, always retaining its wholeness even as pieces travel far beyond their origin.
Cotrone’s “Iwa” beautifully reflects this duality — the balance between the enduring, solid presence of the rock and the freedom of its fragments to explore the world, driven by nature itself. It speaks to the unseen journeys that natural elements undergo, where movement is subtle, and change happens without altering the rock’s true essence.
