Prisoners play for their captors
Bandō Prisoner of War Camp, Shikoku, empire of Japan
They made every effort to perform the piece in its entirety – and even produced a homemade concert programme
In 1898, Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered the construction of a new naval port in the Chinese bay of Jiaozhou. The territory next to the port, Qingdao, had been seized by the German empire as part of its 19th-century scramble for colonies, and the area was to be transformed into a formidable east Asian stronghold.
But when the First World War broke out in the summer of 1914, Japan – allied with Britain – attacked the port and captured nearly 5,000 soldiers. The men were subsequently taken to live in prisoner of war (PoW) camps across Japan but, surprisingly, were still allowed to indulge in their musical hobbies. This included teaching music lessons to Japanese troops and playing concerts as members of amateur orchestras and choirs.
One of the most powerful concerts was undoubtedly that staged at the Bandō PoW Camp on the island of Shikoku in June 1918, when its resident orchestra played Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Building their own instruments where none were available, and with a chorus made up entirely of men, the soldiers made every effort to perform the symphony in its entirety – and even produced a homemade concert programme. Then, when the war ended later that year, the Bandō PoWs performed the Ode to Joy again – for the general public – to celebrate peace.
The prisoners were repatriated the following year, but the Ninth remained, with its Tokyo premiere taking place in 1925. The symphony soon gained the nickname Daiku, meaning ‘Number Nine’, and Japanese orchestras began performing it to coincide with midnight on New Year’s Eve.
The Daiku has since become a part of Japanese musical tradition, and at the annual performance in Osaka, the chorus is 10,000 singers strong.