(KRON) – Joe Hisaishi and the San Francisco Symphony brought the audience to tears for the enchanting grand opening night of Music from Studio Ghibli on Thursday night at the Davies Symphony Hall.
Featuring music Hisaishi composed for the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki, the audience delighted in the two-hour performance.
Hisaishi entered onto the stage with to thunder of applause. He humbly bowed to the audience before taking the podium.
The Symphony started with music from “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,” which was the first Studio Ghibli film made in 1984.
Immediately the audience was taken to another world by Hisaishi’s use of a bold combination of instruments.
The tone shifted with music from “Kiki’s Delivery Service” next.
The song, “A Town with an Ocean View” featured the Symphony’s strings.
Light and playful, listeners were taken to the world of an adventurous girl Kiki and her cat Jiji.
They played parts of the movie behind the orchestra, so audience members felt mesmerized by the storytelling as Kiki soared over the town and sparkling ocean.
Next, Hisaishi suddenly used the power of the drums to switch the tone of the music to be more serious.
This was music from the movie “Princess Mononoke,” which was released in 1997. The historical fantasy film is filled with war, and environmentalism themes and is considered to be “epic.”
The Symphony and the montage of the movie behind them made the audience feel like they were preparing for war. Not a single audience member could look away.
This section of the night is when Janet Todd first appeared. Trained in Opera, she has performed around the world from Australia to the United States. Her voice shined with the simple accompaniment of a harp. She wore a beautiful red dress, as she somberly sang of the war-torn world. As soon as the song ended the concert hall erupted with applause for the soprano singer.
Hisaishi then swept the audience into the world of two lovers in “The Wind Rises.”
Featuring Kyle Pudenz on the mandolin, the audience delighted in soaring above the clouds with the symphony.
Next came the underwater world of “Ponyo on the Cliff.” This set of songs showcased the fun and beautiful voices of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus directed by Jenny Wong.
“Ponyo on the Cliff” is the story of a fish that becomes a young girl, and you feel the joy that she feels upon exploring the world of humans.
“Howl’s Moving Castle” then captivated the audience with the well-known song “Merry-Go-Round.” The viewers were thrown into the fantastic world of Howl, a powerful wizard.
“Merry-Go-Round” begins with Hisaishi on the piano and leads into the symphony joining in on the melody. The song is filled with playful tones, but also parts that make listeners ponder about life.
Next was the beloved songs from the movie “Spirited Away.” Hisaishi again took to the piano to play “One Summer’s Day.” He was accompanied by his daughter Mai Fujisawa. The duo played and sang beautifully about the coming-of-age story of a young girl named Chihiro. Mai Fujisawa has sung several key roles for her father’s movies including “Nausicaä of the Wind,” when she was just four years old. Hisaishi didn’t speak much throughout the night but he joyfully addressed the audience and said, “She’s my daughter.” A very proud moment for the father and conductor.
Hisaishi closed the night off with music from “My Neighbor Totoro.” The movie came out in 1988, and a lot of the audience grew up with the beautiful movie. It created a nostalgic end for the night.
KRON4’s anchor Stephanie Lin was in the audience, and one of her favorite performances of the night was the Totoro montage.
Lin said, “Surreal to witness the songs of my childhood, performed live by the very man who composed them! So, so grateful and moved.” She was not the only one, throughout the audience many shed tears during the concert.
Throughout the night Hisashi did a great job of highlighting the San Francisco Symphony. Many of the songs featured solos from the various sections. Hisaishi’s style of minimalist music was perfect for these solos. From the violins, trombones and trumpets, Hisaishi had them all stand up so the audience could see who was performing. Audience members said Hisaishi conducted with such joy that it brought smiles to their faces.
In the end, the audience roared to their feet for the conductor, giving him a standing ovation. He went off the stage several times, to only be brought back on by the applause. Hisaishi then performed several more songs for the encore.
During those songs, Hisaishi gave a message to the crowd on the screen that said, “I am so grateful to be here with you. We are back together again. To my fellow music lovers, I wish you all the health and happiness in the world.
Hisaishi and the San Francisco Symphony will be performing three more times at the Symphony Hall until Sept. 8.
(KRON) – Joe Hisaishi and the San Francisco Symphony brought the audience to tears for the enchanting grand opening night of Music from Studio Ghibli on Thursday night at the Davies Symphony Hall. Featuring music Hisaishi composed for the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki, the audience delighted in the two-hour performance. Hisaishi entered onto […]
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