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The third movement featured a solo performance by guest Singaporean soprano Jennifer Lien. With lyrics written by Hisaishi’s daughter, the front section featured English lyrics while the middle mixed Japanese and English, “using numbers as the basis of the form” to lament the modern societal mentality that “all that matters are myself and my surroundings; forget about the world”. The second half of the movement incorporated Buddhist teachings of impermanence, injecting positivity and hope into a piece that showcased the multi- faceted aspects of the symphony.
Maintaining the first movement’s chaotic rhythm, the fourth movement is seemingly lively and rich at first, but develops into a sombre rhapsody that brings back the sense of darkness of Yubaba from the soundtrack of the animated film Spirited Away. In comparison, the fifth movement sounded concise and organised, letting the singing of the soprano gained a higher degree of penetration. Taken from a dictionary of Latin proverbs, the lyrics represented a perspective that Joe Hisaishi wanted to convey to the audience. The melody in the middle and back portions was taken from the St Matthew Passion (#62) by 18th century German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. From Buddhism to Christian hymns, Hisaishi’s creations not only broke through the conventions of form, they also transcended religion to deliver a sublime rendition of a symphonic performance. I was left deep in my thoughts when the
soprano sang her last line: “In this way mankind reaches the stars, this is fate, but where are you now?”
The music stopped with a gentle gesture from Hisaishi’s baton. Thunderous applause followed, seemingly creating a rhythm in this chaotic ovation.
Hisaishi led the 90-member-strong SSO with a bow to thank the audience. The audiencegotontheirfeetandcontinued to applaud.
A Rare Encore Amidst the Applause
Joe Hisaishi walked off the stage, but the applause did not stop. Soon, he reappeared and gestured that the performance was over, asking the audience to leave. Still, the applause did not stop. He repeated this request two more times before beginning to deliberate with the lead violinist on the stage.
The rare encore performance in a symphonic concert happened! Hisaishi walked to the piano at the edge of the stage and the audience responded with booming applause that lasted about 15 minutes. At the instant he sat down in front of the piano, the concert hall became silent.
As the notes resonated gently the piano, a string of emotions hit me. He was playing The Name of Life, the piano version of One Summer’s Day, the leading track on the soundtrack of 2001 animated film
Spirited Away. In 2005, Hisaishi arranged the piano version but it was not included in the movie’s original soundtrack. The biggest difference between the two versions is that the piano version lacks the movie version’s surges of emotion, but instead maintains a simple, elegant melancholy.
As the piano music flowed quietly and crisply around the concert hall, Hisaishi’s gentle musical notes seemed bring back somememories.Tearsrolleddown,butI didn’t wipe them away. Perhaps, I didn’t want to wipe the moment away. The members of the SSO all sat quietly on the stage, mesmerised by the music like the audience.
As the music came to an end, Hisaishi left his fingers on the keyboard after playing the last set of chords. The notes lingered throughout the concert hall. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, as though afraid that it would all come to an end prematurely. He lifted his hands, depressed the right pedal of the piano for a while longer, before lifting his right foot too. Applause reverberated through the hall as Joe Hisaishi hopped to the centre of the stage and cheekily heaved a sigh of relief. Despite his age, the passionate musician, whose music has touched the hearts of many for nearly half a century, created many beautiful musical memories for his audience in Singapore.
(Translated by Shawn Pang)
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