in collaboration with Arts Centre Melbourne for Asia TOPA present
Joe Hisaishi in Concert
26 FEBRUARY 2020
CONCERT PROGRAM
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Joe Hisaishi conductor Cleo Lee-McGowan soprano
DA-MA-SHI-E [8']
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
SPIRITED AWAY SUITE [27'] AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
— INTERVAL — THE EAST LAND SYMPHONY [45']
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
ALL MUSIC BY JOE HISAISHI Represented by Columbia Artists Management Tim Fox, President – Erika Noguchi, Associate Manager 1790 Broadway @ 5 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019
Running time: approximately 2 hours including a 20-minute interval. Timings listed are approximate.
It is my great pleasure to warmly welcome you to the Joe Hisaishi in Concert tonight. I am thrilled to be able to see Mr Hisaishi, a world-renowned musician, lead the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for the second time during my diplomatic posting in Melbourne. Last May, Japan celebrated the enthronement of the new Emperor of Japan, His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito. A new emperor means a new imperial era for Japan, and the new era name is Reiwa which means ‘beautiful harmony’. Tonight, people from different backgrounds have gathered to enjoy Mr Hisaishi’s music. I was pleased to hear that the tickets to this concert sold out very quickly, and this comes to show that Mr Hisaishi’s music has established itself in the hearts of the people in Melbourne. It is the captivating nature of Mr Hisaishi’s compositions which transcend across language barriers and cultural differences to unite people together – what a wonderful example of beautiful harmony in the society!
JOE HISAISHI IN CONCERT | 26 February 2020
Message from Consul-General Matsunaga
I would like to thank Mr Hisaishi for coming to Melbourne again and as part of Asia TOPA: Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts. I have no doubt that this concert will be another important step in promoting further cultural connections – and beautiful harmony – through music. MATSUNAGA Kazuyoshi Consul-General of Japan in Melbourne
Assistive Hearing A hearing system is available from Arts Centre Melbourne ushers, providing coverage to all seats via headphones or neck-loops. In consideration of your fellow patrons, the MSO thanks you for turning off your phone. Photos and recording of audio and video at this performance is prohibited. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we perform – The Kulin Nation – and would like to pay our respects to their Elders and Community both past and present.
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JOE HISAISHI IN CONCERT | 26 February 2020
script. The film was officially invited for the World Competition section of the Montreal World Film Festival.
Joe Hisaishi conductor Joe Hisaishi was born in Nagano, Japan. He started to show his interest in minimal music when he was a student at Kunitachi College of Music, and started his career as a contemporary composer. His career as a solo artist began with MKWAJU in 1981 and the release of his first album Information in the following year. Since his debut, he has released nearly 40 solo albums, including , Melodyphony and his latest solo album III. Starting with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in 1984, Hisaishi has produced music for ten Hayao Miyazaki films, including My Neighbor Totoro and The Wind Rises. He also composed the music for HANA-BI directed by Takeshi Kitano, Departures directed by Yojiro Takita, Villain directed by Sang-il Lee, The Tale of Princess Kaguya directed by Isao Takahata, and the What A Wonderful Family! series directed by Yoji Yamada.
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He has collaborated on the music production of nearly 80 films at home and abroad, winning many awards including several Outstanding Achievement in Music prizes at the Japan Academy Film Prize. Other awards include for Spirited Away (Outstanding Music in an Animated Feature Production, 30th Annie Awards); Welcome to Dongmakgol (Best Original Film Music Award, 4th Korean Film Award); The Postmodern Life of My Aunt (Best Original Film Score, 27th Hong Kong Film Award); and, Our Time Will Come (Best Original Music, 12th Asian Film Award). In 2001, he made his debut as a film director with Quartet, taking charge of the theme music and co-writing the
Hisaishi is also a skilled performer, ranging from piano soloist to orchestra conductor. At the 2004 Cannes International Film Festival, Hisaishi became the first Japanese musician to conduct an orchestra live to film, performing Buster Keaton’s The General. At the concert Joe Hisaishi in Budokan in 2008, he led an orchestra, choirs and marching bands totaling 1,200 musicians while conducting and playing piano. Since 2017, he has been touring worldwide with Joe Hisaishi Symphonic Concert: Music from the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki, visiting Paris, Melbourne, Los Angeles, New York, Prague and more. In 2004, he assumed the post of first music director of the New Japan Philharmonic World Dream Orchestra. He has been producing and conducting popular concerts called JOE HISAISHI presents MUSIC FUTURE and in 2019 started the concert series Future Orchestra Classics. He has released a Beethoven Symphony Box Set that was given the “Special Prize” from the 57th Record Academy Award Japan 2019. Recently, he has been composing and conducting new works in a contemporary classical style, including Contrabass Concerto, TRI-AD for Large Orchestra, The East Land Symphony, Asian Symphony and ad Universum. Hisaishi has collaborated with a wide range of artists including Philip Glass, David Lang, Mischa Maisky, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Hisaishi is an Invited Professor at Kunitachi College of Music. In 2009, he received the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon from the government of Japan. His unique contributions as a contemporary composer and enthusiasm for going beyond the ordinary are highly valued worldwide.
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is a leading cultural figure in the Australian arts landscape, bringing the best in orchestral music and passionate performance to a diverse audience across Victoria, the nation and around the world. Each year the MSO engages with more than 5 million people through live concerts, TV, radio and online broadcasts, international tours, recordings and education programs. The MSO is a vital presence, both onstage and in the community, in cultivating classical music in Australia. The nation’s first professional orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has been the sound of the city of Melbourne since 1906. The MSO regularly attracts great artists from around the globe including Anne-Sophie Mutter, Lang Lang, Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson, while bringing Melbourne’s finest musicians to the world through tours to China, Europe and the United States.
Cleo Lee-McGowan soprano Cleo Lee-McGowan made her debut with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 2019 as Niece 2 in Peter Grimes with chief conductor David Robertson. She will be returning as a soloist again this season to sing in Brahms’ A German Requiem.
JOE HISAISHI IN CONCERT | 26 February 2020
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Cleo was a recipient of the Joseph Sambrook Opera Scholarship through Melba Opera Trust from 2017 to 2019. She has performed the role of Gretel in Hansel and Gretel with Victorian Opera. In 2018 Cleo was a soloist with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2017, Cleo was featured as a soloist in a live broadcast on ABC Classic in celebration of International Women’s Day. In 2019, Cleo was the winner of the Sydney Eisteddfod Opera Scholarship, and a finalist in the JSRB Bel Canto Award. In 2018, she was a finalist in the IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition and was the recipient of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Award, Pasqualina Lipari Prize, Sydney Symphony Orchestra Award, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Prize and Audience Prize. Cleo holds a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours from the University of Melbourne, majoring in Performance.
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JOE HISAISHI IN CONCERT | 26 February 2020
Your MSO
Xian Zhang
Principal Guest Conductor
Benjamin Northey Principal Conductor in Residence
Assistant Principal Danny Gorog and Lindy Susskind#
Concertmaster
Mary Allison Isin Cakmakcioglu Tiffany Cheng Freya Franzen Cong Gu Andrew Hall Isy Wasserman Philippa West Patrick Wong Roger Young
Sophie Rowell
VIOLAS
Nicholas Bochner
Cybec Assistant Conductor
Sir Andrew Davis Conductor Laureate
Hiroyuki Iwaki
Conductor Laureate (1974–2006)
FIRST VIOLINS Dale Barltrop Concertmaster The Ullmer Family Foundation#
Tair Khisambeev
Assistant Concertmaster
Peter Edwards
Assistant Principal
Kirsty Bremner Sarah Curro
Michael Aquilina#
Peter Fellin Deborah Goodall Lorraine Hook Anne-Marie Johnson Barbara Bell in memory of Elsa Bell#
Kirstin Kenny Eleanor Mancini Mark Mogilevski Michelle Ruffolo Kathryn Taylor
Christopher Moore Principal Di Jameson#
Rohan de Korte
Andrew Dudgeon#
Sarah Morse Maria Solà#
Angela Sargeant Maria Solà#
Michelle Wood
Michael Aquilina#
DOUBLE BASSES Damien Eckersley Benjamin Hanlon Frank Mercurio and Di Jameson#
Suzanne Lee Stephen Newton Sophie Galaise and Clarence Fraser#
FLUTES
Christopher Cartlidge
Prudence Davis
Lauren Brigden Katharine Brockman Anthony Chataway
Wendy Clarke
Associate Principal Michael Aquilina#
Dr Elizabeth E Lewis AM#
Gabrielle Halloran Maria Solà#
Trevor Jones Anne Neil#
Fiona Sargeant Maria Solà#
Principal Anonymous#
Associate Principal
Sarah Beggs
Sophia Yong-Tang#
PICCOLO Andrew Macleod
Principal John McKay and Lois McKay#
OBOES
Cindy Watkin
Jeffrey Crellin
CELLOS
Thomas Hutchinson
Principal
David Berlin
Associate Principal
Michael Aquilina#
Principal MS Newman Family#
SECOND VIOLINS
Rachael Tobin
The Rosemary Norman Foundation#
Matthew Tomkins
Principal The Gross Foundation#
Robert Macindoe Associate Principal
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Monica Curro
Associate Principal
Nicholas Bochner Assistant Principal Anonymous#
Miranda Brockman
Geelong Friends of the MSO#
Ann Blackburn
COR ANGLAIS Michael Pisani Principal
David Thomas
TROMBONES Richard Shirley
Principal
Tim and Lyn Edward#
Philip Arkinstall
Mike Szabo
Craig Hill
TUBA
Associate Principal
BASS CLARINET Jon Craven Principal
BASSOONS Jack Schiller
Principal
Elise Millman
Associate Principal
Natasha Thomas
Dr Martin Tymms and Patricia Nilsson#
CONTRABASSOON Brock Imison
Principal Bass Trombone
Timothy Buzbee
Principal
TIMPANI** PERCUSSION John Arcaro
Tim and Lyn Edward#
Robert Cossom
Drs Rhyll Wade and Clem Gruen#
HARP Yinuo Mu
Principal
Principal
GUEST ARTISTS
HORNS
First violins Zoe Black Madeleine Jevons Nicholas Waters
Nicolas Fleury
Principal
Saul Lewis
Principal Third The Hon Michael Watt QC and Cecilie Hall#
Abbey Edlin
Nereda Hanlon and Michael Hanlon AM#
Trinette McClimont Rachel Shaw TRUMPETS Owen Morris Principal
Shane Hooton
Associate Principal
William Evans Rosie Turner
John and Diana Frew#
Second violins Michael Loftus-Hills
Double basses Caitlin Bass Rohan Dasika Max McBride Vivian Qu Siyuan Giovanni Vinci Flutes Paula Rae Clarinets Lloyd Van’t Hoff
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CLARINETS
Bassoons Christopher Haycroft Trombones Liam O’Malley* Timpani Brent Miller Percussion Robert Allan Timothy Hook Greg Sully Keyboard Leigh Harrold
Violas William Clark Ceridwen Davies Isabel Morse Cora Fabbri Cellos Svetlana Bogosavljevic Elina Faskhitdinova Mee Na Lojewski # Position supported by ** Timpani Chair position supported by Lady Potter AC CMRI * appears courtesy of West Australian Symphony Orchestra
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Program Notes JOE HISAISHI
(born 1950)
DA-MA-SHI-E DA-MA-SHI-E was composed in 1985 for the solo album called α-BET-CITY. After that, this piece was performed with a small ensemble for a while, and then it was recomposed as an orchestra piece for the album called (2009). This piece is structured in 8 different phrases. These are born from the first violin motifs performed at the very beginning of this piece. The brass instruments change the colour of the entire piece by hitting very strong notes and going between A major and B-flat major. In the last half, the chorales of the brass instruments join, playing the 8 motifs, making the ending of this piece joyful and positive. The title comes from M.C. Escher – not a particular picture of his, but very logical with some essence of humour – I total agree with his style. This is the Australian premiere of this work.
Spirited Away Suite This film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003. Even overseas, it gets the most requests to play. The film music was arranged in a symphonic suite to perform in a tour of Japan with the World Dream Orchestra in 2018.
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In the film, the main character Chihiro gets lost in a totally different world from the one in which she lives. Her name is changed to Sen, her parents are changed to two poor pigs, and many critical events are placed on the little girl’s shoulders. Therefore, the music in the
film becomes aggressive. On the other hand, the place between the real world and the other side of the shore like The Sixth Station is shown deeply in the film. It lets the film show Mr. Miyazaki’s view of life and death, and a strong message of the importance of being alive. This is the Australian premiere of this work.
The East Land Symphony The East Land Air Tokyo Dance Rhapsody of Trinity The Prayer Cleo Lee-McGowan soprano The composition of this work began in 2011, and it was completed in the summer of 2016. It is a large-scale work in five movements, about 45 minutes in length. The third and fifth movements feature a soprano soloist. The “East Land” in the title means “The East Country” (in other words, Japan), and “The East Country” within Japan refers to the Tohoku Region. The Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11th, 2011 heavily influenced this composition. Of course, I did not compose this with the intention of expressing social phenomena related to that region. I believe that music should be only constructed with sound. However, I often think, “As mankind, where do we go now? How do we live in such a world of chaos?” I hoped throughout my time of composing that Japanese people have the courage and power to live on and do not forget who they are, even in such a situation. The first movement The East Land and the second movement Air were
In the second movement, the mallet percussion lines are repeated and endless, like the flow of the atmosphere. To put it in somewhat of an abstract way, it feels like we have “resisted the progression of time.” Of the five movements, this one took the longest to complete.
This fifth movement The Prayer uses the least amount of sound and stays simple. Lyrics sung by the soprano are taken from a dictionary of Latin proverbs. The chorale that appears at the end is from Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (#62). When I set out to write this symphony, this chorale was running through my head like a basso continuo. * Serialism: A type of harmonic organisation, where all 12 tones are used in a specific order.
JOE HISAISHI IN CONCERT | 26 February 2020
composed in 2011. At their core, these two movements are formed from serial* and minimal music elements mixed together, resulting in dissonance embodied in the whole work. After the middle part of the first movement, the tempo picks up a bit, and the exploding bass drum there feels somewhat like a kick bass drum which might be heard in a club – and I personally like the effect.
This is the Australian premiere of this work. All program notes by Joe Hisaishi.
The third movement Tokyo Dance with a soprano soloist satirises such state of “Galápagosisation,” or isolation, in Japan at the time: “All that matters are myself and my surroundings; forget about the world.” I wrote the movement in rondo form; however, the middle portion and the ending include lyrics in English mixed with Japanese, together creating a story somewhat like The Tale of the Heike in its resemblance of the Buddhist idea of impermanence. My daughter Mai was in charge of creating lyrics. After a few revisions, we came up with the idea of using numbers as the basis of the form, so this movement became a sort of Counting Song of Tokyo. The third to fifth movements were composed in 2016. This fourth movement Rhapsody of Trinity is a divertimento and, like the third movement, is full of black humour and satire. However, a motif from the first movement reappears to build a climax. A confused mixture of Japanese and Western elements creates chaos. The piece carries the troublesome time signature of 11/8 throughout.
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Text and Translations THE EAST LAND SYMPHONY 3. Tokyo Dance
Lyrics by Mai Fujisawa Inspired by a Tokyo children’s song 一つ 人の群れかきわけ 二に にっこり愛想笑い さいなら 三角
Two – glimpse a warm flurry of smiling laughter Three – See ya later, triangle
四角い豆腐に頭ぶつけてこぶ
Four – Knock your head on a cube of tofu, and get a bump
五つ いつもと同じがいい
Five – best if nothing ever changes
六つ 無病息災に
七つ 何事もないように願っても
Six – maintaining that perfect health Seven – in spite of all your heaven-bound pleas
はちに刺される
Eight – you get stung by a bee
九の 九段下
Nine – Kudanshita
十の とおりゃんせ 十一 重役万々歳
十二役者の鐘たたき
Ten – “Please pass through!” Eleven – Management celebrates their big success! Twelve actors ring the bells
十三階段
Thirteen steps on the staircase
十四 渋谷のスクランブル
Fourteen – Shibuya scramble
十五夜 お月さんなしでも煌々と 光る
Fifteen–nights – dazzlingly lit, even without the light of the moon
十六 ろく六観音
Sixteen – six Kannons (*the Buddhist goddess of mercy)
十七 質屋の繁盛 大儲かり
Seventeen – a thriving pawnshop; incredibly profitable
十八の選挙のはじまり 十九の苦悩と幸せ
Eighteen – at age 18 you can start voting The joys and sorrows of Nineteen
二十の東京二重橋
Twenty – Tokyo Nijubashi
うしろのしょうめんだあれ
Who is THAT behind you?
風が吹く
The wind blows
心澄ませて 風が吹く
心澄ませて 自由な風 10
One – you elbow your way through the endless crowd
自由
Focus on your heart The wind of freedom Freedom
私たちは変わるのだ
What you have today won’t be there tomorrow We must change
そして明日は希望を連れてくる
And tomorrow brings hope
太陽は空に昇り
The sun has come up the sky
夜は夜明けとともに去る 雨は降り
歌はあなたの寂しさに寄り添う 時は愛情をもたらす
変わることを受け入れるのだ 死んで、また生まれ
The night is behind at dawn The rain comes falling down Song accompanies you when saddened Time brings you affection Accept the way it changes As we die, As we are born
運命はめぐる
It circles around
諸行無常
Life is impermanence
諸法無我
Life is interdependent
悟り
Awakened here
十四 渋谷のスクランブル
Fourteen – Shibuya scramble
十五夜 お月さんなしでも煌々と 光る
Fifteen–nights – dazzlingly lit, even without the light of the moon
十六 ろく六観音
Sixteen – six Kannons
十七 質屋の繁盛 大儲かり
Seventeen – a thriving pawnshop; incredibly profitable
十八の選挙のはじまり 十九の苦悩と幸せ
JOE HISAISHI IN CONCERT | 26 February 2020
今日ここにあるものは明日はない
Eighteen – at age 18 you can start voting The joys and sorrows of Nineteen
二十の東京二重橋
Twenty – Tokyo Nijubashi
東京ダンス
Tokyo Dance
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5. The Prayer
Lyrics by Joe Hisaishi Translation by Chad Cannon 万物は変化する、われわれもまたそれらの 中で変化する
All things change, and we change with all things
耐えるのだ、持ちこたえるのだ
We endure, we hold on tightly
他のことは神々に任せておきなさい
Leaving all else to the gods
今はワイン（酒）によって 苦悩を追い払え
But now we drown our sorrows in wine
あなたの寛大さが十分かつあり余るほど私 を豊かにした
Your grandeur was more than enough, and blessed me
心が心に話しかける
Hearts connect with hearts
胸の奥から、心の底から
From deep within the breast
彼（女）は、大勢の先祖たちのもとへ 去った
Departing this earth to be with the ancestral spirits
さらば、そしてさようなら
To leave is to bid farewell
安らかに憩わんことを
To rest in peace
霊魂は存在する 死によってすべてが終わ るのではない
The spirit lives on – death is not the end
こうして人は星々に到る
In this way mankind reaches the stars
これは運命なのだ
This is fate
今いずこ？
But where are you now?