32. A concert in common
Cross-country connecting over Joe Hisaishi.
Today I present a very special edition of Spirit, featuring my long-time friend and pen pal, Savindi!
A few weeks ago, we learned we’d both be attending the same concert in different cities. Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi (most famous for his Studio Ghibli anime movie soundtracks) performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra one weekend in mid-June, and with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra the next. Here is our conversation following that experience, lightly edited for concision and clarity. We touch on our favourite songs from the performances; mindfulness in context of live music; and our preferred ways of reflecting on concerts.
Rachel: Hi Savindi! How are you today?
Savindi: Hi Rachel! I’m alright, thanks! I’m super stoked to talk to you about the concert!
R: How long ago did you know you were attending this concert, and how did you feel when you found out?
S: Honestly, I didn’t even find out this concert was happening until about two months ago, and only because it popped up on my Instagram. Initially, the tickets were quite expensive and later on they released balcony tickets that were about $50. But I wasn’t proactive and eventually they sold out. Then I was talking to some other friends and my brother about ticket scalpers selling the tickets for around $400, and one of my friends mentioned that he had two tickets and if we would be interested in them. So I jumped at the chance! I only knew that I would be attending the concert for a couple of weeks! I was ecstatic to experience live music after about three years and to have Joe Hisaishi be my first post-Covid concert experience was pretty special!
R: I’m so glad you could attend the concert after all! Yes, tickets were hard to come by in Vancouver as well. I bought mine back in 2020, and the concert was delayed twice.
S: Was this your first post-Covid concert?
R: My first post-Covid concert experience also happens to be Japanese: I was volunteering at the Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl and Vancouver Okinawa Taiko performed. That video doesn’t capture every detail, but in person the group is so joyful in their colourful outfits, dancing and hitting their drums to the backing track. The Japan Bowl audience engaged by smiling and clapping along. Honestly, I cried because I was overwhelmed at the power of music to bring everyone together in the space, along the same rhythm and energetic wavelength. We’d been isolated for so long – physically, mentally and otherwise – and I realized how much humanity needs these real-world, sensory experiences to create good will and community.
S: I also got to see taiko drummers perform in 2016 at our local theatre. That was an electrifying experience. There’s something magical about listening to drumming and whilst that performance was interrupted thanks to a fire alarm, I did feel like I was immersed in it when it was happening. Thank you for sharing the Vancouver Okinawa Taiko performance! I was getting goosebumps while watching it!
Since you’ve known for more than two years that you would be attending this Joe Hisaishi concert, what has your experience been like waiting for so long and finally experiencing it?
R: I was relieved that the easing of Covid restrictions meant my father and I could attend a full-capacity performance at the Orpheum in downtown Vancouver. We were happy to see so many fans gather, and even some cosplayers – shout out to those who dressed up as Tombo, Kiki, and Howl from the Ghibli movies Kiki’s Delivery Service and Howl’s Moving Castle.
S: Surprisingly, we didn’t see any cosplayers at our performance! Maybe there would have been some at the Saturday performances.
R: Of course, the performance by a full orchestra was spectacular and received multiple standing ovations. What was your favourite piece from the night? (Vancouver program here)
S: I was also really happy to see the show sold out. The only unoccupied seat I saw was the one behind my brother. Other than that, it was pretty much house full which was so deserved by Joe Hisaishi and the TSO! Was the full orchestra playing for the entire concert for you?
R: Yes, the orchestra played pretty much the entire time except for Joe Hisaishi’s solo on the piano.
S: I think the full orchestra came out for the Princess Mononoke Symphonic Suite at our performance. The Princess Mononoke Symphonic Suite holds a special place in my heart because I watched it so many times and created an educational resource using it. I knew I was going to cry during the performance and I did lol. The percussion section always gets to me. There’s a sense of something ominous approaching, but then there’s so much beauty in between.
R: There’s something about Joe Hisaishi’s melodies that brings tears to one’s eyes. I don’t think that’s necessarily connected to the film narratives, because I haven’t seen Mononoke in years – I barely remember the story – and I still felt moved by the suite.
S: And I loved the 3rd movement from Symphony No.2. I know it was heavily influenced by Japanese Nursery Rhymes and you could really feel it. I don’t know how to accurately describe it, but there was a sense of wonder and peace in that movement.
I also enjoyed “Will be the wind,”* commissioned by LEXUS China. It really was about the sense of speed and totally reminded me of Miyavi’s “Need for Speed” from his Holy Nights Album! “Yinglian”* was also a beautiful song. One of the great things about this concert was getting to hear Joe Hisaishi’s non Studio Ghibli work. I honestly had no idea that he was such a prolific composer! That was a treat!
* Unfortunately Rachel can’t find links to these pieces :(
Same question to you, what were your favourite pieces?
R: Hard to choose! I think my favourite part was when the soloist Lucia Cesaroni came out and sang on the Mononoke Suite (video of similar performance here). It was stunning to see her sing in operatic Japanese over the melodic sweeps of the orchestra. I don’t believe one has to be of the same descent to participate in honouring another culture, and that was true here as the multicultural Vancouver orchestra came together in service of Hisaishi’s vision.
S: I agree that Lucia Cesaroni’s performance was incredible! She has a powerful voice and she was able to evoke so much emotion in performance. It was breathtaking.
R: Has seeing Joe Hisaishi in person changed your view of him or his music?
S: When I was doing my post-graduate diploma Beyoncé was performing in Toronto and some girls in my class went. I can’t remember if it was before the concert or after it, but one of the girls said something along the lines of “Guys, we’re literally breathing the same air as Beyoncé.” That is how I felt watching Joe Hisaishi. I was watching a living legend share his craft with us. I came to appreciate him even more after seeing him in person.
I’ve watched this interview with Joe Hisaishi a few times, and one of the things he mentions is his evolution (i.e. not being the same person he was when he composed the Studio Ghibli soundtracks) and conducting/performing work accordingly. I feel like I understood what he meant by that while I was at the concert. Perhaps his life experiences have given him the tools to create and hone his music craft even more? Does that make sense (lol)?
R: That absolutely makes sense! Composing and conducting are distinct skill sets, so I imagine Hisaishi grew as he learned to conduct the pieces he composed. I’m so impressed by people who can imagine how instruments sound in their head, and he must have had to do quite a lot of that to score these pieces on such a grand, orchestral scale.
S: I actually never thought about how conducting and composing are separate skills, but come to think of it, they both require different skill sets. And it must be an experience to merge those skill sets together while performing and creating a soundtrack!
Since we both saw the concert with our family members, what was that experience like for you?
R: I was delighted to treat my father to this concert in time for Father’s Day. He’s even more of a Hisaishi fan than I am. I wrote in a recent post about enjoying melancholy, happy-sad music; my dad has the same proclivities, and he often listens to Ghibli soundtracks. Unfortunately we had to sit in separate rows because I bought the tickets at separate times. Although my dad was behind me, he admitted he teared up as well! I’m glad we could share in that experience, in the same “air” as Hisaishi as you put it.
How about you, with your brother?
S: As you already know, I think it’s so precious that you went with your dad and that he teared up! I was really glad to share the experience with my brother. He watched Princess Mononoke way before I ever did, so he’s had a relationship with the movie. But we watched a couple of Ghibli films together like My Neighbour Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, My Neighbours the Yamadas, Kiki’s Delivery Service and Porco Rosso. So we’ve shared in the experience of being immersed in all these stories and enjoying the soundtracks. I think for me, experiencing my first post-Covid concert with my brother was also special because it was something we could enjoy together.
Since both of the venues which hosted the concert had a strict no recording, no photography policy, did you feel like you had a different experience? Especially considering this tweet by Rob Henderson?
R: Good question – I love that there’s empirical evidence for something I’d already known anecdotally, that the acts of preparing for & reviewing photos take us out of the moment. This has been true of me during past concerts when I would clamour for a clear photo. Back then, phone and camera technologies weren’t nearly as advanced, so I was giving myself a near-impossible task.
During Hisaishi’s concert, I appreciated there was one less obstacle to savouring every single instrument and every ornate detail of the venue. I noticed when my mind wandered and would try to refocus on the present music. I think that mindfulness made the concert feel longer than the allotted 2 hours 15 minutes.
How about you?
S: One thing that I remember from Blackpink’s 2019 concert was one of the members asking people to put their phones away and enjoy the moment. Of course people didn’t listen and some people recorded the entire concert. I took some pictures before the concert started and one during one of the light displays. As much as I enjoyed the concert, I felt like I was being taken away from the moment because I was getting distracted and annoyed by the cellphone lights. But I also realized that I don’t go back and look at these pictures. Instead, I just go through my memory and relive those moments. And if I’m being honest, the pictures really weren’t for me, but instead were for Instagram.
R: That’s very honest of you, and I think the same is true of my prior concert photos!
S: I also appreciated that people respected the no photography, no recording rule, at least up until the encore performances. When people did record or take pictures, I didn’t mind as much as I thought I would. But I also appreciated the lack of distractions. Being in the moment is hard!! I could feel myself drifting off (mainly because I was having an issue with my eye, it was so dry!), but I could also get myself back into the moment and really immerse myself in the music, especially during the Princess Mononoke Symphonic Suite. Probably because that was the piece I had been looking forward to hearing the most!
When you think about concerts you’ve attended, do you actually go back and look at the pictures/recordings you’ve taken? Do you feel like the experience of taking photographs/recording the concert adds an additional aspect of enjoyment to the concert-going experience? One of my friends made a point that people attending concerts like Joe Hisaishi’s, or maybe even orchestral performances, are more respectful about the rules a venue has around recording and photography than a Kpop concert for example. What do you think about that?
R: There’s probably something to your friend’s point. I’m more likely to revisit a concert via my memory than any photos I took. I ‘d rather close my eyes and picture certain aspects – for example, where I was standing in the venue, or when I talked to one of the opening band members at the merch table. Those memories make me happy.
In the past I’ve recorded phone audio of certain favourite songs, and that was a good way of transporting my conscience back into the moment. But now I’m more likely to crowdsource these materials: it’s easy to search the venue via Instagram and see everyone’s tagged photos and videos from the event. Or, I can look at local publications to find the pictures by professional photographers who roam around the front row.
S: I agree, you’re bound to find pictures/recordings of a concert on Instagram if you just search the hashtag of the performance/artist. And these are a mixture of fancams and professional photographers. Or even on YouTube (lol). So you’re not starved for content.
R: Do you have any more concerts coming up? Do you think you’ll approach future concerts differently based on this Hisaishi experience, or even based on our conversation?
S: I don’t have any concerts coming up at the moment. But I would love to attend a concert by Hiroyuki Sawano (composer of Attack on Titan’s OST) or Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell) because I admire their work a lot and their work has meant a lot to me! That being said, if Joe Hisaishi ever comes back and does a Studio Ghibli concert, I would love to attend! I think I’m going to do my best to really be in the moment, when I’m at a concert again, and not worry about taking pictures. If anything, I’ll take the pictures for myself and maybe share among friends, but maybe not on Instagram.
Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds talked about the high of being on stage; I feel this concert gave me a greater appreciation for the power of live music, and what it feels like to be consumed by the energy of a crowd enjoying the same music. There really is no other feeling like it! But I’m also happy to not experience that feeling 24/7 (lol).
What about you?
R: Agreed, concert energy is best appreciated in short spurts! I actually had another chance to put that mindful, minimal-recording philosophy into action the other week at the Khruangbin concert in Vancouver. I only took photos when the guitarist and bassist were obviously posing as they played together. Otherwise, I tried to ignore the smell of various smoked substances and the ache in my feet (it was a 3-hour outdoor concert) and just enjoyed the melodies and the beat coursing through my body. At the end of the day, even uncomfortable sensations make for positive memories when the energy of the crowd is so strong.
S: I’ve never been to an outdoor concert! At least not in my adult life (lol). So it’s good to know all of this information if I ever find myself at one!
R: Yes, I recommend supportive footwear and a folding fan for your next outdoor concert! I’ll also be looking forward to Hisaishi’s next tour, hopefully with a full-on Ghibli set!
S: I’m really grateful to have been able to see Joe Hisaishi live and experience live music again. Since there seems to be another surge of Covid, I don’t know what will happen to live music events moving forward. So I’m happy that I at least got to experience one concert! And I’m happy that I got to talk about the concert with you :)
R: Likewise, and let’s hope for the best of many more special artistic experiences in our futures :)
Have you attended any live music events recently? How do you feel about taking recordings for later vs. staying in the moment? Savindi and I welcome your thoughts!
thoroughly enjoyed this discussion between you both! i can relate to so many of the thoughts about preserving memories vs staying in the moment, not just at concerts but in all aspects of life, and i too have come to the conclusion that i enjoy my concert experiences more when i dont try to record it, either for myself or others. still trying to catch Khruangbin live at some point!!