Joe Hisaishi Premieres Concerto for Orchestra at Davies Symphony Hall
Composer Joe Hisaishi led the West Coast premiere of his own Concerto for Orchestra alongside the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall on Thursday, October 22, sfcv.org reported. The concert drew a packed house of young adult concertgoers, with some audience members wearing cosplay to see the celebrated composer.
Minimalist Works Pair With New San Francisco Symphony Commission
The program opened with Steve Reich’s 2018 work Music for Ensemble and Orchestra, written in the style of a Baroque concerto grosso. The piece featured a ceaseless motor rhythm driven by pianos with cascading string melodies woven on top. Following that, David Lang’s 2014 composition mountain presented a stark contrast with repeating, jagged beats from strings, percussion, and brass paired against a slowly transforming sustained melody in the winds.
Legendary composer–conductor Joe Hisaishi returns to @carnegiehall to lead the Orchestra of St. Luke's in the New York premiere of his Concerto for Orchestra, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall. Known for his beloved scores for SPIRITED AWAY, PRINCESS MONONOKE, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO… pic.twitter.com/BC3HYkcqRN
The centerpiece of the evening was Hisaishi’s Concerto for Orchestra, commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony. Drawing influences from both Steve Reich and Béla Bartók, the new piece opened with distinct piano clusters and dissonant, murky harmonies. The first movement utilized a 3/4 time groove with mallet percussion playing an eighth beat behind and the harp accenting a 3/8 pattern. The second movement featured a jaunty pizzicato figure moving across the strings, evoking the cinematic orchestration of Spirited Away.
Orchestral Complexity and Cinematic Climax
Hisaishi increased the rhythmic complexity in the third movement by employing triplet and quadruplet rhythms that danced over a steady pulse traded between mallets and pianos. Toward the end of the movement, measures were cut in half with occasional 3/8 bars added to create rhythmic chaos. The fourth movement introduced a flute and harp duet that recalled Hisaishi’s familiar film scoring before shifting into a brooding territory and culminating in a fanatical tutti finale featuring whirring high trumpets and clanging percussion.
Extensive Accolades in Film and Concert Music
Beyond his recent San Francisco appearance, Hisaishi maintains a prominent career spanning both cinematic works and global concert halls. Additionally, he works as Music Director at the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra and has conducted top orchestras ranging from the Chicago Symphony to the Vienna Symphony.
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