Following his sold-out performances in June, composer Joe Hisaishi returns to conduct The Philadelphia Orchestra, which he described as having a sound that is “as smooth and rich as fine wine.”
Hisaishi is one of today’s most celebrated musical voices, known for scoring over 100 films and earning seven Japanese Academy Awards for Best Music. His longtime collaboration with director Hayao Miyazaki has produced several beloved Studio Ghibli soundtracks, including the Oscar-winning Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron.
This program features two of Hisaishi’s most iconic scores reimagined for the concert hall. The Symphonic Suite from Castle in the Sky transforms the soaring adventure of Miyazaki’s 1986 classic into a sweeping orchestral journey, rich with drama and wonder. The program also includes the Symphonic Variation “Merry-Go-Round," based on the unforgettable waltz from Howl’s Moving Castle, a work that captures the full emotional range of the original theme while expanding it into a richly textured symphonic form.
Plus, experience Hisaishi conducting more of his own music live with The Philadelphia Orchestra. DA-MA-SHI-E is a jaunty, playful work inspired by the illusions of artist M.C. Escher. Full of rhythmic energy and Hisaishi’s unmistakable warmth, this piece builds to a finale that leaves listeners enchanted. The concert also features Britten’s Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell, perhaps more well-known as The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, but heard here in its version without narration.
Program
Hisaishi
Symphonic Variation “Merry-Go-Round,” from Howl's Moving Castle
Britten
Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell
Hisaishi
DA-MA-SHI-E
Hisaishi
Symphonic Suite from Castle in the Sky
Approximate Duration
