PETALING JAYA, May 28 — Following 2016’s successful concert A Musical Journey in Anime concert, the Malaysian Philharmonic (MPO) over the weekend performed its second anime performance, featuring the works of three prominent Japanese anime composers, Takashi Miki, Joe Hisaishi and Hiroshi Miyagawa.
And you don’t have to be an anime fan to enjoy its breathtaking melodies.
At the helm of Music from Anime concert is none other than Naohisa Furusawa, the MPO’s Japanese resident conductor who has been with the orchestra’s double bass section since 2003.
Born in Tokyo in 1973, Furusawa is a fan of Japanese anime and has a soft spot for anime music by Japanese composers.
“I’m happy to introduce Japanese composers’ works to the people of Malaysia.
“My favourite anime is Space Battleship Yamato,” he told Malay Mail.
Miyagawa’s score from Leiji Matsumoto and Yoshinobu Nishizaki’s space opera was just one of the many anime compositions that delighted audiences during the best-selling three-day concert at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas.
Furusawa said high-quality Japanese animation has a large following and is appreciated in Malaysia.
“This includes not only music but also video and voice actors. It is an honour for the MPO to play famous Japanese anime melodies,” he explained.
The evening began with one Miki’s most well-remembered scores, the Anpanman Medley from the 1988 children’s television series but without a doubt, the attraction of the program was Hisaishi’s beloved scores for Hayao Miyazaki’s spectacular movies.
Featuring music from Howl’s Moving Castle, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Ponyo on the Cliff and My Neighbour Totoro, it is easy to see why Hisaishi’s sweeping symphonic scores are often played by renowned orchestras worldwide.
Also present at the concert were the Japanese School of Kuala Lumpur Children’s Chorus who delighted audiences with their vocal stylings. The young children, eight of them, sang impressively without lyric sheets under Furusawa’s guidance, who also sang along to every word.
One major takeaway from concerts like Music from Anime is that there is an important exchange taking place between two seemingly polarising entertainment genres – classical music lovers may feel intrigued to watch anime after the concert while anime fans who wouldn’t normally frequent the philharmonic might view classical music in a new light.
To say the least, the intersection between classical music and pop culture have long existed in Japan.
Anime enthusiasts would be familiar with the use of classical music in some of the most popular anime such as Your Lie in April and Nodame Cantabile.
“There is this trend because I believe classical music can express all emotions and pleasures.
“For example, a violin is like a gentle mum, a double bass is like the sound of a firm dad and so on – there is a variety of sounds in orchestral music,” he said.
And not to mention, a full range of emotions from pure bliss to minor keys that tug at your heartstrings.
After seeing Furusawa at the rostrum conducting his second anime concert, there’s no one more perfect for the job.
Furusawa’s infectious energy and dynamic style are hard to beat and a real joy to watch.
“I admit that pop culture is more popular than classical music but there are a lot of charms in classical music too.
“I am happy to present the common attractions of both cultures in these concerts,” he said.
And Furusawa’s own way of presenting this common ground?
Conducting the encore in a Totoro onesie, much to everyone’s amusement.
