‘Generaciones Anime / Anime Generations’ charity concert in Málaga [SPECIAL ARTICLE]

On Friday, May 15th, the Edgar Neville Auditorium in Málaga hosted a charity concert entitled ‘Generaciones Anime / Anime Generations’ in aid of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation.

 

Our friend and colleague Reme Díaz has written a detailed special article, exclusively for SoundTrackFest.

 

Anime Generations: embracing our childhood

On May 15th at 7:00 PM in the Edgar Neville Auditorium of Diputación Provincial de Málaga, the charity concert “Anime Generations (a tribute to the best songs and soundtracks of anime)” was held to benefit Vicente Ferrer Foundation’s projects for the schooling of children in Nepal.

 

The concert gathered 60 performers from Malaga on stage, also supporting these creators and artists: Hey Listen! Music Band, Magape pianist, PQS Little Big Band and The Chicken in the Kitchen (both groups from El Quinto Método – Laboratorio de la Música, conducted by Teo Diéguez), Orfeón Universitario de Málaga (conducted by Mario Porras), Antonio Gallego (percussion) and solo singers Nuria Ortega and Marta Diéguez. The event also had several collaborators: Diputación Provincial de Málaga, Royal Pianos, Animum 3D, and the illustrator Art of Hyukiee from Úbeda, who was in charge of designing the event’s image.

 

 

The concert, which started on time and lasted around two hours, offered a unique repertoire whose objective, both musically and emotionally, was to foster that meeting of “anime generations” between fans of different eras and people who discovered a whole new world (less unknown than they thought) through its soundtracks.

 

The program was as follows:

 

The first part, dedicated to the music of Studio Ghibli , began with an institutional video about the Vicente Ferrer Foundation’s solidarity project in Nepal, where several children welcomed us. Following this, the voices of Orfeón Universitario de Málaga, along with the pianist Magape, sang the Requiem from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and the beautiful lullaby melody of Days Long Gone, performed with emotion by the children’s choir, delicately conducted by Mario Porras.

 

Next, Reme Díaz, a volunteer with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation and organizer of the event, welcomed the attendees and thanked everyone for coming, as well as the sponsors and collaborators for making the event possible. She also gave special mention to the musicians who were fully committed not only to the rehearsals and performances but also to the arrangements of a repertoire rarely heard live, and especially not in conjunction with such a diverse range of themes and anime represented. Reme Díaz spoke about the children in the video and all the children around the world who love to play and have fun, which was the spirit she wanted everyone to embrace from the very beginning. There was also room for emotion as the general director of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, Luz María Sanz, joined Reme on stage to convey a special thank you for collaborating on the charitable cause, reminding us that this year marks 30 years since the Foundation arrived in Spain and, finally, paying tribute to the organizer for her work, which she extended to the entire Vicente Ferrer Foundation family in Malaga.

 

And we continue with the music, but not before watching a short introductory video for this segment, which, with the voice of Marta García Villar, gave us a brief but emotional tour of what was to come: that studio where dreams come true but through the struggle of tireless women, magical characters and worlds where everything is possible.

 

Following the chronological order and the spirit of childhood, we moved on to the songs from My Neighbor Totoro (Sampo and Tonari no Totoro) and Ponyo on the Cliff, performed in Japanese by the very young Marta Diéguez (who also sang them in the 2024 edition), Orfeón Universitario de Málaga and Magape. With her ease on stage and the affection she conveyed to these beloved songs, she charmed the audience, who gave her a standing ovation at the end of her performance.

 

The jovial tone gave way to a lump in the throat with two pieces from the film Princess Mononoke. The instrumental theme from The Legend of Ashitaka was masterfully performed by the trio Hey Listen and that distinctive violin lament, played by Begoña Ramos, already brought tears to the eyes of some attendees. Ashitaka’s drama served as a prelude to the song Mononoke Hime, in which the extraordinary voice of Nuria Ortega, accompanied in the choirs by the Orfeón Universitario de Málaga and Hey Listen, thrilled the audience once again.

 

From there, we jump to One Summer’s Day, the beautiful theme from Spirited Away. With those nostalgic notes of Magape on the piano, the evocative violin of Begoña Ramos and the dreamy clarinet of Oliver Moya (the three members of Hey Listen) made us travel to magical worlds where we find ourselves and discover that strength that we sometimes forget we have inside.

 

Without leaving Spirited Away, Nuria Ortega returned to perform the song Itsumo Nando Demo (Always With Me) with Magape which made us fly accompanied by that guardian angel who always watches over us. The warmth of Nuria’s voice and the delicacy of María’s piano playing brought tears to the eyes of many in the audience. The emotion remained palpable.

 

And dancing the waltz from Howl’s Moving Castle to the music of Hey Listen, we climbed aboard that magical carousel from the song Merry Go Round in Life, one of the most anticipated songs as it’s undoubtedly from one of the most admired and well-known films by the Japanese studio. Many attendees were swept away by the composition as if it were an old-fashioned melody sung at night before falling asleep.

 

With that comforting feeling, we move into The Secret World of Arrietty with the main theme, Arrietty’s Song, performed on piano and vocals by Nuria Ortega. The author of these lines has a special fondness for this gem, that still remains unknown to the audience, and whose soundtrack is the only one in the evening’s Ghibli repertoire not composed by Joe Hisaishi but by the young French woman Cécile Corbet. It’s always a good idea to discover what isn’t visible at first glance and if it’s with Nuria’s intensity and sensitivity, tears are guaranteed.

 

The first segment ended with Hayao Miyazaki’s two farewell films: The Wind Rises, which was the Japanese genius’s first attempt at saying goodbye, and The Boy and the Heron, to date the director’s last film. For the theme song from the former, Hikoukigumo (Vapor Trail), Magape and Nuria reunited in a sad and melancholic song about the pain of loss and the joy of having experienced love. Once again, a lump formed in the throat with the song and with the pictures that, as throughout the entire concert, accompanied the performers on stage.

 

Spinning Globe, the main theme from The Boy and the Heron, brought together, in addition to the aforementioned artists, Hey Listen and the Orfeón Universitario de Málaga, masterfully and affectionately directed by the wonderful Mario Porras. This magnificent song -less well-known and much less frequently performed live (although it was played in 2024 at the Studio Ghibli tribute concert also organized by the Vicente Ferrer Foundation)- caused a standing ovation from the audience, whose hearts were already overwhelmed with music and emotion.

 

And speaking of emotions, what about the moving story of Garuma, a Nepalese girl who dreams of becoming a teacher and fights for her education in a challenging environment. She shared her story in a short video that led into the second part of the concert, this time presented live by Marta García Villar herself, a key supporter of these charity concerts since 2019. Reviewing the songs and the anime we were about to enjoy in this second part, she filled us with emotion when she encouraged us to remember our childhood and invited us all to embrace them through music. And what better way to do so than through a game?

 

Thanks to Hey Listen, Marta Diéguez and Álvaro Bustamante, the audience had the chance to guess well-known anime theme songs from all generations in a medley arranged by Begoña Ramos. However, the game began with an anecdote involving one of those live stream glitches that affected the insertion of the accompanying video. The video initially showed a blurry image from the anime in question before transitioning to actual footage. When playback started before the music began, a spoiler was triggered and the game had to be restarted. However, both the audience and the performers took it all in stride, and it was even more fun to play the guessing game with the themes of Heidi (as a continuation of the Ghibli segment), Candy Candy, Maya the Bee, Knights of the Zodiac, Mazinger Z, Sailor Moon, Captain Tsubasa (which caused a sensation among the audience), Doraemon (where the attendees sang along amid laughter), and Dragon Ball. It was a very enjoyable moment that cheered everyone up and gave a hint about the more relaxed tone of this second segment, as well as showing the audience that, indeed, we have all seen anime at some point.

 

Marta Diéguez continued on stage to perform, accompanied by Hey Listen and Antonio Gallego on percussion, the themes of Pokémon and Digimon (the Opening of the former and the song Butter-Fly of the latter), where her candor and her ability to sing different styles with great artistry was shown once again.

 

The same group of performers continued with the main theme of One Piece, We Are!, although we were surprised by a visit from Pirate Rogers… Well, actually it was Teo Diéguez, who hilariously recited the series’ intro , although he arrived on stage rather hastily and caused some laughter both on and off stage. Again, the point of this part was to have fun and it was lovely to see father and daughter together on stage sharing part of this song, which Marta, once again, performed with great ease and confidence.

 

And speaking of heroes, we move on to Naruto with a medley that also had its share of audiovisual mishaps. The synchronization of the videos, despite the organization behind them, became the anecdote of the concert. The main Naruto Theme was first performed by Hey Listen and Antonio Gallego, who shone, bringing energy and rhythm to the song, accompanied by María and Begoña’s enthusiastic “Hey!” that energized the audience. The singers of the Naruto Shippuden theme then took to the stage, however with a bit confusion, and the video playback had to be stopped from the stage, but the sense of humor and good vibes of the concert were maintained. Like I said: we were there to play. The short wait was worth it because the bands PQS Little Big Band and The Chicken in The Kitchen (both from El Quinto Método music school) took to the stage, conducted by Teo Diéguez, and the wonderful voices of Elena and Candela sang the beautiful song Blue Bird in Japanese. The audience spontaneously began applauding during the chorus and maintained their enthusiasm throughout the song, a sign that despite these minor issues inherent in live performances, everyone had a great time and enjoyed the quality of the music and the arrangements, specially created for the concert.

 

Nuria Ortega joined the group of singers already on stage to sing the legendary Cruel Angel’s Thesis theme from Evangelion in Japanese, a true classic that sounded wonderfully in the auditorium and continued to provoke applause from the audience.

 

And since we had a jazz band, why not travel to space with Cowboy Bebop and the song Tank!? And what a masterful performance by PQS, now alone on stage with a vibrant Teo Diéguez conducting, proving that rhythm can move mountains. The clarinetist’s final solo was spectacular, more than rising to the challenge of that demanding, apotheotic ending to Yoko Kano and The Seatbelts’ song.

 

We slowed down the pace but not the intensity with Magape’s extraordinary piano performance and singing of the Akuma No Ko theme from Attack On Titan. Maria surprised everyone with her warm voice in this difficult Japanese song and her mastery of the piano.

 

And to continue with the essentials, Demon Slayer ‘s Gurenge was performed spectacularly by the PQS Little Big Band, The Chicken in the Kitchen, featuring the powerful voices of Nieves, Lucía and Bea, Antonio Gallego on percussion and Hey Listen. A truly spectacular musical performance in this special arrangement by Teo Diéguez, which once again brought the audience to its feet at the end.

 

To slow things down a bit, let’s continue with two cult anime: Tokyo Ghoul, whose main theme, Unravel, was performed instrumentally by Hey Listen, and Solo Leveling, whose ballad Dark Aria was performed with great sensitivity by Elena and Candela, from The Chicken in the Kitchen , accompanied again by Hey Listen and Antonio Gallego.

 

And the magic arrived in the auditorium. First, we enjoyed the introspective beauty of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and its main Celtic-inspired theme. Orfeón Universitario de Málaga joined Hey Listen and Antonio Gallego to offer a moving piece, arranged by Oliver Moya, which once again thrilled the audience, especially those familiar with the series who were able to travel again with the heroes of this magical universe through the beauty of its images and music.

 

The choir, Hey Listen and Antonio Gallego have now delved into the world of Puella Magi Madoka Magica and its beautiful choral theme Sis Puella Magical, closing this chapter of magic with Celtic musical inspiration and uplifting the spirit of attendees.

 

However, the magic (or rather, magical realism) didn’t completely disappear, as in the final stretch, three great anime films accompanied us, starting with the well-known Your name directed by Makoto Shinkai (which recently returned to theaters for its tenth anniversary) and its main theme, Sparkle, arranged by Magape and performed by herself and Nuria Ortega. María even dared to sing some backing vocals on the chorus and once again demonstrated her brilliance and her chemistry with Nuria on stage.

 

Mamoru Hosoda’s films had to present as well and the choice of Belle’s theme U was spot on, performed by the bands from El Quinto Método, Antonio Gallego, and the vocalists Candela and Elena. But first, Teo Diéguez thanked all the musicians for their involvement in the concert and encouraged the audience to join in, clapping and stomping to complete the percussion. The result was spectacular, with everyone participating and, it must be said, quite accurately in time. The atmosphere was incredibly lively, the music sounded wonderful, and the singers’ vocals were particularly noteworthy, handling this demanding and complex piece with great ease.

 

Of course, a concert dedicated to anime couldn’t leave out a song from last year’s Korean sensation, the K-Pop Demon Hunters film. First up was Teo Diéguez’s spectacular arrangement of What It Sounds Like that adapted the song to performers and instruments that have nothing to do with the originals, but which sounded even better live thanks to Hey Listen, PQS Little Big Band and The Chicken in the Kitchen (with all their voices at full power: Lucía, Nieves, Bea, Elena and Candela), Antonio Gallego, and Orfeón Universitario de Málaga. It’s worth noting the difficulty of arranging these songs and transforming them into new yet recognizable covers, and that’s how this song sounded, sung along to by the audience, and ending with huge applause and a standing ovation from the attendees.

 

Before the end, Reme Díaz returned to the stage to thank everyone again for their presence and support of the charitable cause and the children of Nepal, emphasizing that, despite the “demons lurking outside and the noise”, there are still people who strive to create a better world with their light. After presenting a certificate of appreciation to each of the performers and once again acknowledging their immense contribution, both in their performances and in the arrangements that María, Begoña, Oliver and Teo created specifically for this event, we closed the concert with the magnificent song Golden, again with a different but brilliant arrangement that brought the entire audience to their feet, singing and applauding.

 

And so ended a night full of emotions where music and solidarity came together for a good cause, embracing our childhood and that of all the boys and girls who hope for a better future.

Article by Reme Díaz

Pictures by Carlos Arias (@angarillon76)