Charity concert ‘Tribute to Studio Ghibli’ in Malaga (Spain) – Pictures and brief review
Below you can read a brief review of the charity concert ‘Tribute to Studio Ghibli’ celebrated on Wednesday 16th of October 2019, in Malaga – Spain (more information), with an article written by Reme Díaz.
THE PROGRAM
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) – Legend of the Wind / Requiem / Toold Hibi (Days gone Long) / Tori No Hito (Bird Person)
- Castle in the Sky (1986) – Kimi Wo Nosete (Carrying You)
- My Neighbor Totoro (1988) – Path of the Wind / Tonari No Totoro (Mi Vecino Totoro)
- Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) – Umi no Mieru Macho (A Town With An Ocean View)
- Porco Rosso (1992) – Bygone Days
- Princess Mononoke (1997) – Legend of Ashitaka / Mononoke HIme Theme / Ashitaka and San
- Spirited Away (2001) – One Summer’s Day / Bannme No Eki (The Sixth Station) / Itsumo Nando Demo (Always With me) / Futatabi (Reprise)
- Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) – Promise of the World / Merry go round of life
- Ponyo (2008) – Gake no ue no Ponyo
- The Wind Rises (2013) – A journey / Hikouki Gumo (Vapor trail)
THE CONCERT
On Wednesday, October 16th, 2019, the charity concert ‘Tribute to Studio Ghibli’ took place at the Sala Unicaja de Conciertos María Cristina in Málaga (Spain), in benefit of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation. The event was part of the activities of the Second Japanese Cultural Week of Malaga.
With an absolute full house and more than 360 people in the venue, the event achieved a great reception among audiences of all ages, some being fans of the Japanese animation Studio Ghibli and others being people who delightedly discovered both the music of Joe Hisaishi and Miyazaki’s films.
The concert also served as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation and the money collected would be used to buy 59 bicycles, so that girls in Anantapur (India) can continue their studies and achieve a better future.
The program of the concert reviewed the most prominent soundtracks of Studio Ghibli composed by Joe Hisaishi, performing pieces from films such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle.
It should be noted that this was the first concert of these characteristics held in Malaga and that we could listen to pieces rarely performed live such as “The Sixth Station” (Spirited Away), “Promise of the World” (Howl’s Moving Castle) or “Hikouki Gumo”(The Wind Rises).
The concert offered a varied and complete repertoire, that was masterfully performed by the Joven Orquesta Promúsica (conducted by Javier Claudio) and the Coro Preuniversitario de Málaga (conducted by Pablo Guzmán), featuring the Granada-born pianist Juan María Matas, the Malaga-born singer Nuria Ortega, and the saxophonist María Gallardo.
Presented by Christian Jongeneel, representative of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation in Andalusia, and Reme Díaz, volunteer of the Foundation in Malaga and organizer of the event, the concert had the collaboration of Marta García Villar (expert author in Studio Ghibli), who was contextualizing with her beautiful words the different soundtracks and some anecdotes about the music and the work of the Japanese studio.
The concert was a success of public and critics that filled the social networks with comments from people who enjoyed it, celebrating a good cause. Without a doubt, an initiative to be repeated in the future.
Article by Reme Díaz
Pictures by Olalla Pernas
