Morihiko Nakahara returns to bring the music of Studio Ghibli to life
Morihiko Nakahara first saw the architectural beauty of the Fox Theater over two decades ago, when he was an assistant conductor, cutting his teeth with the Spokane Symphony and the beloved venue that has housed countless performances under the murals and overhead sunburst lights.
Whenever Nakahara returns to the Lilac City to guest conduct the symphony, he still appears an hour ahead of rehearsals just to take in the glory of the historic building that acted as an imperative stepping stone in his career.
“I just can’t get over how beautiful it is,” Nakahara said. “It’s hard to describe the emotion or feeling, but there’s nothing like it as far as the places I get to call work. I go to different halls you know, but there’s something special about that stage … It never gets old.”
Nakahara usually returns to Spokane and the Fox at least a couple of times a year to conduct a Pops or Specials performance. Across the country, Nakahara has become known for his keen ability to conduct a film score and evoke a heightened experience for the audience members as he helps bring pieces of media to life.
Although he particularly enjoys the challenge of keeping an entire orchestra in synchronization with a movie as it plays on the big screen, Friday’s performance putting the beloved music of Studio Ghibli films on display will not have this feature. Instead, this concert is more about the audience for Nakahara.
“It draws all sorts of different people,” Nakahara said. “Of course, it draws the fans of that particular film, whatever it might be, who might otherwise not go to a symphony concert.”
Nakahara conducted a similar program to Saturday’s upcoming performance with his own orchestra, the South Carolina Philharmonic, last August. The repertoire features an array of unique themes and motifs from movies made by the Japanese animation studio, such as the Oscar Award-winning “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service.”
“It was the most incredible, enthusiastic audience reaction I have seen or have experienced,” Nakahara said. “There were so many people that have never gone to an orchestra concert before, but they came out from like everywhere.”
Obviously, the sheer popularity and global outreach of Studio Ghibli have created a diverse set of fans, but what exactly makes the masses so dedicated – not only to the films, but the music itself as well?
Nakahara believes a sense of nostalgia and Studio Ghibli’s ability to not only channel, but create the complicated emotion is one major factor. Many of their films revolve around themes like childhood memories, a sense of innocence, internal growth and how many different kinds of relationships can change over time while using a distinct, hand-drawn animation style combining realism with magical wonder. Meanwhile, the music by Joe Hisaishi is lush, lyrical and compounds upon the story while retaining the ability to stand alone.
Nakahara said if one wanted to get technical, much of this feeling comes from Hisaishi’s tendency to use the Quartal Harmony, in which he builds chords by stacking notes in the interval of a perfect fourth. Traditionally, this is done by stacking thirds instead.
“It makes it so that it’s ambiguous, it’s not major, it’s not minor,” Nakahara said with a laugh. “It kind of leaves this sense of mystery and ambiguity to draw you in.”
He also said the music in movies such as “My Neighbor Totoro” have a sense of melody that is familiar for the listener, even if they are not quite sure why. This is because Hisaishi was heavily influenced by Japanese children’s songs, many of which were based upon English folk themes. In fact, there was a large book of these songs distributed to schools and taught to children such as a young Nakahara growing up in Japan.
“The reason why they’re so memorable is because they were sort of the extension of these classroom songs for school kids,” Nakahara said. “They have to be so catchy, you know? Catchy and have this specific kind of energy appropriate for first-graders and second-graders … Catchy melodies that you can hum or whistle or sing on the way out after you watch these movies.”
Although Nakahara said Studio Ghibli fans will enjoy noticing new details in music they may be very familiar with, he firmly believes that even those with no prior knowledge will find beauty in the Spokane Symphony performing such powerful pieces.
“This music can stand on its own, I think that’s why it has such wide appeal,” Nakahara said. “I think there is something for everybody in this particular concert, whether you are a devoted Studio Ghibli fan or not.”