Legendary composer Jo Hisaishi and the U.K.’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra combine the sounds and sights of Studio Ghibli’s anime films for two unforgettable nights.

The words “anime concert” may bring to mind masses of enthusiastically sweaty otaku waving glowsticks around as an idol unit performs a hyper-joyous opening theme on stage. And while there’s nothing wrong with that sort of entertainment, anime music can also be enjoyed in more elegant ways, and it’s a safe bet than none are more elegant than when the music s being performed by Jo Hisaishi and the U.K.’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The legendary composer, best known for Studio Ghibli’s most memorable theatrical soundtracks, has been traveling the world with the British musicians for the Studio Ghibli Film Concert Tour. Following performances at Wembley Arena and Madison Square Garden, the tour is coming to Tokyo for its final stop, with the finale to take place at Tokyo Dome this summer.

▼ Jo Hisaishi as he’s most commonly seen: dapperly dressed and concentrated on conducting

The performance combines Hisaishi’s emotional compositions with projected images from the Ghibli anime in which the music originates. For the Tokyo Dome finale, which is actually taking place over two days, the schedule includes pieces from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky/Laputa, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, and The Wind Rises. While not his complete Ghibli resume (The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and The Boy and the Heron are absent), the playlist still represents nearly three decades’ worth of historical anime music, and should provide the full spectrum of soothing, playful, dramatic, and melancholy emotions present in Hisaishi works.

Studio Ghibli Film Concert Tour Final at Tokyo Dome, as the performances are being collectively called, will take place on July 16 and 17, with both concerts starting at 7 p.m. Tickets range in price from 8,500 to 15,000 yen (US$57 to US$101), depending on seating area, with pre-sales open now.

▼ B tickets are 8,500 yen, A tickets 13,000 yen, and S and Group Seat tickets 15,000 yen.

Note that the concert organizers have made a special point of announcing that holders of tickets purchased through resale sites or scalpers will not be admitted to the venue even if the ticket itself was originally valid, and so those looking to attend should purchase their tickets only through the official partner services linked to on the concert’s official website here.

Source: PR Times, Studio Ghibli Film Concert Tour Final at Tokyo Dome official website
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Studio Ghibli Film Concert Tour Final at Tokyo Dome official website
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