The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Art of the Score are back with their latest concert – The Music of Joe Hisaishi.
Joe Hisaishi has a special relationship with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, having come to Australia to hold exclusive Melbourne concerts with the MSO back in 2018 and again in 2020. So, when MSO announced a new Joe Hisaishi themed concert with Art of the Score, I leapt at the opportunity to hear the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra play his music once more, even without the famous composer and conductor in attendance!
An Art of the Score concert is different to your average symphony orchestra night out. With Art of the Score, your hosts and podcasters Andrew Pogson and Dan Golding, special guest pianist Aura Go, and conductor Nicholas Buc, guide you through Joe Hisaishi’s music and stylings. It’s as much an educational experience as it is performance. The Art of the Score team are also surprisingly funny, inserting just enough tongue in cheek and cringe to make the Melbourne audience laugh in appreciation.
Like all Art of the Score x MSO performances, conductor Nicholas Buc always makes sure to compose and perform little pieces that help to explain the signature styling of famous conductors. This concert was no different. Melbourne audiences witnessed the MSO, alongside Buc and Go, transform the Australian classic ‘Waltzing Matilda’ into a composition worthy of Joe Hisaishi’s musical repertoire.
This concert of Art of the Score’s history is also the one where audiences were the most involved. We were instructed at each level of Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall, from the stalls, dress circle, right up to the balcony, to clap in time, but each level being slightly off beat. Together, we created a gorgeous rhythm, and in turn, the Art of the Score team chuckled that every patron in the venue had now made their MSO debut.
The Music of Joe Hisaishi concert had other works including ‘DA.MA.SHI.E’, ‘Water Traveler Samurai Kids’, ‘Departures’ and the gorgeous ‘Kikujiro: Summer’ when Hisaishi worked with legendary Japanese actor ‘Beat’ Takashi Kitano. However, you would be lying if you said you weren’t in attendance to hear the Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki related works. All the classics were there including ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’, and ‘Howl’s Moving Castle: Variation’.
However, the highlights of the evening were when the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performed a rousing rendition of ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ not once but twice, including the encore! Pianist Aura Go also showcased a rousing rendition and solo performance of ‘Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind: Fantasia’. With a single spotlight on her, the way that Aura Go moved on her seat at the piano, while she lost herself in the music, was mesmerising to watch. It was like a dance. During this song, everyone in Hamer Hall held their breaths and were absolutely quiet, collectively afraid to break the spell and silence to applaud at at the end of her performance.
My favourite moment of the night though, was when the ‘Spirited Away: Suite’ was performed. ‘Spirited Away‘ is my favourite Studio Ghibli film. The exquisite piano in that song, even though I’ve heard the song a dozen of times, hearing it live moved me to tears.
The Music of Joe Hisaishi was a wonderful experience for everyone lucky enough to be in the room. I hope that this experience and concert series isn’t the last time we hear Joe Hisaishi’s work with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Perhaps Joe Hisaishi can come back to Melbourne again someday. One can only dream.
MSO x Art of the Score’s The Music of Joe Hiaishi concert is on in Melbourne at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall for four shows only. We attended on Thursday the 6th of November 2025 at 7:30pm, there is also a 7:30 performance on Friday the 7th of November, a 1pm performance on Saturday the 8th of November, and a final 7:30pm performance Saturday evening.
Art of the Score have another upcoming concert collaboration in March 2026 for the music of James Horner.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.mso.com.au/performance/2025-the-music-of-joe-hisaishi
https://www.mso.com.au/performance/2026-art-of-the-score-james-horner
https://www.artofthescore.com.au
Photography by Laura Manariti.
