Mystery Ensemble returned to
Most of the pieces are composed by Joe Hisaishi and the evening is testament to the artist’s skill. His pieces really are the stand-out across the hour, a tapestry of tone and mood. Motifs bleed across pieces, across decades and styles. I was left with a deeper appreciation for the composer, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Howard Shore and Ludovico Einaudi, all of whom Mystery Ensemble will playing across the Autumn.
The concert itself took place in the resplendent Town Hall, a space I’d only been in for a previous Green Fair. The acoustics enhance the music and it was heartening to see the place packed with an audience ranging from the very young upwards. Over the past two decades Ghibli has become a towering animation house in the West, since the Oscar-winning success of Spirited Away. And now with the films more readily available on streaming and home release it showed the level of love that exists for one of the great living directors.
But as appreciative as the audience were, as resplendent as the venue is and as beautiful as the music composed was, what pulls the evening together is Mystery Ensemble themselves. Performing a range of string instruments and the piano, the group show skill as well as joy towards the music performed. Whilst interactions between performer and audience are minimal, the smiles on the performers' faces as well as an occasional playful touch (such as a boldly spun double bass) are enough to make a strong connection. I would gladly see the group take on another piece of score and will keep an eye on when they are next in town.
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