Learn how to enjoy classical music from the chief music director of the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra

Toru Sakakibara, the music director of the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra (Kanagawa Philharmonic), a professional orchestra based in Kanagawa Prefecture and loved by the local community, talks about how to enjoy classical music and what will happen from 2024 to 2025. We also asked about important points from the Kanagawa Philharmonic concert lineup.

Enjoy an extraordinary experience with a classic that will never fade no matter how many times you listen to it.

-It's only been a year since I started listening to classical music. Even if you look at the yearly lineup, you can kind of understand the song titles, conductors, and soloists. For beginners, please tell us how to choose a classical concert and how to enjoy it.

At Sakakibara Classical concerts, we strive to ensure that you can enjoy the extraordinary feeling to the very end. During the performance, everyone in the audience also turns off their smartphones and does not drink water. That's quite difficult in modern times.

-It is just like you said!

The biggest appeal of Sakakibara classical music is that it never fades no matter how many times you listen to it. The songs still played today are some of the best hits that have survived in classical history.
For example, the flyer you see right now, ``Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. For example, Germany, where Beethoven and JS Bach were born, is said to have over 120 orchestras and 10,000 musicians.

-so much! Orchestras are surprisingly familiar to us.

There is no right answer to how you feel after listening to the music at a Sakakibara concert. We want people to feel free to visit and enjoy themselves freely. For those who want to listen to it from now on, we have thought about how to choose a concert and how to enjoy it.

-I'm looking forward to it!

Choose from memorable songs or performers you are interested in

The Kanagawa Philharmonic was established in 1970.

Sakakibara: I think the most common people are those who come to concerts with memories of songs they heard in their childhood or songs they have fond memories of.
I also believe that there are many people who choose a performer that they are interested in and say, ``I would like to hear that performer play live at least once.''

-I think there are many people who have become interested in listening to the Kanagawa Philharmonic after watching the TV drama ``Reversal Orchestra,'' which the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra fully cooperated with.

Thank you Sakakibara .

I entered the hall because I was interested in learning about it.

I think most people start with songs that remind them of Sakakibara or performers they are interested in, but I have one more suggestion. It means "entering the hall out of an interest in learning about it." If you like music halls, I think you'll enjoy them even more.

-What exactly is the best way to enjoy "getting to know the holes"?

The Sakakibara Kanagawa Philharmonic mainly performs at three halls in the prefecture: Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall, Kanagawa Kenmin Hall, and Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall. Each hole is wonderful in its own way.

The charm of Yokohama Minatomirai Hall

©Hira Hiratate

Sakakibara Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall held its grand opening in 1998. It was completed when the Minato Mirai area was developed. I think this is the only music hall with a comfortable open foyer (hall) and a location where you can see the ocean from there. From the moment you step into the building, you can feel the bright, artistic space.

When you enter the large hall, there is a pipe organ in the center, and the furniture such as chairs and lighting, as well as the acoustics and interior, have all been prepared for the best music. It is also recommended that you start liking the hall.

The charm of Kanagawa Kenmin Hall

Sakakibara Kanagawa Kenmin Hall (hereinafter referred to as Kenmin Hall) is the site of the Yamashita Settlement. The sea can be seen from the lobby of the Prefectural Hall and the in-house restaurant, Eiichibankan.

Approximately 100 years have passed since the Great Kanto Earthquake (September 1, 1923). Yamashita Park in front of the building was part of the earthquake recovery project, and there are many historic buildings around the Prefectural Hall. It would be a good idea to take a historical walk in Yokohama before or after the concert.

Kenmin Hall will be closed as of March 31, 2025. I would like you to experience it for yourself before it closes.

The charm of Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall

SakakibaraThe Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall (hereinafter referred to as the Music Hall), which opened in 1954, is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year (2024). All of the interior walls are made of wood, and the exterior features Kunio Maekawa's architecture, which uses characteristic square-shaped hollow bricks.

This is Japan's first public hall dedicated to music, and the acoustic sound is unique to this venue. The entire building was renovated in 2019, and has become very clean while retaining its good qualities. It has also been designated as an important cultural property (building) by Kanagawa Prefecture.

-I got a good understanding of the characteristics of each hole.

There are many wonderful halls in Sakakibara Kanagawa Prefecture. The Kanagawa Philharmonic holds regular performances in three halls, so please pay attention to the halls as another fun part of listening to classical music.

Making concerts even more special through fashion and the streets of Yokohama

What Tsugu Sakakibara suggests is to enjoy fashion and the city along with the concert. When I look at the customers, I notice that some of them are carrying goods featuring the Kanagawa Philharmonic's cheering mascot "Brudal" or Kanagawa Philharmonic bags, and that some of them are wearing blue, the Brudal color, as their main fashion color.

The Blue Dull handkerchief has the same pattern as the neckties and scarves worn by orchestra members.

- Just like wearing goods at an amusement park or at a concert, you can also enjoy classical music!

Sakakibara : Of course. It's great if you feel better about the concert. There are also many people who enjoy Yokohama before and after the concert.

Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall offers a new way to sightsee in Yokohama. If you're looking for the Prefectural Hall, Marine Tower and Chinatown, or if you go a little further, Motomachi is also good. If you go to Ongakudo, you can go down Momijizaka and have a drink at Noge, where you can enjoy deep Yokohama.

I think it would be fun to talk about your impressions of the concert while enjoying sightseeing and food in Yokohama.

Introducing selected items from the 2024-2025 concert schedule.

There are two types of Kanagawa Philharmonic regular members.

There are "Series Members" who can listen to all regular concerts from the same seat (application deadline is March 31, 2024), and "Select Members" who can receive membership benefits by selecting three or more performances from the 2024-2025 concert schedule (application deadline is March 31, 2024). (The deadline is approximately one week before the performance date.)

There are no membership fees for either.

A booklet that explains the entire Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra “2024-2025 Concert Schedule”

-I heard that you can become a regular member of the Kanagawa Philharmonic from now on. Could you tell us about some of your distinctive concerts?

Sakakibara First, from the Prefectural Masterpiece Series, is "Ah, Showa Retro Classic!" which will be performed at the Prefectural Hall on Saturday, May 25, 2024. This is a project that Ryunori Numajiri, the music director of the Kanagawa Philharmonic, suggested that he would definitely like to do, and I very much agreed with it. It is full of famous songs that were often played when we were children, but are rarely played now, such as ``The Jewel of the Madonna,'' ``Dance of the Hours,'' and the waltz ``Gold and Silver.''

“Dance! No. 9” will be held at the Kenmin Hall on Saturday, June 15, 2024. Six dancers perform. The performance of the Ninth is untainted, a fusion of orchestra, chorus and dance. 2024 will be the 200th anniversary of the premiere of "The Ninth." There is no soloist, and soloists appear one after another from among the outstanding chorus members. The Ninth, which was so original and the audience was so excited when it was premiered, will now be performed in an even more innovative way.

The theme of the music hall is "classic modern." We play a wide range of classical and modern music. “A musical journey around Beethoven” will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2024 at the Music Hall. In fact, this episode is also part of the 200th anniversary commemoration of the Ninth World premiere. We will be performing Lachenmann's ``Dust'' for Orchestra, which is an image of ``The Ninth'' taken apart and put together. ``Dust'' is a song that changed the Ninth, which was cherished by Germans, into something different, leading to a boycott of its performance. We will also play Symphony No. 3 ``Hero'', which is the hint for the 9th.

-It would be a good idea to choose one from each of the three halls, become a regular member, and purchase additional concert tickets later. thank you very much!

Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra
Official website: Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra
Annual lineup: 2024-2025 season concert schedule | Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra