This piece is from Studio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle (Le Chateau Ambulant)'s theme song and is performed by a full orchestra. The old gentleman who plays the piano part of this piece is Joe Hisaishi, the man who composed the song, and the bulk of Studio Ghibli's music accompaniment for their greatly inspiring animation works.

Hisaishi plays the piano with great feelings and a heavy sense of rubato which is carried on by the oboeist who brings the song to a medieval countryside feel. As Hisaishi conducts, one can see that he really enjoys the music and that in enjoying it, he brings the audience whom are listening to the orchestral performance, to enjoy it immensely too.

When the orchestra is led to its full strength, its grandeur is too magnificent to behold and when Hisaishi gives the audience a breather with his piano interlude, it instead foreshadows the climax that is about to come. I really applaud the timpani player as he has the steadiness to drum the timpani in such quick sucession and yet the sound is still maintained constant with no variation of speed that is prone to happen even in the hands of experienced timpanists. (the furry little drumsticks are rather heavy, you know..)

At the end of the song, Hisaishi slowly draws an invisible line in the air, signalling for the orchestra to slow down softly and smoothly until there is silence in the concert hall. He then freezes to momentarily enjoy the silence after the magnificent music has stopped and then looks up, as if suddenly awakened from a dream. He gradually straightens up from his stooped poise and smiles, wanly at first, but the smile widens until it is one of great pleasure and contentment. but yet, one can see the faint glimmer of resign - his joy in conducting the orchestra to play his song is over. Hisaishi turns around and smiles broadly at the audience, bowing with great endearment to them.

-ameko-