‘Spirited Away’ composer Joe Hisaishi dates with Philadelphia Orchestra moved to June

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s postponed concerts with Joe Hisaishi have been rescheduled for June. Hisaishi, who composed the music for the majority of Hayao Miyazaki’s films (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro) had been slated to lead the orchestra in his own scores at the beginning of January, but postponed due to illness.

His concerts are now scheduled for June 26 and 27 in Marian Anderson Hall. Ticket holders for the original dates will be moved to one of the new dates or can exchange tickets for another event this season, a spokesperson said. They will be contacted by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts with the new information. After those ticket holders are accommodated, only a limited number of tickets are expected to remain.

Hisaishi has conducted orchestras using excerpts from films, but this one of his own works will not feature film clips. He will conduct the Suite from Spirited Away, Symphony No. 2, and, with the orchestra’s Choong-Jin Chang as soloist, Saga for viola and orchestra. Both the symphony and the effervescent two-movement Saga have been recorded by him with the Vienna Symphony.

Hisaishi, 74, began collaborating with Miyazaki in 1984 as the composer for Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. He has also scored films for actor-director Takeshi Kitano.

“I started my career as a minimal[ist] composer,” Hisaishi told the New York Times, “and I use more my melodic side in Miyazaki movies and my minimalist side in Kitano movies — they are closer to what originally drew me to music, style-wise.”

Information: www.ensembleartsphilly.org, 215-893-1999.