Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo 178th Subscription Concert

What to listen to at the concert
　Among the many year-end performances of the Ninth, the Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo's performance is different. First of all, it will be held as a "subscription concert" conducted by Music Director Norichika Iimori. In other words, it is not a part of multiple "Ninth" performances, but a single performance of the most important "subscription concert," and the music director will conduct it. Therefore, we can expect a highly concentrated and passionate performance with the combination of the duo's lively personality and their all-out spirit. As in previous years, the splendid lineup of soloists is also not to be missed. This year's lineup includes the star singers Sara Kobayashi (soprano) and Satoru Nishimura (tenor), Hiroka Yamashita (mezzo-soprano), who sang the leading role of Arato in the recent New National Theater "Natasha," and Kaz Hirano (bass-baritone), a Vienna resident active both in Europe and in Japan. Their voices alone are worth the trip. The addition of the Musashino Academia Musicae Chorus to the orchestra's choir is also encouraging. Incidentally, Music Director Iimori is a visiting professor at Musashino Academia Musicae, and both the university and the orchestra's office are based in Ekoda. In this way, we hope to experience the "Ninth" with all its elements of unity and once-in-a-lifetime encounter, and to think about the coming year and the peace of the world.

Katsuhiko Shibata (Music Critic)