Es VOL.9 live report“Symphonic Concert 2010 〜All Lovers〜”

●○○From music freak Es Vol.9

［GARNET CROW Symphonic Concert 2010 〜All Lovers〜］　Tokyo International Forum, Hall A　2010.8.26

On August 26, [GARNET CROW Symphonic Concert 2010 〜All Lovers〜], featuring GARNET CROW in concert with the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, was held at Tokyo International Forum Hall A. Entering the spacious theater-style venue, arranged on two levels, the first thing that caught the eye was the stage prepared with performance seats for a full orchestra of more than 70 musicians. Instruments rarely seen at an ordinary rock concert, including a harp, timpani, and tuba, were set up alongside the others; the scene looked exactly like a classical concert. Famous classical pieces such as “Ave Maria” played through the venue, and the audience members who took their seats early seemed to relax into the solemn atmosphere. This special stage had been planned so that GARNET CROW, having reached its 10th anniversary, could do something memorable. The group had actively taken on new challenges before, including a concert at the World Heritage site Ninna-ji, and tonight they were attempting another. By the 7 p.m. start time, the 5,012-seat hall was filled to capacity.

At 7:05 p.m., the orchestra members appeared one after another onstage, each carrying an instrument and wearing formal black. After taking their seats, they promptly began tuning. Tuning is the process of matching the instruments' pitches before an ensemble performance, a sight not often seen at a rock concert. When Ikuro Fujiwara, the music director and conductor who had arranged this concert, appeared, the venue responded with especially loud applause. Fujiwara bowed deeply and walked to the podium. At last, the special night was beginning.

The first song, performed by the orchestra alone, was “Wasurezaki.” During the introduction, the screen onstage showed GARNET CROW's 10th-anniversary logo, followed by the logo for this concert and then photographs of the members. The strings played a nostalgic melody, while the brass and percussion stirred a sense of excitement; the orchestra drew out the full potential of this song, so well suited to orchestral treatment, and its beautiful, majestic performance swept through the venue. As I wondered what the four members must be feeling while waiting to come onstage after hearing such a powerful performance, AZUKI Nana (Key.), Hitoshi Okamoto (G.), and Hiroto Furui (Key.) appeared partway through the song in chic monochrome outfits. Finally, vocalist Yuri Nakamura appeared slowly, wearing a striking deep-crimson long dress, and walked to the center of the stage.

Once all four members were ready at the front of the stage, the second song was “Nami no Yesterday.” Nakamura's relaxed, expansive vocals blended with the orchestra's elegant accompaniment under Fujiwara's passionate baton. In the instrumental break, where the original features a catchy electric-guitar solo, the orchestra played a clever arrangement incorporating the “Habanera” phrase from Bizet's opera “Carmen.” It was one of the charms unique to this concert. In the following “The first cry,” the sound of the flute and muted trumpet joined AZUKI Nana's poignant piano amid red lights, while the strings layered over them and carried the audience into a fantastical world from the introduction. The original is notable for its emotional saxophone in the instrumental break and ending, but tonight the trumpet and strings took that role, making the arrangement dramatic and drawing out more deeply the transient world expressed by the lyrics. Furui also played tubular bells during the chorus. The appearance of sounds they would not normally use made the special nature of the evening unmistakable.

After the third song came the first MC. “Welcome to the Symphonic Concert, everyone. We are GARNET CROW,” Nakamura said as she introduced Fujiwara and the orchestra. The venue was once again filled with applause. She bowed with a smile and said, “We want this to be a special, memorable concert, so please enjoy it with us,” before moving into the fourth song, “Love is a Bird.” Okamoto changed to acoustic guitar, and the arrangement was slower and more relaxed than the original, but Nakamura's expressive vocals held their own against the wall of orchestral sound with complete authority.

As an aside, after the concert I looked at Fujiwara's blog. In a diary entry from late July, when the orchestration work was entering its final push, he wrote, “The keyword for this GARNET CROW orchestration is [rainbow palette].” The day after the performance, he described the experience this way: “GARNET CROW's music is like a box of paints. I pulled out their tubes of paint and mixed them on the palette in Fujiwara's head... It was enjoyable work, like painting a picture.” The fifth song, “Koyoi Eden no Katasumi de,” was a perfect embodiment of that phrase, [rainbow palette]. In a complete departure from the tight 8-beat rhythm section of the original, the arrangement combined the cantabile of beautiful strings, a horn section that added sparkle, and percussion such as tambourines that supplied movement and exhilaration. Various colors seemed to mix on a palette, dyeing the listener's heart in vivid hues; it became a bright and enjoyable song. The following “Mizu no Nai Hareta Umi e” also lived up to expectations. The wistful violin melody and AZUKI Nana's piano phrase, the heart of the song, were perfectly balanced. Furui's organ phrases, which appeared throughout, were usually mechanical sequences played by a sequencer, but tonight he performed them like Rick Wakeman of 1970s progressive rock. They blended beautifully with the orchestra. The instrumental break was also excellent. In an ordinary concert, a passionate piano solo is one of the main highlights, but this time Okamoto played a guitar solo full of melancholy, guiding the audience into even deeper waters.

For the seventh song, “Yume Mita Ato de,” AZUKI Nana, Okamoto, and Furui temporarily left the stage. At the same time, conductor Fujiwara moved to the piano. He presented a collaborative version featuring Yuri Nakamura's solo vocal, Fujiwara's piano, and the orchestra. I have heard this famous song, which is among the most important to the group, many times at concerts, and each time the sounds and lyrics released by the performance slowly sink into me. The symphonic version produced a new kind of emotion, though: rather than drawing inward and inviting close listening, the sound kept spreading outward, creating a grand and powerful impression.

The concert was broadly divided into three sections. Songs eight through ten formed a collaboration corner between a small orchestral ensemble and MINIQLO. MINIQLO is a miniature version of GARNET CROW consisting of Nakamura and Okamoto. At the best-of concerts celebrating ten years, held from February to March, the duo's first single was sold exclusively at venues, and the style had by now become familiar to fans.

The eighth song, “Mou Ichido Waratte,” the ninth, “Holy ground,” and the tenth, “Hana wa Saite Tada Yurete,” all centered on beautiful string arrangements. Okamoto's acoustic guitar and Fujiwara's piano melted together, while Nakamura's expressive voice bloomed clearly above them. “Hana wa Saite Tada Yurete,” in particular, evoked the classical masterpiece “Zigeunerweisen” and left a lasting impression.

When the small-ensemble section ended, there was a 15-minute intermission. Classical concerts usually include an intermission of around 15 minutes, during which the audience can enjoy drinks and conversation.

After the break, the four members were joined by two support musicians—drummer Keisuke Kurumatani and bassist Hiroshi Asai—for a band-style section. They began with “Yasashii Ame 〜Soushi Souai ver.〜” and “Koi Suru Koto Shika Dekinai Mitai ni 〜Koi no Tsubomi ver.〜,” both included in new arrangements on the concept album 『All Lovers』 released on August 4 for this concert. The atmosphere changed completely from the solemn Symphonic section in the first half, and despite the simple band lineup, they delivered a remarkably muscular performance. During “Love Lone Star,” Nakamura added, “It has been beautiful weather again today, so I thought we might be able to see a beautiful starry sky like this, and I would like to send you the next song.” The audience was thrilled to hear a song being performed live again after a long absence. In the MC that followed, the members shared memories from their summer, then moved into the fourteenth song, “WEEKEND.” This hidden gem from 『All Lovers』 was also popular among fans. Hearing it live made the contrast between the song's bittersweetness and tenderness strike the heart even more deeply.

The band-style section ended with the latest single, “Over Drive.” The audience stood and clapped; during the chorus, everyone waved their hands from side to side in time with the rhythm, becoming one with the performance. Just as the venue reached a fever pitch, Fujiwara and the orchestra returned to the stage. The final song of the main set was the new song “Sora ni Hanabi” from 『All Lovers』, performed live for the first time. The rock-spirited band performance, with Furui's carefully assembled drums and bass added to it, combined with the elegant classical quality Fujiwara brought in while staying close to GARNET CROW's musical world. The resulting symphonic-rock sound, full of scale, delivered the most moving moment of the night.

The members left the stage after smiling brightly and shaking hands firmly with conductor Fujiwara, and applause immediately broke out for an encore. After a while, the four returned wearing white merchandise T-shirts. The first encore song was “Mr. Holiday,” a happy song about being in love. This rhythmic pop number was reborn in an arrangement that began with AZUKI Nana's graceful piano solo and fused brass orchestration beautifully with the band sound. In the final MC, each member shared impressions of the symphonic concert, their first attempt at such a project, and their excitement at the new experience was clear. At last came the final song of the night. “I chose this because I want to sing it happily with everyone and bring the concert to a close,” Nakamura said in introducing “Futari no Rocket.” The catchy song combined the grand performance of the members and orchestra and expanded GARNET CROW's musical territory. The whole stage seemed to move as one and was visibly enjoying itself. Fujiwara's passionate baton, too, became soft and fluid for this song, almost as though he were dancing.

As Nakamura herself said with confidence, “We are delighted that our first attempt came to life and succeeded safely,” the special concert commemorating GARNET CROW's 10th anniversary was a clear success. It closed after giving the audience a fulfilling, moving experience. More than anything, witnessing the four members' commanding performance with a full orchestra made it possible to feel how much they had grown over their ten-year career and how mature the band had become. I am very eager to see how they will make use of this experience in the future.
（TEXT BY KAREN HAYAMA）