Starting with the concert held in January this year (2024), in March there will be a performance with guitar duo Yamagen by Hirokazu Ogura and Yoshiyuki Sahashi, in May there will be “CIRCLE’24”, and in July there will be a synthesizer and computer Taeko Onuki has been actively engaged in live activities, including participating in the live performance “Peter and Friends” and Fuji Rock, which focuses on songs using . The “Symphonic Concert 2024” held on November 30th can be said to be the finale of the year. This is the first symphonic concert with an orchestra in four years, and the venue is the same as the previous one, Hitomi Memorial Auditorium of Showa Women’s University. The performers will be the Grand Philharmonic Tokyo, conducted by Shinpei Sasaki. Also participating were band members who have worked together with Onuki in recent years, including Fabien Reza Panet (piano), Masato Suzuki (bass), Tatsuo Hayashi (drums), and Hotaru Fushimi (guitar).
When the stage curtain opened, the orchestra played the instrumental song “Cahiers.” July’s “Peter and Friends” also began with this song, but this time, the beauty of the strings in the original song shines even more. With the addition of woodwind instruments, the performance was as colorful as if flowers were blooming all over the stage. Meanwhile, Taeko Onuki appears in a gorgeous dress. Holding his hand over the lights, he looked around the audience and greeted the audience with a smile, saying, “Good evening. Please enjoy today.” Sing “Tema Purissima”. The collaboration between the band and orchestra is truly luxurious. In the following song, “Natsu ni Koisuru Onna Tachi,” Onuki’s singing voice floats over the rippling strings.
After singing “Natsu ni Koisuru Onnatachi”, Onuki greeted the audience once again. Looking back, he says, “Four years have passed in the blink of an eye since the last time,” and explains his current state of mind, “I want to do as many concerts as I can while I can still sing.” And the song she sang was “Kuro no Claire.” The sound of the flute gave a hint of autumn. After introducing the members and taking a moment to catch my breath, it was time for a “sudden gift.” As soon as Onuki’s voice came out, the atmosphere suddenly changed. This song is performed only by the band, and the first verse is played only by the piano. Bass and drums come in in the second verse, followed by a guitar solo in the interlude. Each one has a delicate tone that seems to be close to Onuki’s singing voice. The following “RAIN” featured strings. The sound of the original song was reminiscent of the soundtrack for the film “Blade Runner,” which Onuki was inspired by, but with the addition of strings, it seems like you’re watching a scene from a different movie.
Once “RAIN” ended, all band members except Fabian left the venue. Onuki looked back on his activities over the past year as MC. He mentioned that he had been invited to Fuji Rock for the first time and requested, “Didn’t you know I was a rock band? Please invite me again.” The “Carnival of Lights” begins in a peaceful atmosphere as he talks to the audience about the J-WAVE program he is hosting. As the orchestral sound wells up and the harp tones play lightly, Onuki’s high-pitched voice stretches out comfortably. When the song finished, Onuki was very satisfied and said, “The orchestra is fun!” The band’s composition changes depending on the song, such as when they sing “Sora e” with piano and strings as the centerpiece, and Suzuki and Fushimi return to play “Shiki”.
And finally, the concert is nearing its end. He introduced “TANGO” by saying, “This is a song we always play in orchestras, and it was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, who unfortunately passed away.” From there, songs such as “RENDEZ-VOUS” and “Grand Prix” that bring out the full charm of orchestral sounds follow. Above all, the “Grand Prix” is gorgeous. After he finished singing, Onuki said that he got the idea for this song from the movie “The Glory of Le Mans.”・I get numb to the sound.
Inheriting the excitement of “Grand Prix,” the live show becomes more and more fun. Onuki said, “It’s the most fun song,” and Shohei Amimori, who arranged the song, also handled the orchestral arrangement for this song, and Onuki happily swayed his body. Sing while And the euphoric feeling of “Shall We Dance?” sung while the mirror ball shines. “Shall We Dance?” is the theme song for the movie of the same name, and the slender conductors Sasaki and Onuki looked like the movie’s main characters, Koji Yakusho and Tamiyo Kusakari. After he finished singing, Onuki smiled happily and said, “The other day, as soon as I turned on the TV, the song “Shall We Dance?” came on and I was surprised. The last number is “Three-Biki no Kuma,” a song by Ryuichi Sakamoto with lyrics by Onuki. The moment I heard the first line of the song, “In the endless universe, I had a dream today too,” my heart flew to space. It’s a moving ending, with the orchestra enveloping the song, which resembles a prayer, in a galaxy of sounds.
After singing “Three Big Bears,” Onuki praised the Grand Philharmonic Tokyo’s performance, saying, “Thanks to the wonderful orchestra, I was able to sing happily.” The whole orchestra stands up and gives an example. Even after Onuki left the stage, the applause did not stop, and when Onuki returned to the stage, he let out a sigh and said, “Ah!” “This is a happy sigh,” he said, looking overwhelmed with emotion at the concert. When a member of the audience shouted, “Happy Birthday!”, she responded, “Thank you. I can’t go back to the past, so I’ll live positively,” and sang the encore song “Peter Rabbit and Me.” In “Peter and Friends”, the arrangement was faithful to the original, but here it starts with the piano and is more moist. Then, the band returned and included the orchestra for “City of Colors.” It was a song and performance full of happiness that was the perfect way to end the concert. It warms my heart to think that four years ago, my professor was accompanying me on the piano.
After singing all the songs, Onuki introduced the members again. Amimori, who participated in the arrangement, was also invited to the stage and waved to the audience, saying, “I’m standing here with the support of really wonderful musicians. Thank you very much for today.” Seeing Onuki with a big smile on his face, a line from “Colorful City” (“City of Colors”) comes to mind: “As I sing, I become beautiful.My secret is only mine.” When I interviewed Onuki this year, he said, “I’m finally able to enjoy live performances without being nervous,” and I could feel this change in his feelings in his singing voice. The orchestral sound was also wonderful, and I felt it was the most cinematic of all the symphonic concerts I’ve ever seen. Billboard Live performances with Yamagen in Tokyo/Osaka/Yokohama are scheduled for March 2025, and a concert at Yatsugatake Kogen Music Hall is scheduled for April, but what kind of singing voice will we hear from Onuki, who is currently in top form, next year? I’m looking forward to seeing if they let me.
TEXT: Yasuro Murao
◆Concert information
Performance name: Taeko Onuki Symphonic Concert 2024
Cast: Taeko Onuki
Conductor: Shinpei Sasaki
Orchestra: Grand Philharmonic Tokyo
Date: Saturday, November 30, 2024
Venue: Showa Women’s University Hitomi Memorial Auditorium
◆Latest release information
Artist: Taeko Onuki
Title: Taeko Onuki Concert 2023
CD: COCB-54368~9 ¥5,500 (tax included)
BD: COXA-1360 ¥7,700 (tax included)
LP: COJA-9511~2 ¥6,050 (tax included)
Distribution site URL
https://onukitaeko.lnk.to/concert2023
Included songs:
1. Profile
2.City
3.Sail out
4. Dazzling
5.City
6.Morning palette
7.One Fine Day With You
8.Mon doux Soleil
9.Volcano
10. New shirt
11. After the dream
12. Star Miracle
13.Rainbow
14. Color City
15.Happy-go-Lucky
16.Sudden gift
17.dreamland
Recording date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
Venue: Showa Women’s University Hitomi Memorial Auditorium
Taeko Onuki Official Site http://onukitaeko.jp
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Taeko Onuki official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TaekoOnukiOfficial
Taeko Onuki YouTube Official Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/TaekoOnukiOfficialChannel
◆Profile
Born in Tokyo.
In 1973, he formed Sugar Babe with Tatsuro Yamashita and others. They released the album “SONGS” in 1975 and disbanded in 1976. In the same year, he made his solo debut with “Grey Skies”.
Since their concert at Suntory Hall in 1987, they have continued to form a band and perform acoustic live performances in parallel, and have released 27 original albums to date.
His works include a collection of essays, “My Way of Living” (Shinchosha, 2013), and many other publications.
He has also produced many commercials, movies, TV, and game music-related works, including the main theme for the movie “Shall we Dance?” (Director: Masayuki Suo, 1996), and music production for “Tokyo Biyori” (Director: Naoto Takenaka, 1998). /Winner of the Best Music Award at the 21st Japan Academy Awards) and many other soundtracks. He is also known for his songs that are friendly to children, such as “The Metropolitan Museum of Art” and “Peter Rabbit and Me.”
Their second album “SUNSHOWER” became a hot topic during the city pop boom in recent years, and many of their albums were re-released in analog format in the 2010s.
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