Summer Concert Review Essay

Summer is a film score composed by Joe Hisaishi for Kikujiro. The recording that I select, however, is from Hisaishi’s concert in 2003. When I play it on piano, I identify with the sense of liveliness and innocence it conveys, and I feel proud for making it contagious when others are around.

Summer is truly a simple piece in terms of composition. In general, it is set in D major key, quadruple in meter, binary in structure, employing only a piano. It makes heavy use of ostinato in the accompaniment and syncopation in the melody line.

In the beginning, the left hand enters by carrying out the ostinato consisting of arpeggiated triads and awaits the melody. After two repeats the wavelike theme joins in with spirit and liveliness. The melody

makes a start on the fourth beat and intentionally misses the second and third by using syncopation. It was those rhythmic nuances together that really make the theme alive and interesting. Moving on, as the ostinato stops, the melody bursts into a “beautiful sigh” and immediately reiterates itself with doubled tenderness. In the mean time, the major chords begin to slowly transfer to minor. Towards the end of the phrase, the music releases the tension and repeats itself from the beginning.
After a lighthearted developing section, part b focuses more in terms of harmony.

The left hand switches to melody and the right hand takes over the arpeggiated ostinato. In the first phrase, the leading tone is buried at the bottom of the chord and thus becomes indiscernible. Shortly it is restated in a modulated G major. The second phrase brings the key back to D major and substitutes the left-hand chords with short upward sequences, foreshadowing the true climax.

Finally, the sublime climax unleashes. It is the “beautiful sigh” again accompanied by more accentuated bass notes moving in big leaps, providing a stronger grip to the beats. Then, the original theme reappears and is cut short by removing the first repetition. Filled with echoing motives, the coda arrives as the developing bridge in disguise and finishes on a jazzy, satisfying ninth tonic chord.

I could still remember how excited I was the moment I found the sheet music for Summer. I practiced it harder than I ever would for Mozart or Bach’s music. Later, whenever I played it to others and saw the smile on their faces, I realized the same emotions I felt were spread to everyone. In the end, Summer gives me the urge to make my own music so that I can present my innermost thoughts to the

world.