If you’ve seen *Spirited Away*, *My Neighbor Totoro*, *Princess Mononoke*, or *Howl’s Moving Castle*, you surely remember their music as well. Behind those melodies is Joe Hisaishi, the Japanese composer who created the soundtracks for much of the Studio Ghibli universe. Well, this Saturday, October 3, Barcelona will host a tribute concert to Joe Hisaishi amid thousands of candles, featuring some of the compositions that brought these and other films to life.
The tribute will take place in the Salón de los Atlantes at the Real Círculo Artístico de Barcelona. This historic institution—whose members once included Pablo Picasso, Ramon Casas, and Modest Urgell—is housed in the Palacio Pignatelli, a 16th-century building located next to the Cathedral, which joins the list of venues in Barcelona that host candlelit concerts.
In this new installment of the Candlelight series, the Musical Sensus Quartet will present a 60-minute concert featuring a selection of Joe Hisaishi’s best-known compositions: the music that brought some of Studio Ghibli’s most beloved films to life, reinterpreted this time for string quartet.
The repertoire will include some of the most recognizable compositions from *My Neighbor Totoro*, *Princess Mononoke*, *Spirited Away*, and *Howl’s Moving Castle*, along with other pieces from *Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind*, *Ponyo*, and *The Wind Rises*.
If you plan to attend, it’s best to arrive early. Doors will open 30 minutes before the concert begins, and once the performance has started, no one will be allowed into the hall. Seats will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis within each section, and the minimum age to attend is 8 years old.
📆 Date: Saturday, October 3, at 9:00 p.m.
📍 Where: Real Círculo Artístico de Barcelona (Carrer dels Arcs, 5).
🚌 How to get there: Metro Plaça Catalunya (L1, L3) and Passeig de Gràcia (L2, L3, L4), buses V15, V17, and 67.
