Snoopy Orchestra Concert "Magical Christmas Night" directed and performed by Yu Shirota opens in Hyogo, Japan.

The Snoopy orchestra concert, now in its fifth year, opened on December 8 at the KOBELCO Main Hall of the Hyogo Performing Arts Center. This concert started in 2020 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the PEANUTS, and Yu Shirota, who has performed in the concert since its inception, has been directing the concert since last year, and the title has been significantly renewed as "Magical Christmas Night. Masaru Shirota is also scheduled to appear in the NTV drama "Ikinari Kekkon" (aired in January in the Tuesday Platinum Night slot), and his wide-ranging activities that transcend genres as an artist and actor are attracting increasing attention.

Upon entering the concert hall, one is greeted by a large Christmas tree decorated with brightly colored ornaments and gifts, a snowman, a bright red doghouse, and other art sets, creating a sense of the world of "PEANUTS". This was done by Rumi Matsui, who has received numerous awards for her stage design work. In the hall, nature sounds such as insects and birds chirping were played, serving as an introduction to the forest concert that was about to begin.

The stage opened with an overture by a full orchestra and a jazz piano trio, which took the audience's breath away. Shirota, the main vocalist, appeared on stage and sang a standard number and a J-Pop hit song.

At this Hyogo concert, Morisaki Wynn, who has been in contact with Shirota both publicly and privately, performed as a guest. He covered Keisuke Kuwata's "White Lovers" with an orchestral arrangement. In addition to the harmonies of Shirota and Morisaki, the six-member vocal group FYURA with their rich personalities sang in the chorus of the Western Christmas medley, and the audience was captivated by the extended session that brought out their individual characters. The LED panels on the large Christmas tree projected images of the PEANUTS gang and other characters, which, combined with the gorgeous lighting, kept the audience entertained from start to finish.

In the last part of the main program, Shirota and Takana Miyamoto, music director and pianist, sang "Yume no Tane - I'll be by your side," which was co-written last year as the image song for this concert by Shirota and Takana Miyamoto, music director and pianist, and released digitally in October this year, with a magnificent full orchestra and jazz trio arrangement with YURA's gorgeous chorus. The song was sung in a jazz trio arrangement. The euphoria of the audience reached a climax, and the show ended in jubilation with two Christmas songs performed as encores.

The Hokkaido performance will be held at the Sapporo Bunka Geijutsu Theatre hitaru on December 12, and the guest performer will be KIMIKA, a promising singer whose voice was recognized by Lady Gaga. The Tokyo performance on December 23 at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Hall will feature Thelma Aoyama, who is active not only in the field of music but also in fashion and variety shows. Original goods, which were very popular at the Hyogo performance, will be on sale at both performances.

Photo: Issei Watanabe
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