We presented Hayao Miyazaki’s Dreams at Teatro Niccolini in Florence for the first time, bringing the poetic world of Japanese animation to the stage of the city’s oldest theatre.
Performed by Ensemble Sinfonietta Bern, the programme moved through Joe Hisaishi’s music for some of Hayao Miyazaki’s most beloved stories, including My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Kiki’s Delivery Service and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
The historic character of Teatro Niccolini gave the premiere an unexpected dimension. Its beautifully restored interior became a meeting point between Florence’s theatrical heritage and Miyazaki’s cinematic imagination — between centuries-old architecture and music filled with flight, wonder and quiet courage.
This first Miyazaki concert at Teatro Niccolini turned the stage into a place suspended between reality and dreams, where a single melody was enough to begin flying.
