The Sixth Station

By Your Holy Cross

The Sixth Station by Joe Hisaishi (from Spirited Away)

Recommended by Bella

"It's one of my all time favorite pieces from one of my all time favorite movies (the piano from 1:31-1:45 just really gets me in the feels). I think this song beautifully captures the essence of the loneliness/melancholy/regret and the strength/perseverance/will of the characters that are present throughout the film. I fall asleep to this song almost every night."

The music of Ghibli movies is always beautiful, so I thank you for sending this rec. I've already discussed a track from Spirited Away, but I'm always down for pretty piano music. Plus, this is a less well-known piece than, say, One Summer's Day, and the whole point of this blog was supposed to be about introducing myself to new stuff.

(Time out: I live by a railroad, and a train is currently going by, whistle blaring, and this track is playing at the same time, and I'm having kind of a surreal moment.)

In Spirited Away, this track plays during The Train Sequence, in which the main character travels by train across the ocean as day fades into night. It's a really beautiful pause in the action where there's no dialogue, no noise except Hisaishi's emotional soundtrack.

Recurring words and phrases used to describe the scene are, like Bella pointed out, "loneliness" and "melancholy" and "regret," but also "reflection" and "peace." The scene "lingers, and lingers, and lingers. It acts as a visual tone poem, both eerie and soothing" (x).

The animation is lovely, but there's no way we could get all of that without the music.

I think the piano in particular is unbelievably beautiful, but the whole piece is enchanting. My favorite part is here at around 3:00 where the dynamics shift all the way down to pianissimo, and your ears are left grasping at these tiny wisps of sound.

That's where I really feel that loneliness.

I guess it's probably unrelated, but The Sixth Station of the Cross in Catholic tradition is the point at which Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. I found some text referring to this station which, coincidence or not, actually relates to Spirited Away extremely well:

As a child, sometimes I know someone could use a little help and understanding. They may be picked on or teased by others, or just sad or lonely. Sometimes I feel bad that others don't step in to help, but I don't help either.

As an adult, I notice the needs around me. Sometimes my own family members crave my attention, and I don't even seem to notice. Sometimes a co-worker, friend, or family member could use help or understanding, but I don't reach out to help lest I be criticized, or that they demand more of me than I'd like to give. (source)

If someone asked me to describe what Spirited Away taught me, that would be an appropriate answer. In the film, Chihiro is "picked on" and "teased," and no one helps her. Furthermore, the story focuses pretty heavily on the transition out of childhood and the loneliness that one finds upon arriving in adulthood.

But that's beyond the scope of this piece of music.

Or maybe it's too narrow, because this track is everything.

Overview:

Genre:
Instrumental / Soundtrack

Verdict:
don't close your eyes, you'll get transported to another world