冒頭で神秘的な世界観を描いた後、「ケンタウル祭の夜」に主人公:少年ジョバンニは街に出掛けますが、同級生から行方不明の父のことをからかわれ孤独な思いをします。ジョバンニはひとり星空を眺めていると、突然聞こえてきた「銀河ステーション」という声とともにまぶしい光に包まれ、気が付くと友人のカムパネルラとともに銀河鉄道に乗り込んでいました。2人は銀河鉄道に乗って、星を巡る旅を楽しみ、そこでさまざまな考えや生き方をする人々に出会っていきます。
化石を発掘する大学士と出会った「北十字とプリオシン海岸」、愉快な狩人との出会いをワルツにした「鳥を捕る人」、「タイタニック号の悲劇」では、乗客への警報と現場の混沌とした状況を表し、自身の作品である"マードックからの最後の手紙"のフレーズが見え隠れしています。2人は旅の終わりに、旅の途中で聞いた「本当の幸福」のために一緒に歩んでいこうと誓いますが、夢から覚めた後、カムパネルラは川に落ちた友人を助けようとして亡くなります。
本当の幸せとは誰かのために生きることなのかもしれない、とカムパネルラの死を受けて思い巡らす「ジョバンニの切情」そして、エンディングではジョバンニの元に父がもうすぐ帰ってくるという手紙が届き、父からの知らせを持って、母の元へと心弾ませ帰るところで物語が終わります。
This piece was commissioned by fostermusic Inc.“Night on the Galactic Railroad” is an unfinished work discovered after the death of its author Kenji Miyazawa who was born more than 120 years ago, and the interpretation of its story has been subject to intensive research and analysis for many years. This piece is inspired by the unfolding narrative of this profound story.
After the story’s surreal setting is introduced in the beginning, the teenage protagonist Giovanni heads out to the streets in “Night of the Centaur Festival” and feels lonely after being mocked by his classmates about his missing father. Giovanni looks up at the starry sky alone and suddenly hears a voice from the “Galaxy Station” as he is enveloped in a beam of dazzling light. The next thing he knew, he is on the Galactic Railroad with his friend Campanella. The two of them ride on the Galactic Railroad and visit various stars where they meet people who think and live in different ways. They witness scholars excavating fossils in “The Northern Cross and the Pliocene Coast” and encounter a friendly hunter in “The Birdcatcher” which is cast into a waltz. “The Tragedy of the Titanic” is animated by warnings issued to passengers amidst chaotic scenes and is intermittently punctuated by motifs from my own work “The last letter from Murdoch.” At the end of their journey, Giovanni and Campanella promise to go on together in search of the “true happiness” that they heard about on their journey, but after Giovanni wakes up from the dream, he finds out that Campanella has died from trying to save a friend who fell into the river. “Giovanni’s Affections” brings to mind the possibility that perhaps true happiness means to live on for the sake of someone else as in the case of Campanella’s death. In the closing section, Giovanni receives a letter saying that his father is coming home soon, and the story ends with him vowing to stay strong and going back to his mother with news of his father’s return.
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