Kato’s talents extend beyond singing. She also played the guitar during the concert at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas with the backing of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
BLESSED with grace and talent, renowned Japanese singer Tokiko Kato enthralled the audience on a special night backed by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) in Kuala Lumpur.
The unique concert themed “Love Songs, from Soul to Soul Across the Sea” led by conductor Naohisa Furusawa was held to celebrate DFP’s 25th anniversary, and supported by the Japan Embassy and Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur.
She exuded joy in her first performance in Malaysia, and conveyed gratitude to DFP for the successful organisation of this concert.
Kato was born in Harbin, Manchukuo in China to Japanese parents in 1943, during World War Two.
She won Japan Amateur Chanson Competition in 1965 and since then has recorded more than 80 albums throughout her illustrious career producing many hit songs in Japan.
During the evening’s performance, Kato, with her gentle voice, performed one of her signature songs, Talk of Times Past, in a grand symphonic version.
This song was originally used as the theme for Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film Porco Rosso, and it carries a deeply moving story.
Kato had personally composed Talk of Times Past reminiscing about the passionate days of her youth; the song lyrics resonated perfectly with the themes of the animated film.
Although at a ripe age of 80, Kato’s performance was nothing short of enchanting.
She performed a splendid rendition of Filipino classic folk song Anak, in Japanese, as well as The Morning You Left, mentioning how the song had accompanied her through the lonely years following her husband’s passing two decades ago.
Kato’s artistic talents extends beyond singing, and she showed her prowess on the guitar.
The singer has performed all around the world including at Carnegie Hall, New York in 1988 and received the prestigious Chevalier Medal for Culture in 1992 from the government of France for her artistic achievements and cultural activities.
Kato has also appeared in film – Izakaya Choji (1983) – and was a voice actor for Porco Rosso (1992).
Additionally, she also sang and composed Le Temps des Cerises (The Time of Cherries) in Porco Rosso, and performed John Lennon’s Imagine.
The concert concluded with an encore performance of the Japanese version of P. Ramlee’s Getaran Jiwa, leaving the audience in awe.
