CLEVELAND, Ohio — If you know the name Joe Hisaishi, it’s likely thanks to Studio Ghibli. Since the 1980s, the Japanese composer has scored many of the a nimation studio’s most iconic films, including the Oscar-winning “Spirited Away” and the beloved “Howl’s Moving Castle.”

When not writing for the screen, Hisaishi composes contemporary classical music. His distinctly minimalist style sets these works apart from his more tuneful film scores.

On Thursday evening, Sept. 4, he brought examples of both to Severance Music Center for “Hisaishi Conducts Hisaishi,” a program featuring The Cleveland Orchestra and viola soloist Antoine Tamestit in an exploratory journey of texture, tone and rhythm.

The large instrumentation of Symphony No. 3, “Metaphysica” nods to Gustav Mahler, one of Hisais

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