Shunji Iwai [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

Shunji Iwai, writer and director of ‘Love Letter’, ‘Swallowtail Butterfly’ and ‘All About Lily Chou-Chou’ who also created soundtracks will come to Shanghai Oriental Art Center offering a concert with his band Hectopascal (Hec & Pascal) on May 13.

Mr. Iwai and his band will bring both the classic soundtracks of ‘Swallowtail Butterfly’, ‘Mysterious Transfer Student’ and ‘Vampire’ and other original tracks.

The Japanese director is not only satisfied with the footage, the plot and the picture but also emphasizes the melody in the movie. He has been obsessed with the sound of the piano but first actually touched the piano in the college.

Though he just received the scale practice concerning piano during his school days, the simple scale has later accomplished his cinematic aesthetics - the scenes which flow like music.

Speaking of creating these melodies, Mr. Iwai said, “The piano piece that you heard at the beginning was randomly played based on the atmosphere of the scene by me. I never, in fact, officially studied the piano, but tried composing since the ‘Swallowtail Butterfly’ because I want to share those in a space on the spot instead of CD.”

Once living in Shanghai, Mr. Iwai has his views on today’s China, "Someone said China now is very similar to Japan of the 1980s and 1990s which many of my works such as ‘All About Lily Chou-Chou’ reflects. I hope that China and Japan can cross the era and find a balance between material and spirit. ”