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Joe Hisaishi

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Joe Hisaishi

THE BOY AND THE HERON Joe Hisaishi

Symphonic Suite The Boy and the Heron for piano and orchestra

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Symphonic Suite the Boy and the Heron for piano and orchestra

Internationally acclaimed Japanese composer and conductor Joe Hisaishi announces his upcoming album The Boy and the Heron, a newly reimagined concert work based on his Golden Globe-winning score for Studio Ghibli&rsquo;s Academy Award-winning film of the same name by Hayao Miyazaki.
The project was recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and features Hisaishi himself as piano soloist. Rather than simply arranging the original soundtrack, Hisaishi has completely recomposed the music into a standalone symphonic work for the concert hall. Beloved themes from the film are woven into a rich orchestral narrative, creating an atmospheric and emotionally compelling listening experience. An essential release from one of today&rsquo;s most celebrated composers.
Speaking about the process of recomposing his original score, Hisaishi says: &ldquo;I usually create a suite based on a soundtrack in the same year as a film is released. This time I waited a little longer, and then decided to entirely rewrite the music for the concert hall. The Symphonic Suite is therefore a standalone piece, completely independent from the film.&rdquo;
The album will be released digitally, on CD and on LP on 6 November. Pre-order the CD and LP versions in the <a href="https://store.deutschegrammophon.com/de-de/collections/joe-hisaishi">DG Store</a>.
Listen to a second pre-release track, an orchestral arrangement of Ark from the movie.

Documentaries

Viola Saga Movement 2 (Part 1) (feat. Antoine Tamestit & Wiener Symphoniker)

Joe Hisaishi announces new album

This new Deutsche Grammophon album captures Hisaishi conducting &nbsp;his own vocal-orchestral suite The End of the World &nbsp;and the Japanese premiere of Steve Reich&rsquo;s The Desert Music&nbsp;
Recorded live at Suntory Hall last summer, the album features soprano Ella Taylor,&nbsp; The Philharmonic Chorus of Tokyo and the Future Orchestra Classics 
Joe Hisaishi Conducts will be released on 8&nbsp;August 2025
&nbsp;
Joe Hisaishi&rsquo;s new album for Deutsche Grammophon documents a concert given at Tokyo&rsquo;s Suntory Hall on 31 July 2024. The programme featured Hisaishi&rsquo;s own The End of the World and the Japanese premiere of his friend and colleague Steve Reich&rsquo;s The Desert Music, played by Future Orchestra Classics (FOC) under the baton of the legendary composer-conductor-pianist himself. Established by Hisaishi in 2019 as part of his mission to share his love of classical music with new audiences, the FOC is an orchestra of players praised for their vivid, expressive performances. Hisaishi and the FOC were joined at Suntory Hall by The Philharmonic Chorus of Tokyo and, in The End of the World, by soprano Ella Taylor.
Joe Hisaishi Conducts will be released in all formats on 8&nbsp;August 2025. &ldquo;D.e.a.d&rdquo; (The End of the World) and &ldquo;A. Slow&rdquo; (The Desert Music) will be issued for streaming/download on 27&nbsp;June and 18&nbsp;July respectively. This is Hisaishi&rsquo;s third full-length album for DG, with whom he signed an exclusive agreement in 2023. It follows on from the success of A&nbsp;Symphonic Celebration and the EP Ml&aacute;d&iacute;, both showcasing Hisaishi&rsquo;s iconic film music, and last spring&rsquo;s Joe Hisaishi in Vienna.
Hisaishi composed The End of the World after visiting Ground Zero in New York. &ldquo;I went there after 9/11,&rdquo; he recalls. &ldquo;When I saw the ruins of the World Trade Center, I was inspired to write The End of The World as I wondered to myself what the world would be like in the 21st century.&rdquo;&nbsp;The resulting three-movement suite for 12&nbsp;cellos, double bass, harp, percussion and piano was first performed in 2008. Its title was borrowed from another source of inspiration &ndash; the 1962 Skeeter Davis hit of that name (music by Arthur Kent, lyrics by Sylvia Dee).
By 2015, Hisaishi had transformed the suite into a five-movement work for solo voice, chorus and orchestra. The original three movements were &ldquo;Collapse&rdquo;; &ldquo;Grace of the St. Paul&rdquo; (a reference to St.&nbsp;Paul&rsquo;s Chapel, a sanctuary for emergency workers in the wake of 9/11); and &ldquo;Beyond the World&rdquo;. To these he added &ldquo;D.e.a.d&rdquo;, reimagined from the orchestral suite DEAD to include a vocal part with lyrics by Hisaishi&rsquo;s daughter Mai, a singer and lyricist. Now the fourth movement, &ldquo;Beyond the World&rdquo; features choral writing incorporated in 2009, with Latin lyrics by the composer himself. Acting as epilogue is his recomposed version of Kent &amp; Dee&rsquo;s The End of the World.
Steve Reich&rsquo;s The Desert Music (1982-83) is also in five movements. Written for amplified voices and orchestra, it sets words by American poet and physician William Carlos Williams (1883-1963). Having long admired Williams&rsquo; poetry, Reich chose a selection of poems from The Desert Music and Other Poems (1954) and Journey to Love (1955), using extracts from these to form an arch-like work.
The idea of the &ldquo;desert&rdquo; has many different associations for Reich. These include his own childhood journeys through the Mojave in California; biblical tales of Moses and the Israelites in Sinai; and the first ever atomic detonation, which took place in New Mexico&rsquo;s Alamogordo Desert in July 1945.
Just weeks after that test, codenamed Trinity, the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were struck by nuclear bombs. Reich chose post-war poems that referenced these events, and has said of his own work, &ldquo;In The Desert Music, the William Carlos Williams poems deal with the atomic bomb, so I had to express a darkness in the music that had not been present in my previous compositions&rdquo;.
&ldquo;The Desert Music refers not to a natural environment, but to the desert created in America by the first atomic bomb tests,&rdquo; adds Hisaishi. &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t go so far as to say it was anti-war, but it&rsquo;s a work about the feelings that weigh on the American psyche about creating that particular &lsquo;desert&rsquo;.&rdquo;
&ldquo;In a way,&rdquo; he goes on, &ldquo;both works have themes related to war.&nbsp;This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, so it seems apt that I commemorate this&nbsp;important milestone by performing both The End of the World and Desert Music again at the BBC Proms in August, which is a great&nbsp;privilege.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
Joe Hisaishi &ndash; upcoming tour dates: 
3/4&nbsp;Jul &ndash; Esplanade, Singapore (Hisaishi, incl. Asian premiere of Harp Concerto and world premiere of The Boy and the Heron Suite for Piano and Orchestra, Stravinsky, M&aacute;rquez)
16/17&nbsp;Jul &ndash; Tokyo Dome (Hisaishi)
21/22 Jul &ndash; Lotte Concert Hall, Seoul (Hisaishi) &middot; 24/25&nbsp;Jul &ndash; Suntory Hall, Tokyo (Hisaishi)
14&nbsp;Aug &ndash; BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall, London (Hisaishi, Reich)
23&nbsp;Aug &ndash; Aichi Prefectural Arts Center, Nagoya (Hisaishi, Reich)
25&nbsp;Aug &ndash; Festival Hall, Osaka (Hisaishi, Reich) &middot; 26&nbsp;Aug &ndash; Hyogo Performing Arts Center (Hisaishi, Reich)
27&nbsp;Aug &ndash; Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Tokyo (Hisaishi, Reich)

Joe Hisaishi Presents Mládí for Piano and Strings

Ml&aacute;d&iacute; brings together music from three of the composer&rsquo;s scores for films made by actor-director Takeshi Kitano 
Hisaishi directs the Wiener Symphoniker strings from the keyboard
The recording comes out on 6 December to celebrate Hisaishi&rsquo;s birthday
This summer Joe Hisaishi became the first classical artist to headline three consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden, performing selections of the music he has written for the Studio Ghibli films of Hayao Miyazaki. For his latest Deutsche Grammophon release, the legendary composer, conductor and pianist turns the spotlight on his work with another leading figure in Japanese cinema, Takeshi Kitano. Recorded as part of the hugely successful collaboration with the Wiener Symphoniker that began with Hisaishi&rsquo;s acclaimed debut at the Vienna Musikverein in March 2023, Ml&aacute;d&iacute; will be released digitally and as a 12-inch vinyl EP&nbsp; to mark Hisaishi&rsquo;s 74th birthday on 6&nbsp;December 2024. A taster track will be issued on 24 October.
Written for piano and strings, Ml&aacute;d&iacute; sees Hisaishi take on the soloist&rsquo;s role, directing the players of the Wiener Symphoniker from the keyboard. The suite is made up of three excerpts from his soundtracks for films written and directed by Takeshi Kitano. Its opening movement, &ldquo;Summer&rdquo;, is taken from the 1999 road movie Kikujiro, &ldquo;HANA-BI&rdquo; comes from the 1997 crime thriller of the same name (also released as Fireworks), and the suite ends with the title track from Kitano&rsquo;s 1996 coming-of-age story &ldquo;Kids Return&rdquo;. Borrowed from the title of a wind sextet by Leo&scaron; Jan&aacute;ček, Ml&aacute;d&iacute; means &ldquo;youth&rdquo; in Czech.
An icon of the film world, Joe Hisaishi is known globally for his collaborations with Miyazaki on such movies as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro and, most recently, The Boy and the Heron (2023), for which the composer earned a Golden Globe nomination. His debut DG album, A&nbsp;Symphonic Celebration &ndash; Music from the Studio Ghibli films of Hayao Miyazaki, was one of last year&rsquo;s best-selling classical albums worldwide.
Hisaishi has also garnered widespread respect for his catalogue of contemporary classical works, inspired by minimalism and the experimental writing of friends and colleagues such as Philip Glass, Steve Reich and Terry Riley, as well as by the rich musical heritage of Japan and Western classical traditions. This aspect of his career is reflected on his recently released second DG album, Joe Hisaishi in Vienna, which features the world premiere recordings of his Symphony No.&nbsp;2 and Viola Saga, performed by the Wiener Symphoniker (and soloist Antoine Tamestit), conducted by Hisaishi.
&nbsp;
Joe Hisaishi &ndash; upcoming tour dates: 
5/6/7/8 September &ndash; Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco (Music from the Studio Ghibli Films)
27/28 September &ndash; Sumida Triphony Hall, Tokyo (Works by Dvoř&aacute;k &amp; Brahms)
24 October &ndash; The Symphony Hall, Osaka (Works by Reich &amp; Schumann)
14/15/17 November &ndash; Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles (Works by Hisaishi &amp; Mussorgsky/Ravel) 23/24 November &ndash; Royal Albert Hall, London (Works by Hisaishi &amp; Britten)
3/4/5 January 2025 &ndash; Verizon Hall, Philadelphia (Works by Hisaishi)

Joe Hisaishi in Vienna

Friday 28 June, Berlin. Deutsche Grammophon is delighted to present Joe Hisaishi in Vienna &ndash; the world-renowned and multi-award-winning Japanese composer, conductor and pianist&rsquo;s second Yellow Label album. Today&rsquo;s release comes just two weeks before Hisaishi performs three headline shows on consecutive evenings at Madison Square Garden &ndash; a first for any classical artist. The concerts will feature music from the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki, with over 150 artists on stage at the historic New York venue each night.
Available now &ndash; digitally, on CD and on vinyl (2 LPs) &ndash; Joe Hisaishi in Vienna contains the world premiere recordings of the composer&rsquo;s Symphony No.&nbsp;2, captured live with the Wiener Symphoniker as part of his triumphant debut at the Vienna Musikverein in March 2023 (the full concert can be viewed on <a href="https://www.stage-plus.com/video/vod_concert_APNM8GRFDPHMASJKBSPJ6CO">STAGE+</a>), and his Viola Saga, with renowned soloist Antoine Tamestit. A special performance of Viola Saga filmed during the recording sessions at the Vienna Konzerthaus premieres on <a href="https://www.stage-plus.com/video/live_concert_9HKNCPA3DTN66PBIEHFJCD1G">STAGE+</a> tomorrow, 29&nbsp;June 2024.
An icon of the film world, Joe Hisaishi is known globally for his collaborations with Studio Ghibli creator and two-time Oscar-winner Hayao Miyazaki on such movies as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro and, most recently, The Boy and the Heron (2023), for which the composer earned a Golden Globe nomination. His debut DG album, A Symphonic Celebration &ndash; Music from the Studio Ghibli films of Hayao Miyazaki, was one of last year&rsquo;s best-selling classical albums worldwide.
Hisaishi has also garnered widespread respect for his wide-ranging catalogue of contemporary classical works, inspired by minimalism and the experimental writing of friends and colleagues such as Philip Glass, Steve Reich and Terry Riley, as well as by the rich musical heritage of Japan and Western classical traditions. Joe Hisaishi in Vienna focuses on this aspect of his work, highlighting the originality and versatility of his musical craftsmanship, and on his long-honed skill and sensitivity as a conductor.
The minimalist Symphony No.&nbsp;2 uses subtle repetition to dramatic effect, its stark contrasts in rhythm and orchestral texture creating variation across its three movements. So pleased was Hisaishi with the Wiener Symphoniker&rsquo;s Musikverein performance that he chose to include the live version on the album &ndash; and, just months later, returned to the Austrian capital to record his 2022 viola concerto with the same orchestra. The soloist in Viola Saga is French violist Antoine Tamestit, his warm sound and unsurpassed technique perfect for its changing moods and demanding writing. He has since gone on to give acclaimed live performances of the work with Hisaishi in Macao and Osaka.

Joe Hisaishi, Japan’s Most Influential Composer of Film and Classical Music, Presents his Debut Deutsche Grammophon Album

On 30 March 2023, Deutsche Grammophon announced the signing of an exclusive agreement with Joe Hisaishi, the revered Japanese composer whose work has become synonymous with the magical Studio Ghibli animations of director Hayao Miyazaki. Spanning the full spectrum of Hisaishi&rsquo;s work as composer, conductor and pianist, the deal will deliver a richly varied range of audio and audiovisual recordings. For his first DG album, out today (30 June), Hisaishi has created an exciting series of symphonic arrangements of his original soundtracks for such Ghibli classics as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and My neighbor Totoro. Fittingly titled A Symphonic Celebration and made in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the composer, the album presents state-of-the-art recordings of the extraordinary music of this much-loved artistic force in animated movie-making.
Just weeks before the release of A Symphonic Celebration, the maestro made his debut at the Vienna Musikverein with the Wiener Symphoniker (on 30&nbsp;March, as part of the orchestra&rsquo;s new CINEMA:SOUND concert series). That very special event is now available to stream on DG&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.stage-plus.com/video/vod_concert_APNM8GRFDPHMASJKBSPJ6CO" target="_blank" rel="noopener">STAGE+</a> platform. The label issued a first single from the album on 31&nbsp;March &ndash; a joyful new version of the streaming hit &ldquo;Merry-Go-Round of Life&rdquo; from Studio Ghibli favourite Howl&rsquo;s Moving Castle. Two further singles have followed: beautiful new versions of &ldquo;Mother&rsquo;s Broom&rdquo; and &ldquo;A Town with an Ocean View&rdquo;, both from Kiki&rsquo;s Delivery Service.
Hisaishi ranks among Japan&rsquo;s greatest composers of all time and is famed worldwide for his collaborative work with Oscar-winning director and Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki. Their creative partnership began in 1984 with the post-apocalyptic anime feature Nausica&auml; of the Valley of the Wind and has since developed to the point that they are now likened to other legendary director-composer pairings, including Hitchcock and Herrmann, Fellini and Rota, Leone and Morricone, and Spielberg and Williams. Indeed, Hisaishi&rsquo;s reputation has been secured by the fact that his soundtracks have won eight Japanese Academy Awards, an unprecedented achievement. He is equally acknowledged, however, as a conductor and as a composer of contemporary classical music, much of it minimalistic and experimental in nature, like that of friends and colleagues such as Philip Glass, Terry Riley and Nico Muhly.
Hisaishi&rsquo;s vast catalogue includes over 100 film scores and around 30 studio albums. He has also written compositions for the concert hall, among them symphonies, TRI-AD for large orchestra, The Border, a concerto for three horns and orchestra and, most recently, Viola Saga, premiered in 2022. Furthermore, he has composed and recorded a sequence of Piano Stories, tuneful miniatures that reflect his fascination with minimalism and feeling for vibrant instrumental colours.

Joe Hisaishi, Signs to Deutsche Grammophon and Announces His First DG Album, 'A Symphonic Celebration'

On 30 March 2023, Deutsche Grammophon announced the signing of an exclusive agreement with Joe Hisaishi, the revered Japanese composer whose work has become synonymous with the magical Studio Ghibli animations of director Hayao Miyazaki. Spanning the full spectrum of Hisaishi&rsquo;s work as composer, conductor and pianist, the deal will deliver a richly varied range of audio and audiovisual recordings. For his first DG album, he has created an exciting series of symphonic arrangements of his original soundtracks for such Ghibli classics as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and My neighbor Totoro. Fittingly titled A Symphonic Celebration, it presents state-of-the-art recordings of his extraordinary work for this much-loved artistic force in animated movie-making.
In advance of the release of A Symphonic Celebration this summer, the maestro made his debut at the Vienna Musikverein with the Wiener Symphoniker on 30 March (as part of the Wiener Symphoniker&rsquo;s new concert series CINEMA:SOUND), and the label issued a first single from the album on 31&nbsp;March &ndash; a joyful new version of the streaming hit &ldquo;Merry-Go-Round of Life&rdquo; from Studio Ghibli favourite Howl&rsquo;s Moving Castle. Preorders of the album will go live on 14 April, alongside the release of a beautiful new version of &ldquo;Mother&rsquo;s Broom&rdquo; from&nbsp; Kiki&rsquo;s Delivery Service.
&ldquo;I love the fact that Deutsche Grammophon pays special attention to both creativity and sound quality,&rdquo; says Joe Hisaishi. &ldquo;Working with its team of dedicated professionals to conjure new symphonic worlds for classical music-lovers will be a joy.&rdquo;
Hisaishi ranks among Japan&rsquo;s greatest composers of all time and is famed worldwide for his collaborative work with Oscar-winning director and Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki. Their creative partnership began in 1984 with the post-apocalyptic anime feature Nausica&auml; of the Valley of the Wind and has since developed to the point that they are now likened to other legendary director-composer pairings, including Hitchcock and Herrmann, Fellini and Rota, Leone and Morricone, and Spielberg and Williams. Indeed, Hisaishi&rsquo;s reputation has been secured by the fact that his soundtracks have won eight Japanese Academy Awards, an unprecedented achievement. He is equally acknowledged, however, as a conductor and as a composer of contemporary classical music, much of it minimalistic and experimental in nature, like that of friends and colleagues such as Philip Glass, Terry Riley and Nico Muhly.
Universal Music Japan&rsquo;s President/CEO Naoshi Fujikura says, &ldquo;Our work with Joe Hisaishi, an artist with a brilliant career spanning over 40 years and multiple award-winning recordings, has always been a source of pride. We are truly proud to&nbsp;work with our friends at Deutsche Grammophon to bring his captivating scores to an even wider audience worldwide.&rdquo;
Hisaishi&rsquo;s first DG album, A Symphonic Celebration, turns the spotlight on his Studio Ghibli hits. Recorded in London by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the composer, its tracks are newly arranged by Hisaishi for symphony orchestra.
&ldquo;During our first studio sessions together last summer, Joe Hisaishi enchanted the recording crew and musicians of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with his thorough musicality, conducting authority and friendly manner,&rdquo; recalls Kleopatra Sofroniou, DG&rsquo;s General Manager Classics. &ldquo;We feel honoured to have the opportunity of working with him on future audio and audiovisual productions.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Joe Hisaishi&rsquo;s compositions are a fresh and genuinely original approach to symphonic music that is still rooted in the classical tradition,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Dr Clemens Trautmann,&nbsp;President Deutsche Grammophon. &ldquo;He reaches millions through his scores for the screen and attracts capacity audiences to all the major concert halls around the world. Together with our close partners at Universal Music Japan, we aim to document his irresistible music with signature recordings made by excellent musical partners such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Wiener Symphoniker.&rdquo;
Hisaishi&rsquo;s vast catalogue includes over 100 film scores and around 30 studio albums. He also wrote compositions for the concert hall, among them symphonies, TRI-AD for large orchestra, The Border, a concerto for three horns and orchestra and, most recently, Viola Saga, premiered in 2022. Furthermore, he has written and recorded a sequence of Piano Stories, tuneful miniatures that reflect their composer's fascination with minimalism and feeling for vibrant instrumental colours.

Sinfonische Musik/Orchester

KLASSIK

Ziggo Dome

Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, Lang, Reich, Hisaishi

Denver Performing Arts Complex

Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, Hisaishi

Davies Symphony Hall

Opera City Concert Hall

Esplanade

The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapur, Debussy, Hisaishi

The Star Performing Arts Centre

Royal Albert Hall, London, Lang, Reich, Hisaishi

Royal Albert Hall

Isarphilharmonie, Munich, Hisaishi: Concerto for Orchestra &amp; "The Boy and the Heron"

Isarphilharmonie

KKL, Lucerne, Hisaishi: Concerto for Orchestra &amp; "The Boy and the Heron"

Liederhalle, Stuttgart, Hisaishi: Concerto for Orchestra &amp; " The Boy and the Heron"

Liederhalle

Philharmonie, Berlin, Hisaishi: Concerto for Orchestra &amp; " The Boy and the Heron"

Philharmonie

Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, Hisaishi: Concerto for Orchestra &amp; "The Boy and the Heron"

Elbphilharmonie

Suntory Hall

Symphony Hall

Concert Hall

Joe Hisaishi: Ocean Memory

OCEAN MEMORY Joe Hisaishi

Joe Hisaishi: Symphony No. 3 & Harp Concerto

SYMPHONY NO. 3 & HARP CONCERTO / Joe Hisaishi

Joe Hisaishi Conducts | Steve Reich & Joe Hisaishi

JOE HISAISHI CONDUCTS

JOE HISAISHI IN VIENNA

Joe Hisaishi - A Symphonic Celebration

A SYMPHONIC CELEBRATION Joe Hisaishi

Joe Hisaishi - Merry-Go-Round of Life

MERRY-GO-ROUND OF LIFE Joe Hisaishi

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Title

Joe Hisaishi - Overview | Deutsche Grammophon

THE BOY AND THE HERON

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Viola Saga Movement 2 (Part 1) (feat. Antoine Tamestit & Wiener Symphoniker)

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