Joe Hisaishi: A Symphonic Celebration
Deutsche Grammophon

Rota and Fellini, Herrmann and Hitchcock, Hisaishi and Miyazaki—three cases of many where composers and directors have formed symbiotic partnerships, each name forever tied to the other in the annals of filmdom. Joe Hisaishi's collaborations with Hayao Miyazaki have been especially fruitful, with the Japanese composer having created soundtracks for the director since their partnership began in 1984 with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. On A Symphonic Celebration, his first album for Deutsche Grammophon, Hisaishi has created symphonic suites based on the original soundtracks he created for it and nine Studio Ghibli films, including Spirited Away, The Wind Rises, and My Neighbor Totoro. Conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, he's joined on the project by soprano Grace Davidson, mandolin player Avi Avital, and the Bach Choir.

All of the warmth and humanity that are central to Miyazaki's animated productions are present in Hisaishi's scores. In fact, the movies' coupling of image and music is so indelible, it's almost impossible to imagine one without the other. Those familiar with the films will no doubt revisit sequences from them as the music plays; those without that background won't be any less enamoured when the musical pleasures are so abundant. His material possesses immediate appeal to listeners of all ages, but it's no less sophisticated for being accessible. There's a classical elegance and refinement to these scores that suggests that they, along with other material Hisaishi's expressly written for the concert hall, could easily find a place in any symphony concert programme. It's no accident that his soundtracks have been honoured with eight Japanese Academy Awards.

Most of the suites are action-packed and emblematic of the film's sweeping storylines (e.g., Princess Mononoke). Epic sequences also, however, regularly alternate with quieter episodes that amplify Hisaishi's tender side. When the album enters its final third, the music grows all the more affecting as that gentler dimension is showcased. It's captivating to hear the resources of the orchestra utilized to their maximum potential (which occurs throughout), but Hisaishi's music is as powerful when stripped-down, a case in point the stirring piano episode that makes Howl's Moving Castle so memorable. The opening moments of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind likewise reflect this tendency when a dramatic intro segues into a piano-directed part that's pretty and melancholy in equal measure. The emotion that's so fundamental to the appeal of Hisaishi's music resonates loudly during this quieter section, which is memorably capped by the lustrous singing of the Bach Choir.

Kiki's Delivery Service, Miyazaki's much-loved film about the challenges a teenage witch faces as she tries to establish a flying courier business, charms with pizzicato strings, endearing melodies, and touching solo violin expressions. Inspired instrumental touches help distinguish one setting from another, sparkling mandolin and regal horns and harp in The Wind Rises and Castle in the Sky two respective instances. A fan favourite for its story about a boy with a goldfish (actually a princess) in a bottle, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is highlighted by Davidson's lovely vocal contribution and the radiance of its lilting orchestral backdrop. A jazzy flavour informs the opening of Porco Rosso before the music takes on the enticing melodic character so clearly identifiable as Hisaishi's. Howl's Moving Castle is distinguished by waltz rhythms and epic scoring but most of all the lovely piano-centred passage that arrives near the end. As powerful as that sequence is, it's exceeded by the yearning melodies that make the Spirited Away suite so moving. The moment the uplifting vocal part arrives midway through startles with its beauty.

July 2023