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Artist: Joe Hisaishi
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Joe Hisaishi:

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’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 now, 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 March, as part of the orchestra’s new CINEMA:SOUND concert series). That very special event is now available to stream on DG’s STAGE+ platform. The label issued a first single from the album on 31 March – a joyful new version of the streaming hit “Merry-Go-Round of Life” from Studio Ghibli favourite Howl’s Moving Castle. Two further singles have followed: beautiful new versions of “Mother’s Broom” and “A Town with an Ocean View”, both from Kiki’s Delivery Service.

Joe Hisaishi:

Dream Songs

Joe Hisaishi, the celebrated Japanese composer behind some of the world's best-loved anime films, is releasing a brand new album on 21st February entitled Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi – a collection of recordings from the composer himself. That same day, 30 albums from the composer's extensive catalogue will be released on streaming services worldwide for the first time ever. This marks a major milestone for Hisaishi and is the result of an international collaboration between Decca Gold and UMG Japan.

The new album celebrates Hisaishi's diverse and distinguished catalogue of compositions spanning his nearly 40-year career, including his work with acclaimed filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki and ‘Beat' Takeshi Kitano as well as selections from Studio Ghibli classics Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle and more. Hisaishi's first official music video to ‘One Summer's Day' (from Spirited Away) was welcomed by fans, having reached one million views in the first month alone.