View of Silence

I think it's time for some more of Joe Hisaishi  (at the piano – where else?) and the nine 'cellos we have seen before, in a multi-part arrangement of View of Silence, from Joe's album Pretender.

It's typical Joe material, with an almost understated emotional current running through it; and if you liked the other works of his that I have featured here previously, you are certain to like this one too...

Memory (from 'Departures')

This Joe Hisaishi composition, here performed by (I believe) the London Symphony Orchestra and – of course – Joe himself both conducting and playing the piano part, is yet another of those excellent works of which most Brits have never even heard. Well, now's our chance to get acquainted with it! The original (Japanese) title is Okuribito.

Showcasing material that is relatively unknown here in the west is one of those activities in which I specialise, and am blessed with typically more pageviews than for most other posts I have ever written here during these past five years plus. It seems to be something that is well appreciated...

Inevitably, because of the language differences, a simultaneous interpretation system had to be put in place for this performance (and its rehearsals, no doubt) which explains all those headphones worn by many of the musicians and even Joe himself – something I have not encountered previously with him, because he usually performs with Japanese orchestras and soloists.

Here we have a very good featured 'cello part as well as Joe's exemplary (as ever) piano playing, so it is a treat indeed...

Princess Mononoke Music

Pageviews show me that Joe Hisaishi's music is very popular with visitors to this 'blog, so here is what is described as a 'symphonic suite' from Princess Mononoke, performed live with Joe both conducting and playing the piano parts, as he usually does.

Strick with this: it's really quite something, and I suspect you will come out the other end feeling better, warmer, happier than how you were beforehand...

The Path of Wind

This is a really good duet between Joe Hisaishi on piano, who composed this for My Neighbour Totoro, and 'cellist Hiroshi Kondo. This is quite special; and it is the path of wind that perhaps mirrors our own lives in some ways, starting as a gentle breeze, building up into something more powerful, and finally fading away.

The comments at the YouTube page tell an almost universal story of admiration (especially for Joe) and emotional impact, reflected in the thousands of 'Likes' and (for a long time) no 'Dislikes', though the latter is now up to ten for some strange reason. Still, the history of (almost uniquely on YouTube) no Dislikes is recorded in the lengthy comments thread.

Watch the musicians' own reactions to what they are playing – it's well worth it...

Merry-Go-Round of Life

For those who got this far with the Ghibli concert, and also for those who didn't (if you see what I mean), here is the full five-minute version of this delightful waltz from the Ghibli (Miyazaki) anime Howl's Moving Castle,with the piano part again played by its composer, Joe Hisaishi.

No video, just a still, but that's all it needs...

Ghibli Music Concert

Here is an amazing concert featuring 25 years of music from Hayao Miyazaki's world-famous Studio Ghibli's animated productions, some of which are shown on a huge screen in excerpts to accompany the music. All the music was (I believe) composed by their brilliant composer Joe Hisaishi, who also conducts the orchestra and choirs at this event in Budokan and plays the piano.

It's nearly two hours long in total, so you might wish to watch it in several sessions. I think after just the first few minutes you will want to go through the whole event, so be prepared to be captivated. There is a lot of life, fun, variety and considerable style in this collection, even though one item sounds somewhat Wagner-ish!

Items featured come from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Porco Rosso, Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea, Kiki's Delivery Service, a few of the truly excellent pieces from Howl's Moving Castle (and not forgetting Laputa: Castle In The Sky while we're with the mobile castles) and of course My Neighbour Totoro. How could anyone forget him?

My favourite piece? Has to be the lovely waltz Merry-go-Round of Life from Howl's Moving Castle, starting at 1:18:10...