Joe Hisaishi Announces ‘Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi’ (Feb 21, Decca Gold)

“The John Williams of Japan” - Pitchfork

Joe Hisaishi, the celebrated Japanese composer known for his beloved film scores and his work with acclaimed filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki and his Studio Ghibli as well as 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano, announces a new 2-disc compilation album ‘Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi’ out February 21 on Decca Gold.

The collection celebrates Hisaishi’s diverse and distinguished catalog of compositions spanning his nearly 40-year career, including selections from Miyazaki classics ‘Spirited Away,’ ‘My Neighbor Totoro,’ and more, as well as recordings never before released in the US.

‘Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi’ includes several beloved Hisaishi compositions, many of which soundtrack the most famous moments in all of anime: “One Summer’s Day” (‘Spirited Away’), “My Neighbor Totoro” (‘My Neighbor Totoro’), “Princess Mononoke Suite” (‘Princess Mononoke’), and more. Deeper cuts include the playful “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” and the tender “Il Porco Rosso.” The compilation also features “Nostalgia” and “The Wind of Life” from Hisaishi’s solo piano works.

Listen to “One Summer’s Day” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK1Ij_-mank 

Joe Hisaishi - hailed by Pitchfork as “the John Williams of Japan” - has won countless awards for his achievements in composition and film scoring. He is the 8-time winner of the Japanese Academy Award for Best Music; he was awarded the Japan Medal of Honour award in 2009; and he has composed soundtracks for 2 Academy Award-winning films, ‘Departures’ (2008) and ‘Spirited Away’ (2002).

Hisaishi’s body of work, comprised of nearly 100 film scores and solo albums, draws inspiration from the canon of American minimalist compositions, experimental electronic music, and European and Japanese classical music. He has scored all but one of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli films, including 3 of the top 5 highest-grossing anime films (worldwide).

‘Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi’ Disc 1 Tracklist

1. One Summer’s Day (from Spirited Away)

2. Kiki’s Delivery Service (from Kiki’s Delivery Service)

3. Summer (from Kikujiro)

4. il porco rosso (from Porco Rosso)

5. Madness (from Porco Rosso)

6. Water Traveller (from Water Traveler – Samurai Kids)

7. Oriental Wind

8. Silent Love (from A Scene at the Sea)

9. Departures (from Departures)

10. “PRINCESS MONONOKE” Suite

(from Princess Mononoke)

11. The Procession of Celestial Beings

(from The Tale of Princess Kaguya)

12. My Neighbour TOTORO (from My Neighbor Totoro)

‘Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi’ Disc 2 Tracklist

1. Ballade (from BROTHER)

2. KIDS RETURN (from Kids Return)

3. Asian Dream Song

4. Birthday

5. Innocent (from Castle in the Sky)

6. Fantasia (for Nausicaä) (from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind)

7. HANA-BI (from HANA-BI)

8. The Wind Forest (from My Neighbor Totoro)

9. Angel Springs

10. Nostalgia

11. Spring

12. The Wind of Life

13. Ashitaka and San (from Princess Mononoke)

14. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (from Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea)

15. Cinema Nostalgia

16. Merry-Go-Round (from Howl’s Moving Castle)

MORE INFO ON JOE HISAISHI

http://shorefire.com/roster/joe-hisaishi 

https://umusic.digital/bestofjoehisaishi/