“The John Williams of Japan” – Pitchfork

28 FEBRUARY 2020 (TORONTO, ON) -- Joe Hisaishi, the celebrated Japanese composer behind some of the world’s best-loved anime films, has released a brand new album entitled Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi – a collection of recordings from the composer himself. 30 albums from the composer’s extensive catalogue have also been released via 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/Universal Music Canada, the country's leading music company.

WATCH THE NEW MUSIC VIDEO TO "ONE SUMMER’S DAY" BELOW

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.

Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi includes several beloved Hisaishi compositions, many of which accompany the most famous moments in all of anime: "One Summer’s Day" (from Spirited Away), "My Neighbour TOTORO" (from My Neighbour Totoro), ”PRINCESS MONONOKE” Suite (from Princess Mononoke) and more. There is also the playful track "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.

Meanwhile, in a major development for Hisaishi fans worldwide, 30 albums from the composer’s catalogue will now be available globally. These include beloved compositions from his film scores, as well as his own albums and original works – among them are ENCORE, FREEDOM PIANO STORIES 4, Melodyphony, WORKS II and MinimalRhythm 3.

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 eight-time winner of the Japanese Academy Award for Best Music; he was awarded the Japan Medal of Honour in 2009; and he has composed soundtracks for two 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 minimal music compositions, experimental electronic music, and European and Japanese classical music. He has scored all but one of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli films, including three of the top five highest-grossing anime films worldwide.

Hisaishi is undertaking a major tour in 2020, including concerts in Singapore, Melbourne, Vancouver, Seattle, Toronto and Stockholm.

‘Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi’ – Tracklisting:

Part 1
One Summer’s Day (from Spirited Away)
Kiki’s Delivery Service (from Kiki’s Delivery Service)
Summer (from Kikujiro)
il Porco Rosso (from Porco Rosso)
Madness (from Porco Rosso)
Water Traveller (from Water Traveler – Samurai Kids)
Oriental Wind
Silent Love (from A Scene at the Sea)
Departures (from Departures)
“PRINCESS MONONOKE” Suite (from Princess Mononoke)
The Procession of Celestial Beings (from The Tale of Princess Kaguya)
My Neighbour TOTORO (from My Neighbor Totoro)

Part 2
Ballade (from BROTHER)
KIDS RETURN (from Kids Return)
Asian Dream Song
Birthday
Innocent (from Castle in the Sky)
Fantasia (for Nausicaä) (from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind)
HANA-BI (from HANA-BI)
The Wind Forest (from My Neighbor Totoro)
Angel Springs
Nostalgia
Spring
The Wind of Life
Ashitaka and San (from Princess Mononoke)
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (from Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea)
Cinema Nostalgia
Merry-Go-Round (from Howl’s Moving Castle)

Joe Hisaishi – Album Catalogue:
ENCORE
ETUDE –a Wish to the Moon–
PIANO STORIES II –The Wind of Life–
NOSTALGIA –PIANO STORIES III–
FREEDOM PIANO STORIES 4
Piano Stories Best ’88-’08
Another Piano Stories –The End of the World–
WORLD DREAMS
PSYCHO HORROR NIGHT
AMERICAN IN PARIS
W.D.O. BEST
The End of the World
Melodyphony
WORKS I
WORKS II –Orchestra Nights–
WORKS III
WORKS IV –Dream of W.D.O.–
Symphonic Suite Castle in the Sky
Spirited Away Suite
MinimalRhythm
MinimalRhythm II
MinimalRhythm III
Shoot The Violist
CURVED MUSIC
Departures (Original Soundtrack)
Children of the Sea (Original Soundtrack)
Kids Return (Original Soundtrack)
HANA-BI (Original Soundtrack)
Kikujiro (Original Soundtrack)
Ni No Kuni the Movie (Original Soundtrack)