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The Joe Hisaishi Thread


pete

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there is a thread dedicated specifically to Joe Hisiashi.

 

To kick things off, I just came across this unexpected report from Taiwain about a recent Hisaishi concert:

 

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“Now I have listened to garbage trucks for the first time during a concert; I will remember this for the rest of my life,” another said.

 

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  • 1 year later...
On 30/10/2017 at 7:03 PM, Kühni said:

Annual reminder to watch this fabulous concert again... ;)

Yep that concert video is great ! 

 

I feel lucky to have been able to attend this one this year. It's also been recorded but it's not on youtube though.

 

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  • 4 months later...

Joe Hisaishi is coming to America! He will be in San Jose in May. Looks like tickets are going fast.

http://soundtrackfest.com/en/news/joe-hisaishi-in-concert-in-california-may-2018/

 

I have written a report about the same concert in Paris for who is interested:

https://soundtrackworld.com/2017/06/joe-hisaishi-symphonic-concert-paris/

 

 

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I saw him in paris last year and will be seing him again this year as he returns for another concert at the Philharmonie de Paris (acoustic concert, not amplified like last year) :D

 

BTW I read your review, great writing :)

 

https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr/activite/concert-symphonique/19388-joe-hisaishi

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Thank you for the kind words.

 

The concert is not amplified?! That would be awesome. I already had the date marked on my calendar when the tickets go on sale.

 

Someone also pointed me to a concert in New York that he will do in October:

 

https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2018/10/29/JOE-HISAISHI-SYMPHONY-CONCERT-MUSIC-FROM-THE-STUDIO-GHIBLI-FILMS-OF-HAYAO-MIYAZAKI-0800PM

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

My favorite track is the 1:38 Track 1, The Legend of Ashitaka, but it's been banned online, only the poor version remains on YouTube.

 

Right when that title appears, the main theme breaks off the cymbals and the strings glide over the horns and counter melody. The melody is legendary. I also really love Track 3, Journey to the West, but the original one.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would go for the end credits track of that CD. The 1-minute awesomeness is extended with a couple of minutes in that track. It is also the first track of the Symphonic Suite CD. I am blessed with both CDs (and a connection in Japan) This album is my all time favorite.

 

In the meantime, I have finished my report of the concert last month in Paris. Last concerts I have attended of Hisaishi he always has the cello and double bass players on the far right side of him. For who likes to read it: https://soundtrackworld.com/2019/03/joe-hisaishi-paris-2019/

 

JoeHisaishi-Paris-2019-002-450x250.jpg

 

 

 

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As more of a snippets/moments guy, personally I think there's nothing in the End Credits that can top the build-up and release of the Main Theme in the 1st track. It's like one of the most epic sounds I've ever heard. This is why I hate rating tracks and pieces, it's much more reasonable to compare snippets (like 10 sec of your favorite moments from music.) Every piece is made of great sounds, and each sound is its own thing to compare and value. A piece at every moment can bend into other many possible variations, so the whole doesn't matter as much as how each sequence flows into the other.

 

It's like why I think the Leia's Theme double-melodic moment of the Star Wars Main Theme Suite is the best thing Williams has ever written.

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  • 1 month later...

After seeing Nausicaä for the first time yesterday I just had to seek something out and found this:

 

Lovely!

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  • 2 months later...

His real name is Mamoru Fujisawa.

 

According to Wikipedia:

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As his works were becoming well known, Hisaishi formulated an alias inspired by Quincy Jones, an African-American musician and producer. Retranscribed in Japanese, "Quincy Jones" became "Joe Hisaishi". ("Quincy", pronounced "Kuishi" in Japanese, can be written using the same kanji in "Hisaishi"; "Joe" comes from "Jones".)

 

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1 hour ago, Disco Stu said:

His real name is Mamoru Fujisawa

 

 

Yes, it's mentioned right there in the opening paragraph of the article linked to.

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Didn't Hisaishi change the score in some way for the Disney release in the 2000s?  I only watch the Disney dub (sorry haters, I won't be convinced otherwise) and I feel like the music I hear in that differs from the soundtrack release I have in many ways. 

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That being said, it's certainly possible that the English dub of Nausicaa might very well also move music around compared to what the original dub does, I have no idea.  But I don't think it features any newly recorded music like Castle does

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I am unaware of there being a way to hear the music yet. 

 

 

We do know that the OST album arrives on Wednesday, August 9th.

 

On 30/06/2023 at 3:24 AM, Quppa said:

 

On 20/07/2023 at 10:30 AM, filmmusic said:
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I just got back from seeing the film and I'm not sure what to make of it. It's probably something I'll have to watch again to help digest.

 

As for the music...hmm. I haven't formed an opinion on that either, but I'm most curious to see what the moviegoing public is going to think. Folks pick up Hisaishi for a particular...brand of tunefulness. That much seems to be reflected in things like his Ghibli concerts and his new DG release. He's smuggled bits and bobs of his minimalist style (when he's not literally posing with Terry Riley in his mountain retreat for Instagram) into his Ghibli scores, but they tend to be grounded in something the audience will go home humming.

 

All this is to say that I don't feel confident I could even write down what I heard in this film, unlike the genius folks who can bootleg Helena's Theme after one sitting like Mozart casually transcribing a secret church hymn. It looks to me like Miyazaki turned to Hisaishi and said "go wild," and Hisaishi gleefully turned the minimalist dial to 11.

 

Interestingly, if I read the credits correctly, the orchestra is named "Future Orchestra Classics," one of his current partners for his classics series. I forget if the makeup is largely the NJP, but I get the sense it's not — I need to look into that. Or just wait four days.

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