Joe Hisaishi

Hisaishi6

Joe Hisaishi, whose real name is Mamoru Fujisawa, is a composer and musical director known for his soundtracks, especially for Miyazaki’s films. He was born on 6th December 1950 in Nakano a prefecture of Nagano, Japan. He discovered his passion for music when he started to take violin lessons at the age of five; so he attended the Kunitachi College of Music in 1969. His first work with Miyazaki was on Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Nausicaä della Valle del vento), from there one of the greatest collaborations in the animated and cinematographic industry started. He won six Japan Academy Awards for the Best Music and others prizes.

Hisaishi’s music was influenced by some genres like J-pop, electronic music and new age: this aspect can be heard in the soundtracks of Miyazaki’s works but, at the same time, there are classical music and piano inside them. A strong factor of his musical compositions (for films) is that they are written only when he knows perfectly the scene and its timing, so he can compose a music that fills flawlessly with that part. All the movies have a specific setting, probably inspired by a real place, as well as the music: the tracks pass through Japan, Europe, Hollywood and around the world; from funny moments to sad or fast ones; they can describe a character or show a hidden side of the same. Many of Miyazaki’s works have flying scenes and the theme of flight is one of his passions, so Hisaishi tried to link the feeling of hope, to the spirits of those scenes.17

Some masterpieces by Miyazaki without music are not the same; they don’t transmit the same emotions and the same beauty. The union of the two languages of cinema and music can express everything, more than only words can do, because they are universal.

Joe Hisaishi for the 25th anniversary of the Studio Ghibli directed an orchestra composed by 1200 elements, the biggest one in the world directed by one person.

Some soundtracks are published in four different types of albums: Image Album, includes tracks composed in early steps of the production of the film, the music follows the guidelines of the director based on the atmosphere of the scene; these pieces are sometimes not in the final work, because they don’t fit that particular scene. Original SoundTrack, the tracks are the same that are in the film, they are shorter than the piece composed to fit the length of the movie. Symphonical Suite, contains the most significant pieces rearranged in orchestral music. Hi-tech series, in which the soundtrack is re-composed with electronic instruments.

When Miyazaki announced his retirement, a period of Hisaishi’s life from which he learned important teachings working on with him and on his films ended (Hisaishi said that during the interview, check out the previous note). In fact, every note in every movie is a vital piece of that wind, which has blown on Miyazaki’s cinematographic life starting princess of that valley of the wind where it all began.

Joe Hisaishi in Budokan - Studio Ghibli 25 Years Concert