Podcasts · Episode

Joe Hisaishi

Program: NoteWorthy
Aired: Monday, August 26, 2024
Hosted by Loki Karuna

A rainy day can ruin a lot, huh? From picnics, to parades, and even performances, if they're outdoors, the rain isn't really a welcomed guest, is it? There are some instances, though, where a little rain is nice – even something beautiful. Hi – I'm Loki Karuna, and on this edition of Noteworthy I'd like for us to enjoy some musical rain, as written by composer Joe Hisaishi. 

Mamoru Fujisawa, or Joe Hisaishi, as he's known professionally, grew up watching hundreds of movies with his father, night after night. This, coupled with an early education in violin and orchestral composition, resulted in his becoming one of Japan's most significant film composers – so much so, that he opened his very own recording studio just years after attending the Kunitachi College of Music. His most famous contributions to film are without a doubt his work with Studio Ghibli, but this watery work comes from the 1999 live-action Japanese film, Kikujiro – a tune that he called, The Rain. 

In his later years, Joe not only maintained a presence in film music, but as a touring artist, selling out concert halls in Japan, here in the United States, and in countless other places across the globe. Whether it's The RaIn or the hundreds of other works he's created for film and television, Joe Hisaishi is a composer who won't go unheard anytime soon, making him one of the world's most Noteworthy composers.

Noteworthy is a production of WDAV classical public radio. 

Pictured: Joe Hisaishi in Paris by citykane – Flickr, CC BY 2.0.

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