Is that the Japanese cartoon?

I now have the totoro music going round my head I've never seen it but a friend insisted on playing the music to me quite a number of times a few years back...

YEP!

Yes, I know the title music....

Out of interest Noodelz, i dunno whether they did this in your edition of MNT, but do the two girls seem to laugh an AWFUL lot?? Like endless highpitched 'aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha'...

I have no idea as I was 7 of 8 when I watched it! I'll tell you when I see it.

Is it the one where two sisters find a huge 'thingy' and it's all magical or something? (didn't explain myself too well there)

yes..and the CATBUS IS SO COOL!!

Apparently, Hisaishi is playing in Korea right now.

Random but ever so slightly interesting.

OH..um..ok and Einaudi is still in Germany i think!

ok, who is Hisashi?

*hides ready for bombardment, for not knowing who he is*

He's a pianist!

Car Expert

He is a Japanese composer who composes for piano, orchestra, chamber and lots (and lots and lots) fof film music. He's done some Takeshi Kitano films (though apparently they're a bit violent though the music is still nice) but his most well known stuff is from Hayao Miyazaki films (you might know Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro and Howl's Moving Castle).

You can hear his stuff on this Japanese midi site: Nostalgia Wind
...and this is the translated version (though the links dont work..)LOL

Thought I'd post this here as i think Noodelz, Matt and Lou might be interested...

Have a look at music by Eric Chiryoku
Its mainly Piano and orchestra, or piano with flute and violin...its quite Hisaishi/filmish (if you get what i mean) but REALLY NICE! I like (so far) Life Journey, Winter Story and Meadow Whisper.
I think you can hear some of them in full on the soundclick website that Crazycow put up in GMF....here

Listening to it now, it's really nice.

Nice! My favourite has to be Life Journey as it has a much greater range of sounds than the others, but the others are nice too!

Yes, it's really nice!

Car Expert

I've just found MNT and I will probably watch it tonight!

Life Journey, Meadow Whispers and Remembrance for me, after listening to all f them one after another.

Just saw the trailer for 'A Chinese tall Story' (the new film Hisaishi is working on) as expected the music is fantastic and the film doesn't look half bad too. Although it'll be interesting to see how they are going to fit in such a giant story(it's an old chinese legend) into one or two hours.

Is that the wacky one? I went on the site for about 2 seconds, not had a chance to look poroperly yet!

I think it's just the layout of the website. The film is based around the legend of the monkey king except it follows the monk instead. It also throws in some ungly alien that falls in love with the monk. It does sound a little cheesy but at the same time, interesting.

THE MONKEY KING!! If thats the one I'm thinking of then i SO have to watch that when it comes out...You ever see that cartoon?

The monkey king!!! What's that... I'm going to watch Howl's Moving Castle on Sunday morning!!

Edit: Oh right...cool... monks! eek after I read the da vinci code I got a bit freaked out whenever I heard monk, religiousy stuff, Mona Lisa or Walt Disney... it's such a freaky but good book!

Lou, the monkey thing as in that one with the monkey who has a stick that he pulls out from behind his ear, and the pig, and those monks and stuff..get me? (sun wu kong in Chinese)

I know those!!!!!!!! LOL yep I used to recite them when I was 3 and watch them all Saturday when I was in China... now... well I know there's the monk, monkey, pig and strange guy and em the monkey came from a mountain didn't he?

He came from a rock in a waterfall which had loads of fruit. I think so anyway, I never watched the cartoon. I saw it on this chinese channel, TVB.

If you have no idea of I'm yapping on about, here is a poster of it:

What about it?

Ok .

I like the music.

Yay! Which one's your favourite?

MNT is such a good film! Obviously, the music was fab. It's a film that doesn't need romance, baddies or violence to make it funny and enjoyable.

THATS THE ONE!!!

I have a version of the story on DVD somewhere i think!!

HISAISHI HISAISHI HISAISHI!! SPREAD THE WORD!! (Soz Ceri, I'm a bit obsessed as you can see/read)

It is hard to pick a favourite!!

Yay more Hisaishi fans! Glad you like them Ceri Now then... how do I email Classic FM...

I used a 'comments' thing on the chiller cabinet bit...

I can't figure out if I actually like his music or not

You do, your just tired.

No. I am listening to it..and it just doesn't sound anything amazingly special to me..it doesn't stand out.

I recognise that monkey poster! I watched that when I was a kid. Very bizarre and rather silly but quite entertaining, as I recall.

What pieces are you listening to?

hmmmm well i suppose each to his own! For me Hisaishi is like a miracle worker!

No idea, Ive just heard a few.

Most of his works from Piano Stories 1 is quite good, I think Kids Return has lots of energy and the same for Sonatine. Have you tried the one second to last at the bottom? It's just a small clip but it's quite nice. The last one is the theme from Howl's Moving Castle. Definately listen to Summer, there is quite a few versions of it but I think that the original is the best, if you're having trouble findiong it then this is a link to it. Last but not least, try Hana-Bi as well. Those are just a few, I'm sure there's plenty more that you'll like but there's no point in forcing you to listen to stuff you don't like.

Presumably he doesn't use MIDI strings in actual recordings??

Hisaishi does like to use some electrical stuff but I think in the original it was real instruments.

OK. I had to stop listening to that recoding because the strings were so obviously fake and I really don't like that!! (well presume it was supposed to be strings?) Hate the sound of synths usually unless they're exceedingly good, but those were... not.

Everything there are MIDI files except for the MP3 section.

Try listening to Spring from Piano Stories 4, and also Wind of Life, and Asian Dream song (from PS 2 or 3, cant remember which)


hmmmm well the Rain is for cello, piano and violin though the midi has all sorts of random stuff on it!

Hisaishi uses electronics as in technology, not necessarily synths. I think one time he used some can't remeber whats to play parts which go all the way through in Sonatine. I think it was a disklavier.

eeekkk Just realiosed today when i was watching my friend audition for talent show at school, that i could have auditioned with my mate for the rain, apart from the fact that we hadnt practised and she didnt even know...but IT WOULD HAVE SOUNDED SO NICE! *ambition continues*

Who else are you recording the rain with? You could've gone Sue! I'm doing the violin part of the rain in my violin lesson! It sounds so lovely! Well I suppose not everyone would like Joe Hisaishi but I still think he's vewee vewee good!

I dunno..I could have dragged any randomer along i suppose...

Soz I'm so lazy and can't be bothered to PM you, can you bring Ranma on Sunday Lou, and have you watched HMC yet?

There's a new file on Nolstagia Wind, proof that they do actually update it!

It's a new version of the theme from Howls Moving Castle, even though it does sound horribly fake, I quite like it.