Based on the music written for Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film Princess Mononoke in 1997, the score was reconstructed as a symphonic suite in 2016 and premiered in the summer with the World Dream Orchestra (W.D.O.) tour.  

However, although I composed it, it didn’t feel right, probably because I included songs that weren’t used in the movie, so I tried again in 2021.  

At that time, I tried to make the composition closer to the story of the movie, put the climax of the world collapse in the second half, and replaced the related music with the orchestration used in the Ghibli Film Concert World Tour. As a result, the drama became clearer, and I think we were able to get closer to the world that Mr. Hayao Miyazaki was aiming for.  

In the first half of this suite, “Tatari God,” Japanese drums and other percussion play a big role, and it is especially popular overseas. Also, the title song and “Ashitaka and San,” sung by the soprano, are slightly different in expression depending on the singer, so I personally look forward to it every time. —Joe Hisaishi