Hisaishi Joe - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

In 1984, the first hand drawn animated movie from a now well-known animation studio was released: "Kaze no tani no Nausicaä." Of course we're talking of Studio Ghibli with their creative heads Miyazaki Hayao and Takahata Isao. The movie wasn't only so successful because of its founding fathers and the moving story but also because of its music. None other than Hisaishi Joe composed the epic score and thanks to the European label Wasabi the music is available all over Europe since November 2011. The European press looks noble and stylish in the paper sleeve, and along the CD with Hisaishi's immortal tracks the booklet also features one information site about the soundtrack and two pages of Hisaishi's studio diary.

But enough of opening words, let's talk about the tracks, which are pretty old by now but haven't lost any of their brilliance and expressiveness. The opening theme seems very oppressive at the very beginning due to its dull bass and the middle-bright synthesizers. However, a very strong change in style changes the basic mood of the track with the help of piano, strings, brass instruments and a slow pace into the recurring Nausicaä theme; some sort of homesick mood starts to spread around.

Stampede of the Ohmu plays at its start with dreamy, bright sounds, then it all changes dramatically into strong, fast drums and distorted chords which create panic and a feeling of being chased until oriental, calm melodies come into play and fade out the track. The Valley of the Wind is also oriental, but this time more conciliatory, like what you would expect in a bazaar, and the song takes you into Nausicaä's village. The Princess Who Loves Insects plays again with the themes: at first you hearing atmospheric, wistful melodies made of strings and brass instruments, and then the oriental village theme returns, but more varied this time.

The Invasion of Kushana is orchestrated to be very oppressive with long extended synthesizers. One after another, volume and drama increase and this creates a very uneasy feeling until the military march makes the danger certain, and this perfectly fits the music of invasion.

The Battle lives on its dramatic brass instruments, terrifying strings and fast drum beat. All together, they build up a very good tension and so you really experience a wonderful feeling of threat and drama. The subsequent track, Contact with the Ohmu, has very bright, dreamy and enchanting sounds, and you also hear a singing child. The musical excursion to the Sea of Corruption is more thoughtful and a bit post-apocalyptic too.

The next song, Annihilation of Pejite, is much more threatening with its deep drum beats, changing paces, mysterious synthesizers and distorted guitar riffs. This one is followed by a very combative, fast and very catchy piece of music, which can also be described as an unexpected fighting theme with its occasional bright flute melodies.

The Resurrection of the Giant Warrior is calm, thoughtful and also filled with yearning at its beginning. The basic mood grows into a concrete threat after one minute, the instrumentation causing goose pimples to rise as distorted brass and string instruments play, like what you would expect in a horror film.

Full of hope, calm and relaxation but also melancholy is the composition of Nausicaä Requiem. The subsequent last track of the soundtrack combines all the happy, hopeful and peaceful themes together in a beautiful medley. Moreover, this track is a very enchanting way of closing the door to Nausicaä's world.

To all who found the imports from Japan far too expensive and don't already own this score, you now have the chance to buy the much cheaper European alternative. Nice packaging and additional extras within the booklet also stimulate a purchase of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Hisaishi Joe's compositions for this movie from 1984 are timeless, emotional and can even tell a dramatic story between good and bad, hope and war, without having the images right before your eyes. The only thing lacking in the soundtrack is that not all composed tracks of the movie are featured on the CD, but just a selection, so the score isn't very long.