“The most acclaimed Japanese composer to have ever worked in film” (Pitchfork), Joe Hisaishi releases Songs of Hope: The Essential Joe Hisaishi Vol. 2. Following the massive success of Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi (Vol. 1), this new album features even more of Hisaishi’s greatest hits from iconic films including Spirited Away and Porco Rosso, orchestral works and solo piano recordings, plus two brand-new recordings: “Kids Return” and “HANA-BI.” Joe Hisaishi has won countless awards for his achievements in composition and film scoring. He is eight-time winner of the Japanese Academy Award for Best Music; he was awarded the Japan Medal of Honour in 2009; and he has composed soundtracks for two Academy Award-winning films, Departures (2008) and Spirited Away (2002). Hisaishi’s body of work, comprised of nearly 100 film scores and solo albums, draws inspiration from the canon of American minimal music compositions, experimental electronic music, and European and Japanese classical music. He has scored all but one of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli films, including three of the top five highest-grossing anime films worldwide.