Joe Hisaishi Achieves a Milestone for Japanese Classical Artists on the US Billboard 200

Joe Hisaishi‘s album “A Symphonic Celebration – Music from the Studio Ghibli films of Hayao Miyazaki” ranked No. 74 on the U.S. “Billboard 200” released on Saturday, October 14.

This is the first time in 46 years, since Isao Tomita in 1977, that a Japanese classical artist has ranked in the top 100 of the Billboard 200.

The CD was released in June of this year, followed by the record in September. The CD contains 10 symphonic arrangements of songs from Hayao Miyazaki’s films, including “Spirited Away,” “Princess Mononoke,” and “My Neighbor Totoro. It is also his first album since signing an exclusive contract with the prestigious classical label Deutsche Grammophon in March of this year, and features a performance in London by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Hisaishi.

The album also ranked in the Billboard 200 and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Albums and Classical Crossover Albums charts for the second time this year. In September, Hisaishi held “Symphonic Concert: Music from the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki” at Wembley Arena in London, which was attended by 25,000 people.