DESCRIPTION:
Piece: The Road to the Valley (Tani he no Michi) (from the movie "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind")
Composer: Joe Hisaishi
Pianist: David Chang

This is a piece from the Miyazaki movie Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The wonderful 1984 film marked the first collaboration between Hayao Miyazaki and composer Joe Hisaishi! My interpretation was strongly influenced by listening to the beautiful strings from the original soundtrack. After the short introduction, I play the A section at a slower tempo and take plenty of time with the heartbreaking melody. I try to imitate the sonorous, sustained soundworld of the strings. The B section has quite a bit more forward momentum, so I play it a bit faster and without as much freedom of time. And of course I try to bring something different and meaningful when the two sections repeat again.

This recording is part of the 100 Piece Challenge, which I started on January 1st, 2016. I must permanently memorize 100 pieces of music and record all of them to share online. I have one year to complete this challenge (the deadline is January 1st, 2017). For more information, please read my blog post: https://davidwchang.wordpress.com/2016/01/01/the-40-piece-challenge-and-the-100-piece-challenge-2016/