The Merry Go Round of Life - Joe Hisaishi

Bet you weren't expecting this! This is from Howl's Moving Castle, a world-wide anime hit movie from Japan. Give it a listen. Haunting. It's a well-known fact among musicians that modern classical composition was dying in 1920 and has been stone-cold dead for at least 50 years. People who want to write great music that doesn't sound like a piano dropped in a blender inside a whale (there are pieces like that!) have to write movie and game music. This is proven by just going to the symphony - 90% of the time everything you hear is either 100+ years old OR.........you didn't like it. Of course there are notable exceptions (some of my favorite composers). But back when classical composers had to earn a living and sell music to public or patron, there had to be a combination of mind and heart; they had to appeal to normal people as well as pleasing themselves. As in much of life, the tension of walking that line produced most of the western world's great music. Nowadays the people who want to write music that actually sounds good are usually doing it for the screen or console. Occasionally this music of mass appeal is a little lacking in the internal rigors of a great classical piece, yet still filled with beauty. So here's a lovely, enchanting piece, with playful parts and plenty of heart.