Symphony No. 3 (Metaphysical) & Harp Concerto
Joe Hisaishi
Joe Hisaishi’s Symphony No. 3 “Metaphysica” & Harp Concerto is a 2026 classical album that presents the celebrated Japanese composer in a concert-music setting distinct from his well-known film scores. Hisaishi conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in world-premiere recordings of two major orchestral works, with French harpist Emmanuel Ceysson as soloist in the concerto written specifically for him. Released by Deutsche Grammophon on July 24, the program pairs the large-scale, philosophical sweep of the symphony with the more transparent virtuosity of the harp concerto.
Symphony No. 3 “Metaphysica” was commissioned for the New Japan Philharmonic’s 50th anniversary and premiered under Hisaishi’s baton in 2021. Its title suggests a concern with existential questions—being, change, and substance—and its orchestral writing draws in part on the scale and instrumentation of Mahler’s First Symphony, though filtered through Hisaishi’s own rhythmic and harmonic language. The three-movement Harp Concerto, jointly commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Philharmonie de Paris, and Singapore Symphony Orchestra, places Ceysson’s harp in an active, virtuosic dialogue with the orchestra rather than treating it as merely decorative color. Together, the works form an ambitious, hour-long portrait of Hisaishi as a symphonist and concerto composer: expansive, expressive, and attentive to the contrast between orchestral weight and luminous solo texture.
Joe Hisaishi’s Symphony No. 3 “Metaphysica” & Harp Concerto is a 2026 classical album that presents the celebrated Japanese composer in a concert-music setting distinct from his well-known film scores. Hisaishi conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in world-premiere recordings of two major orchestral works, with French harpist Emmanuel Ceysson as soloist in the concerto written specifically for him. Released by Deutsche Grammophon on July 24, the program pairs the large-scale, philosophical sweep of the symphony with the more transparent virtuosity of the harp concerto.
Symphony No. 3 “Metaphysica” was commissioned for the New Japan Philharmonic’s 50th anniversary and premiered under Hisaishi’s baton in 2021. Its title suggests a concern with existential questions—being, change, and substance—and its orchestral writing draws in part on the scale and instrumentation of Mahler’s First Symphony, though filtered through Hisaishi’s own rhythmic and harmonic language. The three-movement Harp Concerto, jointly commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Philharmonie de Paris, and Singapore Symphony Orchestra, places Ceysson’s harp in an active, virtuosic dialogue with the orchestra rather than treating it as merely decorative color. Together, the works form an ambitious, hour-long portrait of Hisaishi as a symphonist and concerto composer: expansive, expressive, and attentive to the contrast between orchestral weight and luminous solo texture.
Joe Hisaishi’s Symphony No. 3 “Metaphysica” & Harp Concerto is a 2026 classical album that presents the celebrated Japanese composer in a concert-music setting distinct from his well-known film scores. Hisaishi conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in world-premiere recordings of two major orchestral works, with French harpist Emmanuel Ceysson as soloist in the concerto written specifically for him. Released by Deutsche Grammophon on July 24, the program pairs the large-scale, philosophical sweep of the symphony with the more transparent virtuosity of the harp concerto.
Symphony No. 3 “Metaphysica” was commissioned for the New Japan Philharmonic’s 50th anniversary and premiered under Hisaishi’s baton in 2021. Its title suggests a concern with existential questions—being, change, and substance—and its orchestral writing draws in part on the scale and instrumentation of Mahler’s First Symphony, though filtered through Hisaishi’s own rhythmic and harmonic language. The three-movement Harp Concerto, jointly commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Philharmonie de Paris, and Singapore Symphony Orchestra, places Ceysson’s harp in an active, virtuosic dialogue with the orchestra rather than treating it as merely decorative color. Together, the works form an ambitious, hour-long portrait of Hisaishi as a symphonist and concerto composer: expansive, expressive, and attentive to the contrast between orchestral weight and luminous solo texture.
Symphony No. 3 (Metaphysical) & Harp Concerto
Joe Hisaishi
Joe Hisaishi’s Symphony No. 3 “Metaphysica” & Harp Concerto is a 2026 classical album that presents the celebrated Japanese composer in a concert-music setting distinct from his well-known film scores. Hisaishi conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in world-premiere recordings of two major orchestral works, with French harpist Emmanuel Ceysson as soloist in the concerto written specifically for him. Released by Deutsche Grammophon on July 24, the program pairs the large-scale, philosophical sweep of the symphony with the more transparent virtuosity of the harp concerto.
Symphony No. 3 “Metaphysica” was commissioned for the New Japan Philharmonic’s 50th anniversary and premiered under Hisaishi’s baton in 2021. Its title suggests a concern with existential questions—being, change, and substance—and its orchestral writing draws in part on the scale and instrumentation of Mahler’s First Symphony, though filtered through Hisaishi’s own rhythmic and harmonic language. The three-movement Harp Concerto, jointly commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Philharmonie de Paris, and Singapore Symphony Orchestra, places Ceysson’s harp in an active, virtuosic dialogue with the orchestra rather than treating it as merely decorative color. Together, the works form an ambitious, hour-long portrait of Hisaishi as a symphonist and concerto composer: expansive, expressive, and attentive to the contrast between orchestral weight and luminous solo texture.
Joe Hisaishi’s Symphony No. 3 “Metaphysica” & Harp Concerto is a 2026 classical album that presents the celebrated Japanese composer in a concert-music setting distinct from his well-known film scores. Hisaishi conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in world-premiere recordings of two major orchestral works, with French harpist Emmanuel Ceysson as soloist in the concerto written specifically for him. Released by Deutsche Grammophon on July 24, the program pairs the large-scale, philosophical sweep of the symphony with the more transparent virtuosity of the harp concerto.
Symphony No. 3 “Metaphysica” was commissioned for the New Japan Philharmonic’s 50th anniversary and premiered under Hisaishi’s baton in 2021. Its title suggests a concern with existential questions—being, change, and substance—and its orchestral writing draws in part on the scale and instrumentation of Mahler’s First Symphony, though filtered through Hisaishi’s own rhythmic and harmonic language. The three-movement Harp Concerto, jointly commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Philharmonie de Paris, and Singapore Symphony Orchestra, places Ceysson’s harp in an active, virtuosic dialogue with the orchestra rather than treating it as merely decorative color. Together, the works form an ambitious, hour-long portrait of Hisaishi as a symphonist and concerto composer: expansive, expressive, and attentive to the contrast between orchestral weight and luminous solo texture.
Joe Hisaishi’s Symphony No. 3 “Metaphysica” & Harp Concerto is a 2026 classical album that presents the celebrated Japanese composer in a concert-music setting distinct from his well-known film scores. Hisaishi conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in world-premiere recordings of two major orchestral works, with French harpist Emmanuel Ceysson as soloist in the concerto written specifically for him. Released by Deutsche Grammophon on July 24, the program pairs the large-scale, philosophical sweep of the symphony with the more transparent virtuosity of the harp concerto.
Symphony No. 3 “Metaphysica” was commissioned for the New Japan Philharmonic’s 50th anniversary and premiered under Hisaishi’s baton in 2021. Its title suggests a concern with existential questions—being, change, and substance—and its orchestral writing draws in part on the scale and instrumentation of Mahler’s First Symphony, though filtered through Hisaishi’s own rhythmic and harmonic language. The three-movement Harp Concerto, jointly commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Philharmonie de Paris, and Singapore Symphony Orchestra, places Ceysson’s harp in an active, virtuosic dialogue with the orchestra rather than treating it as merely decorative color. Together, the works form an ambitious, hour-long portrait of Hisaishi as a symphonist and concerto composer: expansive, expressive, and attentive to the contrast between orchestral weight and luminous solo texture.