My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away - people wonder at the magic of Studio Ghibli films far beyond their native Japan, within which the director Hayao Miyazaki recounts his stories in anime guise. But what would these films be without their soundtracks? Just like with Steven Spielberg and John Williams, Miyazaki has forged a unique artistic bond with the Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi that has lasted almost 40 years, with the latter’s compositions being instrumental in the films’ successes. Now we can discover his greatest Studio Ghibli hits re-recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - a first-class Deutsche Grammophon debut.In 1983, the two artists made their first collaboration for the anime film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, for which Hisaishi would create “image music” (i.e. music that reflects the character and characters of the film or series). Miyazaki was so convinced by the music that, since the founding of Studio Ghibli in 1985, he was to underscore each of his films with Hisaishi’s compositions - to our eternal good fortune, because the pieces such as the waltz "Merry-Go-Round of Life" (from Howl’s Moving Castle), "A Town with an Ocean View" (from Kiki’s Delivery Service) or the touching "One Summer’s Day (The Name of Life)" (from Spirited Away) enchant the images as they appear on the big screen with very special magic. With a total of 29 tracks from 10 films, Hisaishi presents A Symphonic Celebration, with the crème de la crème of his Studio Ghibli works in all their diversity - as composer, conductor and pianist - newly arranged for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In fact, this is the first time that the film music of Princess Mononoke and Porco Rosso has been recorded with a professional world orchestra. During an interview, Hisashi tells us himself:“We recorded the project last year in a church with a huge choir and orchestra, and that was really great. The orchestras in Europe somehow have a longer, fuller sound. Of course, the musicians in Japan are also highly professional, but in Vienna or London the feeling for the music is a bit different again.”Whether it’s in Japan, Europe or America - with A Symphonic Celebration we can now enjoy Hisaishi’s wonderful and unique film music all over the world, and immerse ourselves fully in the fabulous stories of Miyazaki’s anime characters. © Lena Germann/Qobuz

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After a first album whose many attributes earned it the title of “Qobuzissime”, Wolfgang Van Halen is back, still under the name of Mammoth WVH, and still with his unhinged “arena rock”. Soberly titled Mammoth II, it’s with a heightened sense of cohesion that this mastodon weaves his way towards our ears. One finds in the album a sharpened touch worthy of the golden hours of the Foo Fighters (“Right?”, “Another Celebration at the End of the World”), as well as a boosted, generous sound. The hypermodern “Like a Pastime” is a good example of this, magnified by a touch of guitar ever-present over it all. Mammoth II is the bodybuilding Schwarzenegger, the search for perfection, a boulevard of achievements, each one just as energizing as the next. “Miles Above Me” and “Erase Me” form a grand, sunny trip along the West Coast, very 90’s in their writing, with a skillfully sharp and luminous guitar sound. Wolfgang plays with his influences and isn’t afraid to let them coexist. Even if he composed and recorded the album in its entirety on his own yet again, the role of producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette is not to be underestimated, as this artisan of sound managed to lend himself to the artist so as to allow for him to exist. Mammoth WVH is a wall of sound calibrated to play tracks that remind us just as much of a grunge Nickelback (“Waiting”) as of an updated version of the Beatles (“Better Than You”). More grand, more strong, more everything, this new blockbuster swings big. Encore! Encore!  © Maxime Archambaud/Qobuz

For a first attempt, it's a masterstroke! Released in 1976, Bright Size Life was Pat Metheny's first record as a leader. Just 21 years old, the American guitarist already showed a real maturity as a virtuosic composer and performer. He joined forces with Jaco Pastorius on bass and Bob Moses on a flexible and dynamic drum kit. These ideal accomplices allowed him to develop what would later become his trademark sound: a fluid and often lyrical style. The wide, open spaces of his native Midwest were reflected in his guitar playing as well as in the track titles (Missouri Uncompromised, Midwestern Nights Dream and Omaha Celebration). A great wisdom emerged from this clear and beautiful album (Jim Hall's influence is evident) which closes with Round Trip/Broadway Blues, an unexpected medley of two pieces by Ornette Coleman, one of Metheny's idols, with whom he would go on to record Song X ten years later. But underneath this calm surface, this young virtuoso wanted to change the world. He explained this in an interview with Just Jazz Guitar in 2001: “Even though Bright Size Life may not sound like it, we were pissed off. That album is a very strong political statement from us on how we felt about what our instruments needed to do to remain relevant in jazz. Listening to it now, with 25 years of perspective, I think our message got across, I believe we did change things. That album was a manifesto of some very specific things that we felt strongly about, in terms of harmony, in terms of interaction, in terms of the sound of the instruments. You have to listen to that album to hear where we were at that time.” © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Still in the framework of Led Zeppelin’s fiftieth anniversary, Jimmy Page wanted to add a new iteration to the double live that wasn’t unanimously received upon its release. Granted he had already dusted it off in 2007, adding no less than six new tracks, including Black Dog, Heartbreaker and an epic version of Since I've Been Loving You that might actually top the original. For a total of 34 minutes and 40 seconds of additional happiness. But, despite these presents, the criticism is once again the same: even in Hi-Res Audio (at last!), The Song Remains the Same remains very frustrating compared to the studio-album versions. Released a little later in 1976, because the film had been delayed, it seemed offbeat compared to the band’s two latest productions, Physical Graffiti and Presence. This also meant giving a miss to a few marvels, like the immortal Kashmir and a few other gems. An injustice that hasn’t been repaired to this day, except for Led Zeppelin DVD and Celebration Day, as the first didn’t feature a purely audio version, and the second was only recorded in 2007, without the late John Bonham. Four decades later, it could all seem very much incidental. One just needs to listen to it in a row after the first five studio albums, going through How the West Was Won then The Complete BBC Sessions and finally Celebration Day, to realise it holds up just fine! And while the critics were harsh at the time, it is now obvious that the recording audio quality is exceptional. Those who enjoy long instrumental digressions, which do credit to the talent for improvisation of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham, will be on cloud nine, with a brand new sound. Pending The Song Remains The Same II The Return for 1974-1980? © Jean-Pierre Sabouret/Qobuz

Fusion, transcendence: it's what he's always done. At 74, Carlos Santana is still as curious as ever, and his 26th studio album brings together all his current interests, with an unabashedly popularising aim. With this record, the Mexican-born guitarist wanted to "return to radio". And this album has all the ingredients to make its mark on the airwaves in the coming months. First of all, he relaunched his duet with Rob Thomas, which had won a Grammy for Smooth at the time of Supernatural, Santana's 1999 comeback album. And the very groovy track Move looks set to do it again. The cover of Manu Dibango's Soul Fiesta (taken from 1972’s Africadelic), here becomes Santana Celebration, an intro in the form of a percussion and wah-wah jam, is also a noteworthy track.Santana then wanders between Latin music (Rumbalero with Asdru Sierra from the Californian band Ozomatli), pop passages (Break, Breathing Underwater, She's Fire) and high-quality guest appearances, starting with Joy, with country singer Chris Stapleton coming in for a well-oiled reggae/blues double-act, and a cover of Procol Harum's Whiter Shade of Pale featuring Steve Winwood. But the highlight of the album is the encounter with Kirk Hammett, the guitarist of Metallica (+ Mark Osegueda, the singer in Death Angels) on America for Sale, six minutes of rage with a totally unbridled finale featuring these two guitar heroes. Note also that Blessings & Miracles contains Chick Corea's very final recording, on Angel Choir / All Together. The legendary American pianist, who died in February 2021, had sent over a keyboard part, which Santana embellished with his guitar, creating an excellent jazz-rock track, rounded out by the musician’s widow, Gayle Moran Corea, who provided the opening chorus. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz

And then, in a flash, Kanye was everywhere, transformed from respected producer to big-name producer/MC, throwing a fit at the American Music Awards, performing "Jesus Walks" at the Grammys, wearing his diamond-studded Jesus piece, appearing on the cover of Time, running his mouth 24/7. One thing that remains unchanged is Kanye's hunger, even though his head has swollen to the point where it could be separated from his body, shot into space, and considered a planet. Raised middle class, Kanye didn't have to hustle his way out of poverty, the number one key to credibility for many hip-hop fans, whether it comes to rapper turned rapping label presidents or suburban teens. And now that he has proved himself in another way, through his stratospheric success -- which also won him a gaggle of haters as passionate as his followers -- he doesn't want to be seen as a novelty whose ambitions have been fulfilled. On Late Registration, he finds himself backed into a corner, albeit as king of the mountain. It's a paradox, which is exactly what he thrives on. His follow-up to The College Dropout isn't likely to change the minds of the resistant. As an MC, Kanye remains limited, with all-too-familiar flows that weren't exceptional to begin with (you could place a number of these rhymes over College Dropout beats). He uses the same lyrical strategies as well. Take lead single "Diamonds from Sierra Leone," in which he switches from boastful to rueful; more importantly, the conflict felt in owning blood diamonds will be lost on those who couldn't afford one with years of combined income. Even so, he can be tremendous as a pure writer, whether digging up uncovered topics (as on "Diamonds") or spinning a clever line ("Before anybody wanted K. West's beats, me and my girl split the buffet at KFC"). The production approach, however, is rather different from the debut. Crude beats and drastically tempo-shifted samples are replaced with a more traditionally musical touch from Jon Brion (Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann), who co-produces with West on most of the tracks. (Ironically, the Just Blaze-helmed "Touch the Sky" tops everything laid down by the pair, despite its heavy reliance on Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up.") West and Brion are a good, if unlikely, match. Brion's string arrangements and brass flecks add a new dimension to West's beats without overshadowing them, and the results are neither too adventurous nor too conservative. While KRS-One was the first to proclaim, "I am hip-hop," Kanye West might as well be the first MC to boldly state, "I am pop." © Andy Kellman /TiVo

As an event, Depeche Mode's huge (attendance around 60,000) Los Angeles Rose Bowl concert in 1988 remains legendary; no single artist show had totally sold out the venue since eight years beforehand, while the film documentary done by Dylan-filmer D.A. Pennebaker based around the show clearly demonstrated fans' intense commitment to a near-decade-old band most mainstream critics continued to stupidly portray as a flash-in-the-pan synth pop effort. This start-to-final-encore record of the concert showcases a band perfectly able to carry its music from studio to stage as well as any other combo worth its salt should be able to do. Understandably focused on Music for the Masses material, the album shows Depeche experimenting with alternate arrangements at various points for live performance; big numbers like "Never Let Me Down Again," "Stripped," and "Blasphemous Rumors" pack even more of a wallop here. Slower numbers and more than a couple of ballads help to vary the hit-packed set, including a fine "Somebody" and "The Things You Said" combination sung by Martin Gore. "Pleasure Little Treasure," on record an okay B-side, becomes a monster rocker live, the type of unexpected surprise one could expect from a solid band no matter what the music. With a triumphant set of closing numbers, including magnificent takes on "Never Let Me Down Again," "Master and Servant," and the set-ending "Everything Counts," with what sounds like the entire audience singing the chorus well after the song has finally ended, 101 does far better at its task than most might have guessed.© Ned Raggett /TiVo

During their eight-year reign as one of the premiere R&B/funk bands, Kool & the Gang, featuring James "J.T." Taylor on lead, had one Top Ten hit after another and quite a few number one hits. This album did not spawn any number one singles, but it did house two festive Top Ten numbers in "Big Fun" and "Let's Go Dancin' (Ooh La, La, La)." The former has a rapid, groovin' bassline accentuated by some jittering horns. The latter is Caribbean-flavored single ideal for a popular party/cook-out dance called the electric slide. Respectively, they peaked at six and seven on the Billboard R&B charts. Though it appears that the lyric to the title song depicts a relationship between a man and woman, it is actually speaking of the band as an unit. The nine-piece outfit also pays homage to the great bandleader Cab Calloway with the rhythmic number "Hi De Hi, Hi De Ho." Aside from the two released singles, this album does not have that constant spark like some of their more accomplished efforts. © Craig Lytle /TiVo

Violist Lionel Tertis and cellist Pablo Casals were both born on December 29, 1876. They were friends, and both did much to popularize and attract repertory to their respective instruments. It was a good day to be born, for both lived into their late nineties. Tertis is a familiar-enough figure among string players and aficionados of the early 20th century British scene, but he deserved the tribute that violist Timothy Ridout (who has already recorded Tertis' transcription of the Walton Cello Concerto for viola) offers here. Tertis is not well represented on recordings, so it is not really clear to what degree Ridout replicates his style. (Certainly, it does to some degree; Tertis' influence on British viola teaching was and remains deep.) Yet the program represents his activities in an engaging way. Although Arnold Bax wrote a good deal of music for Tertis, there is nothing by him here; perhaps another album is on the way, but there is a good deal of music that is not widely available elsewhere, certainly not in one place. There are attractive miniatures by Tertis himself, a variety of transcriptions he made of well-known pieces, and a genuine oddity, an obbligato part for the first movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata. There are three more substantial works, the Viola Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 18 by York Bowen; the viola version of Vaughan Williams' Six Studies in English Folk Song; and the Viola Sonata of Rebecca Clarke. The last two were not written for Tertis, but Clarke was a fine violist herself, and nothing seems out of place. The Clarke work, skillfully exploiting the viola's lower reaches, is especially nicely done. A must for violists, this is of interest to any lover of 20th century English music, and it made classical best-seller charts in early 2024.© James Manheim /TiVo