"Carrying You" from Castle In The Sky

The piece opens quietly, usually with piano or strings alone, laying out a simple, singable melody that rises and falls in short, unhurried phrases. This is the tune associated with the film's young hero and heroine and the floating world they discover together, so listen for a sense of weightlessness in the way the melody seems to hang rather than push forward.

As the arrangement continues, the orchestra gradually joins in, with strings taking up the theme and light woodwind or harp figures adding color underneath. There is no dramatic conflict or contrasting fast section to speak of, the piece instead stays close to its opening idea, letting it swell once or twice to a fuller, warmer statement before receding.

Listen for the return of the opening phrase near the end, now surrounded by the full orchestra, which gives the piece a feeling of coming full circle. The music closes softly, mirroring its quiet beginning, so first-time listeners should expect a short, lyrical arc rather than a large-scale symphonic journey.

"Carrying You" is the main theme Joe Hisaishi wrote for Hayao Miyazaki's 1986 animated film "Castle in the Sky," one of the founding productions of Studio Ghibli. The melody, first heard on piano over the film's opening images, became closely associated with the film's story of two children protecting a floating city and a mysterious crystal. Because Hisaishi's scores for Miyazaki's films have become widely loved well beyond Japan, orchestras and pops programs frequently perform arrangements of his themes, including this one, in symphonic concert versions. The piece heard in concert is typically an orchestral arrangement rather than the original film cue, prepared for concert use as Hisaishi's film music has moved into the standard repertoire of orchestral pops and anime-music concerts worldwide.