Fantasia on Merry-go-Round of Life by Joe Hisaishi (from Howl’s Moving Castle) for guitar

Fantasia for classical guitar “The Wizard“ inspired by and based on Merry-go-Round of Life (from Howl’s Moving Castle) by Joe Hisaishi. Big thanks to Jacob Ramos for his commission and inspiration to undertake this project. And special thanks to Historische Huizen Gent, Museum Hotel d’Hane Steenhuyse (Ghent), and Mr. Frédéric De Schryver. This is Part One of my most extensive work to date—an 8-part Suite loosely based on the themes from Studio Ghibli’s 2004 animated feature, ’Howl’s Moving Castle.’ The first movement is a set of variations on the main theme from the film. I aimed to capture the world of wonder, wizardry, and magic, offering a musical portrait of one of the main protagonists of the story—Wizard Howl. The entire suite can be best described as Musical Illustrations, a musical journey through the enchanting world created by Miyazaki and Diana Wynne Jones, the writer of the original novel upon which the film is based. Each movem