In his handpicked playlist, the great Japanese film composer Joe Hisaishi pays homage to the contemporary composers who have inspired him his entire life. “Minimalist music is very important to me and has been a theme in my work for many years,” he tells Apple Music Classical. “I love the nuances and flow of writing minimal works.” Contemporary Classical features a roster of giants from the worlds of minimalist, modernist, and post-classical music, including Steve Reich, John Cage, Philip Glass, John Adams, and the acknowledged father of minimalism itself, Terry Riley. “Terry is a good friend,” says Hisaishi, “and has been an absolute pioneer in the minimalist space. Lifespan: ‘II. M - Music I’ from 2007 is one of his greatest works.” Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight” from The Blue Notebooks, says Hisaishi, is an exquisite piece of writing. “The power of the strings are just spellbinding and imbued with such melancholy.” Hisaishi also chooses a movement from Richter’s “recomposed” version of The Four Seasons, which played a significant part in introducing a new generation to Vivaldi’s concertos. “Classical music is always vital and evolving— it’s an incredibly versatile artform that reinvents itself every day,” explains Hisaishi. “This is why I love it.”