The Heike Story Requiem Phases Original Soundtrack by Kensuke Ushio 2LP

Kensuke Ushio's background music for The Heike Story arrives on two vinyl records as Requiem Phases. The great classic, handed down by biwa-playing storytellers and profoundly influential on later literature and theatre, receives its first television anime adaptation from Hideo Furukawa's vividly told translation.

Director Naoko Yamada, screenwriter Reiko Yoshida, original character designer Fumiko Takano and composer Kensuke Ushio portray the epic lyrically through a young girl's eyes. This is Yamada and Ushio's third collaboration and their first on a series. Their closely considered approach to expressing delicate worlds through music remains central to the work.

Unusually for a series, Yamada and Ushio selected music meticulously for individual episodes and scenes. The result is a bold, rich score unconstrained by country or era, moving from traditional gagaku instruments and strings to post-rock and electronic music.

Alongside the dramatic score, the soundtrack includes instrumental versions of the protagonist Biwa's striking recitations. The evocative sound of the biwa is shaped through contemporary production, opening an entirely new musical world to hear in detail.