Kaiju Crescendo: An Evening of Japanese Monster Music
Akira IFUKUBE (1914-2006)
Godzilla’s Theme (1954) [2:00]
Suite from Rodan (1956) [10:34]
Suite from The Mysterians (1957) [5:34]
Suite from The Three Treasures (1959) [4:50]
Masaru SATO (1928-1999)
Suite from Son of Godzilla (1967) [10:26]
Suite from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) [10:21]
Michiru OSHIMA (b. 1961)
Godzilla’s Theme from Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000) [3:34]
Suite from Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000) [11:40]
Suite from Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002) [11:09]
Suite from Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003) [9:46]
Godzilla in Chicago (C.H.C.A.G.) (2019) [4:56]
Theme of Godzilla (2019) [4:53]
Theme of Godzilla (Rehearsal take) (2019) [4:09]
John DeSentis and Michiru Oshima (conductors)
rec. 13 July, 2019, Skokie, Illinois, United States
Reviewed as 16-bit download from press preview
SUPERTRAIN STR024 [43:45 + 50:07]
“Kaiju” is the Japanese term for giant movie monster and the king of the monsters – both literally and figuratively – is Godzilla. Ever since he stomped onto the silver screen in 1954, Godzilla has captured the hearts of fans while simultaneously causing millions of dollars in imaginary property damage. Godzilla has destroyed Tokyo, battled other kaiju, saved Tokyo from other kaiju, and rescued other kaiju from humanity. Each film in the franchise presents a different iteration of events, linked by Godzilla’s trademark roar and musical theme.
This album pays homage to Akira Ifukube, creator of the original score for Godzilla and a respected composer in his own right (review ~ review ~ review), alongside contributions from Masaru Sato and more recent franchise entries from Michiru Oshima. Recorded live at a concert capping the 2019 G-FEST XXVI Godzilla fan convention in Chicago, it features suites and other excerpts from eight films, including two non-kaiju films by Ifukube, The Mysterians and The Three Treasures. These outliers contain the best music on the disc, as their shorter lengths contain a greater variety of musical incidents and changes of mood than the longer, ostinato-filled and thus more repetitious suites. The Suite from Rodan, for example, a classic example of kaiju cinema scoring, presents a mysterious opening superseded by the expected furor of brass and percussion. The energy, menace, and sheer blatancy of it are glorious but do pall for me before the music has run its course.
In contrast, the scores by Masaru Sato pursue an unexpected direction: cinematic pop music. The Suite from Son of Godzilla has long stretches of finger-snapping cool jazz, appropriate for its late 1960s release, while the Suite from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla has an entire pop song embedded in its center, sung in Japanese, followed by a rollicking, big-band inspired ending.
The second disc is devoted entirely to the music of Michiru Oshima, who also conducted this portion of the concert. Oshima returns to the mystery and menace of Ifukube, updated with thicker and more varied scoring. Oshima writes in the liner notes to this release that she prepared new arrangements from her film scores, carefully constructed to avoid wearing out the orchestra – particularly the brass – in a live concert. This was wise, as her contributions are even more intense than Ifukube’s. There is much militaristic music, to the cadence of a snare drum, and much mystery, with string and brass glissandi, dissonant passages for unsettling effect, and pounding drums à la Hans Zimmer. There is even a wordless soprano vocalese in the Suite from Godzilla: Tokyo SOS. Oshima specially composed a brief closer for the concert, Godzilla in Chicago, which follows the general program outlined above: hushed opening with rising tension, then an eruption of energy followed by sustained rampaging, relenting occasionally for more peaceful interludes. There are two encore tracks, both an adaptation of Godzilla’s Theme from Godzilla vs. Megaguirus. The first has the crowd clapping along with the steady drumbeat throughout, first foreboding, then relentless. The second is a “rehearsal take” of the same music without audience participation.
The performances are professional but revealing – one can hear the strains of playing brass-heavy monster movie film cues live. Curiously, the orchestra is unidentified, although the names of all of the players are credited in the liner notes. I assume the organizers used a pick-up ensemble, contracting with available orchestral players. Even these are often given names, however, if only for the duration or marketing of the project. The forces required are less than one might imagine, with a relatively standard configuration of triple woodwinds, four horns, three trumpets, four trombones, tuba, percussion, and strings. Extras are limited to one harp, one piano, two saxophones, and an electric guitar. The recording is good, with clarity of detail in even the loudest passages, and real fidelity to the live performance. The other side of the coin is that such fidelity highlights the occasional slip in intonation or tone-quality. There are a few such moments, such as the repeated trumpet figure in the body of Ifukube’s Godzilla theme and the jazzy ending of Sato’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla suite. These do not seriously detract from the experience, however, and the passion of the performers shines through.
The whole production is obviously by fans and for fans. Co-conductor John DeSentis writes in the liner notes about watching Godzilla and other kaiju movies as a boy before going on to study music and what an honor it is for him to connect with composers and audiences via kaiju film scores. Michiru Oshima contributes a similarly grateful liner note. The album started life as a crowdfunded project and the original Kickstarter page can be found here for those interested in a behind-the-scenes look at the process. Many Godzilla fans aware of the crowdfunding campaign will presumably have their albums in-hand by now but if you are not among them, you may acquire with confidence.
Christopher Little
