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Princess Mononoke
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Composed, Arranged, Performed, and Produced by:
Joe Hisaishi
Lyrics by:
Hayao Miyazaki
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LABELS & RELEASE DATES
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Milan Records (American)
(October 12th, 1999)
TKDA (Japanese) (1998)
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ALBUM AVAILABILITY
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Both the TKDA and Milan albums were regular commercial releases.
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AWARDS
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None.
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ALSO SEE
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Buy it... if you seek a very strong introduction to the work of
famed composer Joe Hisaishi or some the best of Japanese film music in
general.
Avoid it... if you expect the complexity of the score's action
material to rival the beauty of its dramatic melodic passages.
BUY IT
 | Hisaishi |
Princess Mononoke/Mononoke Hime: (Joe Hisaishi)
Japanese animation took much longer than it should have to penetrate the
international theatrical market. When Disney, through Miramax, decided
to purchase the distribution rights to famed director Hayao Miyazaki's
anime, their first major venture was Princess Mononoke (also
known as Mononoke Hime). The film had briefly set Japan's box
office records in 1997 (before Titanic shattered the records even
there), and it debuted in America in late 1999 to a stellar critical
response. It had been dubbed into English with an entirely new vocal
cast, which did not effect the production in any adverse way. The film
failed, however, to start a tidal wave of similar anime translations to
a wider audience. Naturally, the story was aimed at an older audience,
exploring topics of "man versus nature" that, in this case, include all
the necessary fantasy elements to satisfy older youth while making its
statements about conservation. The scope of the film's story is epic,
which is all that you really need to know when approaching Joe
Hisaishi's music for the Princess Mononoke. The score had been
raising eyebrows ever since the film's initial release in Japan, and the
media blitz surrounding this music in the United States was just as
heavy as that for the film itself. Hisaishi, arguably Japan's foremost
composer (having won the country's equivalent of the "Best Score"
Academy Award the previous year for another project), already enjoyed a
long collaboration with Miyazaki. During the first years of their work
together, Hisaishi's music was often darker and more sinister, and after
a few lighter efforts in the years just prior to 1997, Princess
Mononoke marked Hisaishi's return to his popular and earlier
brooding style. Comparisons have been drawn between the music from
Princess Mononoke and that of Hisaishi's Nausicaa of the
Valley of Wind and Laputa: Castle in the Sky, as well as that
of the popular American composers Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner. For
the mass majority of American listeners, the history of Hisaishi's
career might have seemed distant and irrelevant at the time, and his
immense effort for Princess Mononoke was a well-timed
introduction.
For an animated film, the music of Princess
Mononoke is just as orchestrally powerful and thematically
provocative as Mulan, with similar elements to be heard in both
works. Hisaishi employs a full orchestra and lyrical vocals for the epic
tale, augmenting those Western-friendly elements with non-traditional
vocals and several Japanese solo instruments, including the koto,
shakuhachi, and, most importantly, Taiko drums. The composer's thematic
constructs do utilize progressions familiar to Oriental settings, but
they exist on the same level as any melodramatic Horner theme in terms
of scope and performance. The balance between the Western ensemble, in
its expansive sound, and the tints of local flavor give the Princess
Mononoke score a very listenable personality for ears from any part
of the world. The primary theme represents the central warrior Ashitaka,
with this idea anchoring the start and close of the album. Aside from
these impressive suite-like performances, the "The Land of the Impure"
and "The Young Man from the East" cues, among several others, restate
this theme with grandeur. Solo performances of the theme, such as the
one on flute late in "The Encounter," are equally compelling. The other
major theme, provided for San the Princess, is heard in both the vocal
song and its instrumental version. A love theme for the two is
extensively followed with a slightly more modern touch on piano in
"Ashitaka and San." The track titles of the album releases also ease the
task of identifying several submotifs that Hisaishi uses, including the
percussively ominous representation of "The Demon God" and an
understated but pretty "Requiem." The greatest weakness of Princess
Mononoke is its battle music; although the straight forward
performances of rhythmic Taiko drums are powerful effective (especially
in "The Battle Drums"), the actual action cues, such as "The Furies" and
"The Battle in Front of The Ironworks," are disappointingly sparse in
both their attitude and complexity. The two "World of the Dead" cues
near the end do crank up the intensity, thanks in part to the
culmination of many sound effects, vocal and electronic, that Hisaishi
inserts as accents throughout the score. Otherwise, the fluid
performances of the score's primary themes are the main
attraction.
The "Ashitaka and San" cue will likely be the only
satisfying track for listeners interested in Hisaishi's more upbeat work
of the mid-1990's (such as My Neighbor Totoro). The remainder of
Princess Mononoke, when not engaged in one of its lovely
statements of theme, is surprisingly moody and restrained for extended
passages. Much of the middle portion of the film is treated to cues that
tend to pass quickly and without much notice, especially compared to the
heightened bass and additional layers in the last third of the score.
The mixing of the score for the album is somewhat curious; the string
and woodwind sections are afforded a very wet mix, with a distinct
concert-like echo to the violins and solo woodwinds in particular.
Conversely, the brass and metallic percussion are somewhat dry and flat
by comparison (with very timid cymbal hits and rolls). It's an awkward
overall balance, but at least each moment will impress with crisp
definition. One of the treasures of Princess Mononoke is its song
performance. San's theme is translated into an operatic piece performed
by Sasha Lazard in "Princess Mononoke Theme Song (Mononoke-Hime)." With
Lazard's similarities in tone, as well as the orchestral accompaniment
and a few shared progressions, this performance may remind some
listeners of Sarah Brightman's performances in the Broadway production
of Phantom of the Opera. The ensemble vocals in "The Tatara Women
Work Song" have new age hints in both their electronic backing and an
Enya-like, layered vocal effect. The album situation is a tale of two
countries. Several versions of the song have been released in Japan, in
single and remixed album form. The full score itself was available in
multiple incarnations on Japanese labels, with varying levels of sound
quality. The track listings on the main, 1998 Japanese TKDA and 1999
American Milan releases are practically identical, but the Milan album
makes one significant mistake. The Japanese version is longer by about
four minutes, and the music missing from the Milan release is the
extended performance of the title song. It's difficult to imagine why
only an 80-second edit of this song was provided by Milan, for at that
length the song only serves to tease the listener into seeking a longer
version. Otherwise, both albums are very strong representations of the
score, and either would represent an excellent introduction to Hisaishi
and Japanese film music. **** @Amazon.com: CD or
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sheet music dan - July 14, 2006, at 10:37 p.m. |
1 comment (4291 views) |
music sheets Expand >> Mango - July 24, 2004, at 7:57 p.m. |
3 comments (6174 views) Newest: October 2, 2005, at 4:16 p.m. by Caitlin M |
1998 TKDA Album Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 63:12 |
1. Ashitaka Sekki (The Tale of Ashitaka) (1:39)
2. Tatari Gami (The Curse God) (3:51)
3. Tabidachi, Nishihe (Departure, to the West) (2:33)
4. Norowareta Chikara (Cursed Power) (0:36)
5. Edo (Impure Land) (3:00)
6. Deai (A Meeting) (0:52)
7. Kodamatachi (Kodamas) (2:27)
8. Kami no Mori (The Forest of God) (0:41)
9. Yuugure no Tatara Ba (The Evening at Tatara Place) (0:39)
10. Tatari Gami 2 - Ubawareta Yama (The Curse God 2 - Robbed Mountains) (0:57)
11. Eboshi Gozen (Lady Eboshi) (2:48)
12. Tatara Fumu Onnatachi - Eboshi Tatara Uta (Women Who Push Foot Bellows - Eboshi Tatara Song) (1:29)
13. Shyura (Demons) (1:29)
14. Higashi kara Kita Shounen (The Boy Who Came from the East) (1:25)
15. Requiem (2:21)
16. Ikiro (Live) (0:32)
17. Shishi Gami no Mori no Futari (Two at the Forest of the Shishi God) (1:29)
18. Mononoke Hime - Instrumental Version (2:09)
19. Requiem 2 (2:14)
20. Mononoke Hime - Vocal Version (3:32)
21. Tatakai no Taiko (War Drum) (2:47)
22. Tatara Ba Mae no Tatakai (The Fight in front of the Tatara Place) (1:26)
23. Norowareta Chikara 2 (Cursed Power 2) (2:30)
24. Requiem 3 (0:55)
25. Haisou (A Rout) (1:31)
26. Tatari Gami 3 (1:15)
27. Shi to Sei no Adagio (The Adagio of Death and Life) (2:08)
28. Yomi no Sekai (The Underworld) (1:28)
29. Yomi no Sekai 2 (The Underworld 2) (1:33)
30. Shi to Sei no Adagio 2 (The Adagio of Death and Life 2) (1:07)
31. Ashitaka to San (Ashitaka and San) (3:12)
32. Mononoke Hime - Vocal Ending (1:23)
33. Ashitaka Sekki Ending (The Tale of Ashitaka, Ending) (5:01)
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1999 Milan Album Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 59:28 |
1. The Legend of Ashitaka (1:38)
2. The Demon God (3:51)
3. The Journey to the West (2:32)
4. The Demon Power (0:36)
5. The Land of the Impure (2:59)
6. The Encounter (0:51)
7. Kodamas (2:26)
8. The Forest of the Gods (0:39)
9. Evening at the Ironworks (0:39)
10. The Demon God II - The Lost Mountains (0:56)
11. Lady Eboshi (2:48)
12. The Tatara Women Work Song (1:28)
13. The Furies (1:28)
14. The Young Man from the East (1:25)
15. Requiem (2:21)
16. Will to Live (0:31)
17. San and Adhitaka in the Forest of the Deer God (1:39)
18. Princess Mononoke Theme Song - Instrumental Version (2:08)
19. Requiem II (2:13)
20. The Battle Drums (2:46)
21. The Battle in Front of the Ironworks (1:25)
22. The Demon Power II (2:29)
23. Requiem III (0:55)
24. The Retreat (1:30)
25. The Demon God III (1:13)
26. Adagio of Life and Death (2:08)
27. The World of the Dead (1:27)
28. The World of the Dead II (1:32)
29. Adagio of Life and Death II (1:06)
30. Ashitaka and San (3:11)
31. Princess Mononoke Theme Song - Vocal Version - performed by Sasha Lazard (1:20)
32. The Legend of Ashitaka Theme (5:02)
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The insert of the Milan release includes lyrics translated into English for the
vocal track, but no extra information about the score. The Japanese releases include a
plethora of extra material, including a cardboard CD stand, extra artwork, full lyrics, and
photos from the recording sessions. Shortly after their release of the score, Milan also
pressed a compilation of symphonic suites from this film (re-recorded in Europe).
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