Today I shall bring a touch of classic culture to this blog.
Previous meanderings and discertations on songs of more recent genres require adequate balance with more analysis on the whole skeleton of music:
TO me that means : Instrumentation.
The case study today will be the absolutely ingenious, and beautiful OST of the japanese movie
"Be with you" @ " Ima ai ni yukimasu" ( if i'm not wrong)
This OST is just amazing for more reasons than I can expound on.
I'll just pick a few of my favourite tracks and just give a brief rundown on them using my rather rusty knowledge from my 4 year MEP ( Music Elective Programme) course I took when I was a fair lass of 13-16 years.
The composer of this score is Suguru Matsutani.
He doesn't have that extensive a discography as sakamoto or kanno but i think that he's a testament of quality mattering more than quantity.
To me the main instruments that shoulder the most responsibility in bringing this excellent score to life are the strings, piano and occasionally the flute, which is used as an excellent highlighter of motiff introduction and slips into comfortable supporting role.
In track 6 which is light hearted song, the pizzicato (plucked) strings mimic the skipping feet of the little boy and the last few days of sunshine that exist beore the longawaited rainy season comes. The flute here takes on a a sweet innocent role intermingling between the strings with it's occasional squeaks here and there like rays of sunshine through a field of gold.
Immediately after this u have track 7 and 8 where a more melancholic and reminescent mood is brought about with a thicker texture to the string bits and the flute now takes on a mature role with a lower toned, velvety theme. In 8, there's gradual ritard ( slowing down) of a 3 note motif ( one of the recurring themes in the OST ) on the strings with the piano, which takes the heart renderingness just that extra bit more with it's slower and drawn out progression.
The versatility and range of moods and emotions in this OST is exemplified in 8 as well, where half way through this rather long track, the melancholic mood takes a change for the brighter, more hopeful tone. A more chordal texture adds bulk and works well to emphasise the hope and yearning that this beautiful rainy season will not come to a close, bringing away with it happiness and love.
once again u can hear the pizzicato strings and staccotoed notes, all wonderfully blended.
Towards the end where there's a switch to a quieter mood, the switch, just like many of the transitions is smooth, sweet and once again tugs at the soul strings. that's ingenuity for you.
No sharp surprises, no harsh sunlight to spoilt ur mild rainy days.
In 9, where matsutani employs the usage of vocals, it really works to make this sound like a chorus of angels from heaven. It's a light hearted piece with a good blend of contrapuntal tenor and soprano voices and similarly string accompaniment enters to support and make the mood just that bit lighter. Very clever.
In 11, is a quiet and sombre song. The solo piano entry sets the mood. With ending chords at each phrase, it implies the coming doom or tragedy and loss that is to happen. The strings then enter, and though uplifting, they seem to reflect the fight to prevent the eminent loss and the search for a possible way out. Towards the end of this short track there's an exagerated ritard of the 3 note motif mentioned above, and it ends on one of these repetitions. A lingering expression of hope.
Track 12 follows immediately after that last ritard. And it is my absolute favourite.
Here, the strings are in background whilst the drums and piano take on a prominent role.
All this works to create an atmosphere of tension, emergency and panic as the loss grows eminent. At 1.50, the strings take on a more prominent ascending motif in the background together with an ascending motif too on the xylophone which sets the mood in certainty.
The waves of tension and pain climaxes and matsutani does a cliff hanger at the end of this, leaving the listeners to wonder...What happens next?
Well I won't tell you what happens next.
You have to watch the movie.
It's a heartrending movie and the music is with it all the way.
Decidedly one of my favourite composers for film scores and beyond, Zbigniew Preisner makes music that's majestic, poignant, often profoundly melancholic and breathtakingly beautiful.
