{"id":24234,"date":"2017-11-11T12:36:47","date_gmt":"2017-11-11T20:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/?p=24234"},"modified":"2019-05-12T11:47:13","modified_gmt":"2019-05-12T18:47:13","slug":"263a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/263a\/","title":{"rendered":"Composer Akira Miyagawa interview, October 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
After years of silence, Composer Akira Miyagawa finally came forward in a series of interviews during the runup to 2202<\/em> Chapter 3. The first was to be found in Tokuma Shoten\u2019s Hyper Hobby<\/em> magazine, in which he recounted his entry into the production of Yamato 2199<\/em> and the new experiences of his work on 2202<\/em>.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Published in <\/em>Hyper Hobby volume 5, October 5 2017.<\/em><\/p>\n
Many readers hear the melodies of Akira Miyagawa every morning on the NHK drama series Hiykko<\/em>. Following from the previous work, Yamato 2199<\/em>, Akira Miyagawa is in charge of the music for Yamato 2202<\/em>. Here, we hear stories about making the music of Yamato<\/em>!<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n
Remembering Hiroshi Miyagawa as a side-coach with this recording<\/h2>\n
Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Please share your impressions of participating in Yamato 2199<\/em> starting in 2012.<\/p>\n
Miyagawa:<\/em><\/span> I\u2019m exactly in the middle of the \u201cYamato<\/em> generation.\u201d When the Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> series was broadcast in 1974, I was one of the first customers. I felt a tremor, a real feeling of history in the making. After that, I thought there was too much Yamato<\/em>. (Laughs) Everyone laughs when I talk about this story. <\/p>\n
I think everyone vaguely thought \u201cWhy is it \u2018being forever\u2019 after it said \u2018farewell\u2019?\u201d To be honest, I count myself among those who was being lame in that way.<\/p>\n
So, I was the first customer, and I was very proud of my father\u2019s music. I was really proud of that work, from the staff to the design to the story. When I attended a meeting for 2199<\/em>, all I intended to do was say, \u201cAre you doing it again? You have to be careful.\u201d This was in 2010, before the live-action movie had been released. Yamato Resurrection<\/em> had come out, but I hadn\u2019t seen any of them. <\/p>\n
In fact, I\u2019d been contacted at the time of Resurrection<\/em>, but I honestly said that \u201cIt is my intention not to do it.\u201d Therefore, I\u2019d honestly intended to decline 2199<\/em> when I heard about it. But General Director Yutaka Izubuchi said he wanted to meet me by all means, and when I met him for the first time I half-heartedly tried to say, \u201cIf it\u2019s like this and that, I don\u2019t want to do it.\u201d (Laughs) Then he said, \u201cAkira, this is what I\u2019m thinking, too.\u201d <\/p>\n
He wanted to do a remake of all 26 episodes, and that\u2019s the part I had misunderstood. (Laughs) He appreciated my argument when he listened to my story, and he said the 26 episodes were the most creative. He asked me, \u201cHow would you rework them?\u201d When he asked that, I responded \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t me doing it, I\u2019d hate it.\u201d (Laughs)<\/p>\n
\nThird day in the recording studio, November 29, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n
It would be a shock to see \u201cMusic by Takayuki Hattori\u201d in the credits. That\u2019s a joke, but I once saw Takayuki Hattori beg my father to sign his copy of the Symphonic Suite Yamato<\/em> LP. That meant someone named Miyagawa first made an impact on someone named Hattori with the first Yamato<\/em>. (Laughs) I would suffer for it if I didn\u2019t do it myself, so I gave my ready answer within the day. It was good to have that kind of General Director, and I thought I would be glad to give it a go myself.<\/p>\n
Mr. Izubuchi had enthusiasm and a unique view of the world. If it had been someone who was going to assemble the story with only a view of contemporary anime, it wouldn\u2019t have been achieved at all. I worked on Yamato<\/em> with the stance of, \u201cLet\u2019s drink until morning and talk about space.\u201d <\/p>\n
I think it\u2019s incredibly fair. Rather than starting with \u201cthe Yamato<\/em> of Yamato<\/em> fans,\u201d we were people who had a sort of cosmic philosophy, with a prevailing view of the mysteries of space and the mysteries of life, how encounters are miraculous, and how good and evil are twins of each other, that it was for artists to talk of things that big, and that includes musicians.<\/p>\n
A bureaucrat talks about ten years ahead and a politician talks about 100 years ahead, but I think it takes an artist to talk about 1,000 years ahead. Mr. Izubuchi seemed happy to see such a story. Starting with that kind of flow, that\u2019s how I fell into 2202<\/em>. There were no more rituals of declining afterward. (Laughs)<\/p>\n
But it was impossible to say it was heaven, and I wouldn\u2019t have accepted it if it was. Bringing up a child is both heaven and hell. For me, taking on Yamato<\/em> was heavy enough to be comparable to that. If it was simply fun, I wouldn\u2019t be able to discover anything new. It\u2019s a big, heavy thing for anyone to bear, and it isn\u2019t possible to do Yamato<\/em> if you don\u2019t face up to that. <\/p>\n
Maybe I\u2019m a bit overly enthusiastic, but I went after it with that level of enthusiasm. And so, having eaten all of 2199<\/em> after tasting the sweetness in the beginning, it kind of felt like having the bits still stuck to my fingers. That\u2019s why I\u2019m following up with this. (Laughs)<\/p>\n
\nThird day in the recording studio, November 29, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n
Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> What has changed since Nobuyoshi Habara became the director of 2202<\/em>?<\/p>\n
Miyagawa:<\/em><\/span> That\u2019s where it\u2019s totally different. I wondered if Mr. Habara was the type who would view the story philosophically. Maybe we haven\u2019t had a chance to have such a talk yet, but my feeling is that Mr. Habara is a very good judge. \u201cWhich way will we go here?\u201d When he decides which is closer to the goal, I have the impression that his choices lead to a brighter future. In Mr. Izubuchi\u2019s case, he started with the philosophy, saying what he\u2019d previously judged and taking little compromise. He suffered from the seeds he himself had sown. (Laughed)<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a place where I fell into my own trap, but I think it\u2019s a manly attitude for a great artist. Mr. Habara keeps from falling into traps by choosing the way well, and there\u2019s a sense of security. Therefore, I\u2019m relieved when I see the finished work. The flow of time is so smart and dignified, I feel like there is no waste. When I saw the third chapter I thought, \u201cAh, this says to me \u2018This is well-made\u2019.\u201d While I had felt a sort of meeting of the minds in making it with Mr. Izubuchi, this felt more like \u201cMy little brother\u2019s pretty smart, huh?\u201d (Laughs)<\/p>\n
\nLive performance on stage in a Yamatalk for Chapter 2, July 6 2017<\/em><\/p>\n
Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> With 2199<\/em>, the story was that you didn\u2019t have any sheet music to start with, so you copied it all by ear. But this time\u2026?<\/p>\n
Miyagawa:<\/em><\/span> It\u2019s the same. My father\u2019s library is still there, but there really aren\u2019t any Yamato<\/em> scores there. It was stunning that there was no sheet music for the first Yamato<\/em> at all, sometimes just a single page or some kind of debris. And I\u2019ve never seen a score for Farewell to Yamato<\/em> either. Anyway, the visual information will change radically. Of course, production and designs will change, but it\u2019s the texture that changes the most. Many parts are done in CG now, and the pacing of time and music from the past don\u2019t fit any more. Therefore, I understand that the flow of the music has to be re-recorded to some extent. Therefore, there is a musical score on the day we re-record it. (Laughs) Mr. Izubuchi seemed fascinated that \u201cYou copied this by ear?\u201d I said, \u201cWell, such things happen.\u201d He said, \u201cThis will become a big topic.\u201d I thought, \u201cAre you serious?\u201d<\/p>\n
On the other hand, I was very excited. It was like, \u201cI get to write the score for that piece?\u201d It meant that I could clarify the score as sheet music, and get to know it all over again. In the end, that was fascinating. Now the ear-copy can be used by anyone who graduates from a music school. <\/p>\n
However, the most interesting part was that I was taking lessons in the midst of the 2199<\/em> story. It was like taking lessons from my father. Lessons like, \u201cFather made this one-minute song into two minutes.\u201d That\u2019s a good kind of technique. It\u2019s cheap, but really impressive. Knowing \u201cThis song was written in 30 minutes\u201d makes me want to try and write music like that, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough there was only this one element, just a semitone change here made my dream expand so much!\u201d And then, \u201cI dropped back down a semitone!\u201d I don\u2019t usually notice things like that if I don\u2019t do the editing. If I do the ear-copy, I understand all of that. That was fun. There were a few songs where you could say that God resides in their genius. But no, that was Hiroshi Miyagawa all along.<\/p>\n
\nBack in the studio, August 4 2017<\/em><\/p>\n
Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> What discoveries have you made as you make ear-copies of music from Farewell<\/em> and Yamato 2<\/em> for Yamato 2202<\/em>?<\/p>\n
Miyagawa:<\/em><\/span> We\u2019re calling this work \u201csalvage.\u201d After all, if I do an ear-copy I understand that \u201cobviously, we have to plan for musical differentiations from the first Yamato<\/em>.\u201d There are a lot of strange string parts. The first Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> had a basis in rock, and there were a lot of scenes with activity from the rhythm section. But Farewell to Yamato<\/em> was intentionally based on a string ensemble, so there is a lot of music in this world that doesn\u2019t use codenames. I replaced the former rhythm section with mostly strings. I\u2019d planned to differentiate it from the previous work, and I thought this would start with changing the instruments around to maintain my motivation.<\/p>\n
Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> It has a classical impression.<\/p>\n
Miyagawa:<\/em><\/span> That\u2019s right. As a result, in general terms, it sounds classical. Morever, the pipe organ comes in there like Bach.<\/p>\n
Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> There\u2019s the famous story of you playing the pipe organ for Farewell<\/em> as a high school student. I think another performer came in for it this time. How was the recording?<\/p>\n
Miyagawa:<\/em><\/span> I did an ear-copy of White Comet<\/em> once again. I remembered that the music I played was certainly like this, and I prepared a complete score while listening to my performance as a high school student many times. So I handed it to the organist, Ms. Hiroko Yoneyama. There was the possibility that I might play it myself, but I thought that was a joke and stopped it. (Laughs) So the day of the recording came, and I was next to the organ confirming how to play it when Ms. Yoneyama sat down and chose the sound touches. She said, \u201cThe phrasing here and there\u2026yes, I know that.\u201d I asked, \u201cDid you study it properly?\u201d She said, \u201cYes, I have a CD.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEh? What do you mean? You studied what I did as a high school student?\u201d<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t illogical. (Laughs) Then when I was conducting strenuously next to the pipe organ, I suddenly remembered, \u201cYes, that was the same timing I had back then!\u201d<\/p>\n
\nFrom a promotional video for Chapter 1, February 2017<\/em><\/p>\n
Hiroshi Miyagawa was at the side, directing with all his might, encouraging me and explaining the music. I completely forgot about that. I was already full in those days. Playing continuously with tears in my eyes, doing all I could to play without a mistouch, \nand when he\u2019d say that I\u2019d played it pretty well or say how good or bad it was musically, I was doing it under the circumstances of thinking \u201cAll right, I get it! That\u2019s not the issue here, dad!\u201d<\/p>\n
I forgot such things over a long time, but I remember Hiroshi Miyagawa coaching me from the side during the recording in those days. It\u2019s the passing of the baton from parent to child, and also from musician to musician, and also from composer to player. I thought it was good to remember the various meanings of that. And so, even regarding my own children, I\u2019ve spent every day repenting that. Not just showing them my back, but occasionally passing on what needs to be passed on.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d hoped to be a better father to my children, being more family-oriented than the Miyagawa who\u2019d occasionally come home and stir things up before disappearing again to the Ginza, but I may not have been. When I thought about that, since that day I began to think about conveying the baton of life at important times. <\/p>\n
On 2199<\/em>, I thought that just by copying the music, I\u2019d taken the lessons from that world and this one. And when I did, the amazing thing was that the memory of my father standing beside me, scaring me to death, telling me how to do this, that, and the other thing, became incredibly nostalgic. Like I was recalling a slumbering memory that I was now seeing. It was a mysterious experience.<\/p>\n
Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Thank you very much. I look forward to 2202<\/em> in the future!<\/p>\n
![\"1711icon\"](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-content\/uploads\/1711icon.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/nov17\/261a07.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/nov17\/263a01.JPG\")
<\/span><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/dec16\/135a19.JPG\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/dec16\/135a20.JPG\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/aug17\/224a10.JPG\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/sep17\/241a01.JPG\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/mar17\/165a28.JPG\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/sep17\/241a02.JPG\")