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SKETCH OF NAZCA
Copyright © 1998 Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
ESCB 1872
Available Now in Japan
¥ 3,059
—by Eric "Scanner" Luce
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Condor wa Tonde Iku (traditional)
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(The Condor Flies Away) |
| 2. |
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Kuchu Shinden
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(The Sky Shrine) |
| 3) |
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Kigare Naki Koko
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| 4) |
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Ai no Fuuga
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(Music derivative: J.S. Bach's fugue in G minor, lyrics from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff - actual source unknown, (Sol Temperat from Primo Vere)) |
| 5) |
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Phoenix
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| 6) |
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Haikyo o Wataru Kaze
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| 7) |
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Faust
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(Lyrics from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust) |
| 8) |
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Hitaburu ni Ura Kanashi
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| 9) |
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Gratia ~ mezame ~
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| 10) |
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Nazca ~ Shinpi no Tori ~
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| 11) |
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El Condor Pasa (traditional)
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Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are by Tsuneyoshi Saito.
Tracks 4 and 7 are by The Eccentric Opera.
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NAZCA the TV series explored a common plot in a mostly untapped genre of
mythology: that of the Inca of what is now Peru. When the creators of this
series had to produce a soundtrack, they needed something that worked with
the many facets of the story—grand sweeping struggle, frustrated love,
rediscovered love, redemption, the end of the world, magic, good vs. evil,
and action. They seem to have captured a good number of these emotions in
this album.
The whole soundtrack is a series of seeming contradictions. Each song is
contrasted in tone and nature by the following track. We go from a smooth
and rolling traditional piece, to a jarring techno song, to a violin piece
that builds tension towards a climax. Then there is the juxtaposition of
J.S. Bach's "little" fugue in G minor with lyrics from the spring section of
Carmina Burana.
We start with "Condor wa Tonde Iku" (The Condor Flies Away), which is based
on a traditional Andean tune. It features Andean reed pipes playing the main
theme, a gentle rolling piece that speaks of the open skies in the Andes.
This song is contrasted strongly by the more modern, edgy treatments, such
as track #2, "Kuchu Shinden" (Sky Shrine), which has a mix of keyboards and
voices set to a much quicker beat. The faster rhythm of track #2 meets a
change again in track #3—you start with a violin soliloquy that turns
into a very intensely building piece, only to return to the violin-dominated
melody that began the track.
Things take a very drastic turn when The Eccentric Opera brings track #4
("Ai no Fuuga") and track #7 ("Faust") to the album. "Ai no Fuuga" is the
piece that is used as the opening music for the series. It is an extremely
compelling song with the melody based on J.S. Bach's "little" fugue in G
minor. The lyrics are from Carmina Burana's "Primo Vere - Omnia Sol
Temperat" ("In Spring - The sun soothes all things.") The piece is striking
and grand; you feel the beginning of great portents. The juxtaposition of
the Latin with a female singer, on top of a new orchestration of a Bach
canon, leads the mind in circles and hints at ancient mystery. In "Faust"
(track #7) we have a voice ringing out the lyrics to von Goethe's Faust in a
very staccato fashion above the background voices lilting over chords. This,
combined with the heavy bass track and electronic accompaniment, give the
listener an air of dark and thunderous clouds racing across the sky,
foretelling a storm of sinister nature.
Since this was a TV series, we can see how they needed a variety of pieces
to provide the music for all the different situations the characters got
themselves into. This collection particularly distinguishes itself in the
nature and composition of its grander pieces, though. They stand out and
grab the listener's attention. Even so, while watching the show, they do not
overpower the action, but provide a totally mesmerizing environment that the
viewer is drawn into.
Although not all the pieces of music may stand on their own, the several
which do make this album worth collecting even if you did not watch the TV
series.
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