There are always 1)unsung heroes in each field. In the anime industry, one of the most overlooked factors is BGM – that is, background music – and some of the most talented people working behind the scenes are those BGM composers.
That’s right, BGM composers.
Sure, I bet most of you have heard of names like Yoko Kanno注 and Joe Hisaishi. However, these names are mostly known because of certain super-popular anime or award-winning movies. We usually focus more on the story, art, or seiyuu cast, while BGM 2)takes a back seat. Some believe that if the anime is not great, the BGM is the same.
Oh yes, BGM is mainly used for providing emotion to scenery. It always goes alongside something, whether it’s a happy scene or a tragic moment. It is not the main course of a feast, but an 3)irreplaceable 4)side dish. Yet the truth is, a good piece of BGM, such as Hisaishi’s works, can really 5)enhance the feelings, and even upgrade a just-so-so anime to a musical 6)gem.
Known professionally as Joe Hisaishi, Mamoru Fujisawa was born in Nakano, Japan in 1950. When taking violin lessons at five, he discovered his passion for music, which led him to attend the Kunitachi College of Music, majoring in composition. In 1983, Hisaishi was 7)recommended by a record company to create an album for Nausicaauml; of the Valley of the Wind. He and the director, Hayao Miyazaki, became great friends and worked together on most of the Ghibli projects later on. It’s almost like a John Williams-Steven Spielberg or Danny Elfman-Tim Burton partnership. And this 8)merge of geniuses really works.
As a master in telling the story with his music, Hisaishi can transport his listeners to a far-away magical, fantasy kingdom. One moment you sit in a Parisian sidewalk café, warm and 9)cozy; the next you are lost in a rain forest, scared as hell. With an instantly 10)likeable main theme, he can use it in different 11)variations and 12)tempos, making it so 13)memorable that the tune may still remind you of certain scenes many years later.
If you have never paid much attention to BGM, start with Hisaishi. His works are not some average cartoon music. There are always 14)flighty and free-15)flowing feelings in his musical world. Even with the darkest parts, the hint of light and hope is always there, way up high, in Hisaishi’s sky…
各行各業(yè)都有無(wú)名英雄。在動(dòng)畫業(yè)界,其中一個(gè)最容易被人忽視的要素就是背景音樂(lè)(BGM),而在幕后默默耕耘的精英之中就包括那些背景音樂(lè)作曲家。
沒(méi)錯(cuò),就是背景音樂(lè)作曲家。
當(dāng)然,我敢打賭大多數(shù)人都聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)菅野洋子和久石讓。然而,人們都是因?yàn)槟硯撞砍t的動(dòng)畫或者獲獎(jiǎng)無(wú)數(shù)的電影才知道這些名字。我們往往更注重動(dòng)畫的劇情、畫風(fēng)或者聲優(yōu)陣容,而把它的背景音樂(lè)攆到冷板凳上。有些人認(rèn)為如果動(dòng)畫不成功,背景音樂(lè)就不會(huì)出彩。
沒(méi)錯(cuò),背景音樂(lè)主要是為場(chǎng)景渲染氣氛。它總會(huì)依附在其它要素上,無(wú)論那是快樂(lè)的一幕還是悲劇的時(shí)刻。它從來(lái)不是一場(chǎng)盛宴的主菜,卻是其中不可取代的一碟小菜。而事實(shí)上,一段優(yōu)美的背景音樂(lè),例如久石讓的作品,可以讓觀眾更加感同身受,甚至能將一部
乏善可陳的動(dòng)畫打磨成音樂(lè)瑰寶。
以“久石讓”為職業(yè)化名的藤澤守1950年出生于日本中野市。五歲學(xué)小提琴時(shí),他發(fā)現(xiàn)自己對(duì)音樂(lè)十分熱衷,這份熱愛(ài)驅(qū)使他入讀日本國(guó)立音樂(lè)大學(xué)的作曲專業(yè)。1983年,一家唱片公司推薦久石讓為《風(fēng)之谷》創(chuàng)作音樂(lè)專輯。他和該片的導(dǎo)演宮崎駿成了好朋友,在吉卜力工作室隨后的大部分作品中都有合作。他們成了像約翰·威廉姆斯和史蒂芬·斯皮爾伯格、丹尼·艾夫曼和蒂姆·伯頓那樣的黃金搭檔。強(qiáng)強(qiáng)聯(lián)手確實(shí)效果非凡。
久石讓善于用音樂(lè)講故事,他能將聽(tīng)眾帶到一個(gè)遙遠(yuǎn)的魔幻王國(guó)。前一刻你還坐在巴黎的路邊咖啡館,感覺(jué)溫暖又舒適;……