Kitaro - Kojiki

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Music reviews of Kojiki

Music Review: Dramatic. One of Kitaro's best pieces of work.
Rating: 5 Stars

While the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra does make an appearance to give the work a full, rich dramatic sound, this is not the score to a film. Rather, it is Kitaro's musical portrait of the ancient mythological story of the birth of the islands of Japan. Each piece tells a part of the story, and fittingly,that story is related in the liner notes if you care to read it. You don't have to read the story, but it might help you to appreciate the drama and passion of the music all the more as the scenes play themselves out in your mind while you listen to these great pieces of music.

1. Hajimari - (The Beginning) This starts of grandly with keyboard effects, thunder, a synthesized heartbeat and ominous but grand string hits. It tells of the beginnings of the creation of the islands, born out of turbulence.

2 Sozo - (The Birth Of A Land)This is in the same spirit, at first, as Hajimari, but it features much more and very lovely instrumentation, from harps and flutes to wonderful keyboard melodies and majestic drum hits in spots. Whereas the first track was ominous and darkly thrilling, this one is regal and poignant with heart-touching beauty. The interplay of all the instruments is spectacular. This one made me cry when I first heard it. Bring your Kleenex.

3- Koi - This deals with, according to the story, the death of the mother of the Japanese fire god and his expulsion from his home, as his father thinks him weak for giving in to emotion. There is a beautifully poignant flute melody in here, but the whole thing is brilliant, it has a feel of sadness, wandering, desolation, but also near the end a sense of hope, as the wanderer is taken in by a sister AND gets his first taste of love. The music tells these things expertly with tender wordless melodies that grab the heart and hold onto it for dear life.

4- Orochi - This, to me, is the darkest, yet grandest piece of the album. It concerns a brutal fight between the Japanese fire god and a terrible seven-headed dragon, with the fate of a village and the fair maiden Kushinadahime at stake (her sisters were eaten by the dragon, Orochi). The track is a masterpiece of tense plucked strings, foreboding adventurous drums and keyboards, soaring, majestic flute, and driving electric guitar in places. It truly is a masterful musical depiction of a grand and desperate battle to save a treasure held dearly in our beloved hero's heart.

5. Nageki- This one is just SAD, but the flute melody in here is BEAUTIFUL and combines wonderfully with mournful strings. Our hero is again wandering, looking for a place of welcome and acceptance....Will he find it? Listen and find out. Maybe he will. Just maybe...

6. The Festival- This is the quickest most festive track of the album. It features heroic drums, dancing beautiful flute work, nice keyboard touches, and a brief chant somewhere in the middle, I think. According to the story, the festival was a trick to lure the sun goddess Hikaru out of a cave where she had sequestered herself in grief, thereby plunging the islands of Japan into darkness. They had to get that sunlight back after all. :)

7. Reimi - (New Land) This is esentially a reprise of Track 2 (Sozo, Birth Of A Land). It fits here, because it musically tells us that the quest of the hero is done, that Japan's islands are restored to pristine glory, and that everything is well. Yes, the hero and the maiden are married and everyone is happy. Yay!!! :)

In short, this to me is the best album Kitaro has ever done. Whether you agree with me on that or not, I think you will like this album if you pick it up. It just might make you a fan of Kitaro once you hear it if you are not a fan of his work already. God bless you.

Description of Kojiki

International CDs

• Music > Styles
• New Age
• Pop
• Rock