Tomita - London Tale of Genji

London Tale of Genji

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Tomita arrived on stage at 7.30 PM resplendent in a white suit with gold trim to perform what was called a "Future Space Fantasy".

A voice announced that the music would be accompanied on a 48-screen video wall with the first high definition pictures of the Earth and images of the night sky taken from a telescope in Hawaii.

There was a six-channel speaker setup (double speakers at each location), two at the front, two at the sides, and two on stage.

The set began with "Mars" from the Planets, and the vocal countdown was matched on screen with the space shuttle launch sequence. This was followed by Ives’ "The Unanswered Question", Prokofiev’s "Violin Concerto No. 1 (Andantino/Allegro Moderato)" and "Scythian Suite". The half-an-hour set concluded with "Jupiter" and the Firebird "Finale".

Tomita’s all-digital equipment setup for the first section consisted of a Roland JP-8000, a PowerBook, a desktop computer, Roland VS-1680 digital studio workstation and hard disk recorder.

After the interval, the orchestra came back on followed by Tomita dressed in a tuxedo for conducting mode. The music followed the same format as the recent "Genji" Japanese limited release CD, followed by a five-minute encore. It was also accompanied on screen by traditional video images shot to complement the suite, and flower petals rained down on the performers during the final rendition of the main theme. Motokazu Shinoda (the synthesizer part of the orchestra!) used a Roland A-90 and some kind of oval keyboard during the "Genji" recital.

Click on the smaller images below for the full size versions.

Images

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The 48-screen video wall used for both halves of the concert.	John in front of the stage at the interval. Moto's Roland A-90 in background.	"Future Space Fantasy" equipment being taken away.	More equipment, if you recognise any of it let us know.
Ben at the stage, just before we got moved along!	Following our interview with Tomita-san.	John Breslin, Isao Tomita, Ben Ward.	Taken with Ben's digital camera.
After the interview... Sleepy.	My signed copy of Genji.	Ben's signed Sound Creature LP was too big for this shot!	Erwin Stok's photos of the Royal Festival Hall.
The RFH, site of the London Genji concert.	Isao Tomita leaving the stage after the performance.	The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Japanese guests.	Erwin, his friend Phil, and their souvenir of the night.
Front of brochure, signed by Tale of Genji author.	Middle of brochure.		Back of brochure.
Postcard.	Front of programme.	Tickets!	Tale of Genji CD signed by Isao Tomita.

Reviews

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"In the Moog", The London Independent, 24 June, 1999

Abba and Tubular Bells we recognise, but what about Isao Tomita? In the 1970s, his synthesiser versions of the classics were huge: first out of Japan was a Debussy album, Snowflakes are Dancing, then a spectacular re-imagining of Holst's Planets swept the west. Later he disappeared into film and television studios. The recordings vanished too, their technology soon sounding quaint. Now here he was in London, back not only with updated equipment but with the full London Philharmonic Orchestra, a line-up of Japanese string and wind instruments, and a 48-section video wall. This new toybox was partly a showcase for Pioneer, sponsors of the concert, which drew a large and inquisitive audience, not all from the audio business. No doubt about it, the wall was the highlight. It blasted into action with the launch of a space shuttle and for the next half-hour showed brilliant, high-resolution, slow-moving shots of planets and nebulae. For this Future Space Fantasy Tomita took the stage alone, adding live sampling to the pre-programmed sequence.

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