The World of Japanese Film and Television Scores: Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Iwanami Films Edition: Sakuma Dam Trilogy (VPCD-81190)

© VAP
© Iwanami Audio-Visual Media Inc. (Iwanami Eizo)

Description:

This is the fifth volume in a six disc series titled Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works. This volume covers music from documentaries produced by Iwanami Films and features music from the Sakuma Dam Trilogy (1954 - 1957), including the near complete score (only missing a couple of cues) to "Sakuma Dam Part 2" (1955). Also features selected cues from "Baluchaung Project" (1960), "Tenryu River" (1952), "Hokkaido" (1955) and "Disaster - The Mount Tanigawa Records" (1957). In all, this release contains music from seven films. Music by Akira Ifukube. All music is in mono.

Album Information:

Label: VAP
Album Title & Catalogue Number: Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Iwanami Films Edition: Sakuma Dam Trilogy (VPCD-81190)
Music by: Akira Ifukube
Number of Discs: 1
Number of Tracks: 50
Run Time: 70:24
Release Date: March 1, 1997
Retail Price: ¥2,621 (Approximately $24.31 [as of July 4, 2019])

Track List:

The following are the Japanese and English translated track lists.

Track List (Japanese)

「佐久間ダム第1部」('54.5.6)
01. 天龍川の全貌 (M4)
02. ダム建設地点 (M6)
03. 構造式大発破 (M7)
04. 冬の訪れ (M8)
05. ジャンボー突入 (M9)
06. 仮排水トンネル完成 (M15)
07. エンディング (M17)

「佐久間ダム第2部」('55.7.4)
08. メインタイトル (M1)
09. 基礎堀削 (M2)
10. コンクリート打ち込み (M3)
11. 漏水との戦い (M4)
12. 中部天龍駅 (M5)
13. 骨材プラント建設 (M6)
14. 冷凍プラント建設 (M7)
15. バッチャプラント建設 (M8)
16. 鉄柱の森 (M9)
17. 大岸壁掘削 (M10)
18. 真夏の川底 (M11)
19. 黄昏 (M12)
20. ジャンボー出動 (M12-B)
21. 土砂排出 (M13)
22. ワゴンドリル (M14)
23. ケーブルクレーン (M16)
24. 暴風雨襲来 (M17)
25. 湖底に沈む村 (M19-A)
26. 緑の誘水 (M20)
27. ベルトコンベア (M21)
28. エンディング (M22)

「佐久間ダム第3部」(‘57.5.26)
29. 天龍の大瀑布 (M31)
30. ガバナーテスト (M33)
31. 発電所完成 (M36)

「バルウチャンプロジェクト」('60.6.20)
32. メインタイトル (M1)
33. マンダレーヒル (M2)
34. インレ湖 (M6)
35. 調査隊出発 (M8)
36. ローピタ滝 (M9)
37. ジャングルを越えて (M10)
38. 急斜面の掘削 (M13)
39. 鋼鉄の宮殿 (M18)
40. コンボイ荒野を行く (M20)
41. ペンストック組立 (M21)

「天龍川」('52.12.20)
42. メインタイトル (M1)
43. 大伐採 (M5)

「北海道」('55.8.25)
44. メインタイトル (M1)
45. 青年よ、大志をいだけ (M3)
46. エンディング (M14)

「遭難－谷川岳の記録」('57.10.10)
47. メインタイトル (M1)
48. 最後の装い (M13)
49. 夏山の慰霊碑 (M17)
50. エンディング (M18)

※Track 42~50=フィルム・サウンドトラックより

Track List (English)

"Sakuma Dam Part 1" (05/06/'54)
01. Full View of Tenryu River (M4)
02. Dam Construction Site (M6)
03. Great Structural Blast (M7)
04. Coming of Winter (M8)
05. The Jumbo Breaks Through (M9)
06. Temporary Drainage Tunnel Completed (M15)
07. Ending (M17)

"Sakuma Dam Part 2" (07/04/'55)
08. Main Title (M1)
09. Foundation Excavation (M2)
10. Concrete Casting (M3)
11. Battle Against Water Leakage (M4)
12. Chubu-Tenryu Station (M5)
13. Aggregate Plant Construction (M6)
14. Refrigeration Plant Construction (M7)
15. Batching Plant Construction (M8)
16. Forest of Iron Posts (M9)
17. Large Quay Excavation (M10)
18. Riverbed in Midsummer (M11)
19. Twilight (M12)
20. The Jumbo Mobilized (M12-B)
21. Sediment Discharge (M13)
22. Wagon Drill (M14)
23. Cable Crane (M16)
24. Storm Onslaught (M17)
25. The Village Sinks into the Bottom of the Lake (M19-A)
26. Green Priming Water (M20)
27. Belt Conveyor (M21)
28. Ending (M22)

"Sakuma Dam Part 3" (05/26/'57)
29. Great Tenryu Falls (M31)
30. Governor Test (M33)
31. Power Plant Completion (M36)

"Baluchaung Project" (06/20/'60)
32. Main Title (M1)
33. Mandalay Hill (M2)
34. Inle Lake (M6)
35. Expedition Departure (M8)
36. Lawpita Falls (M9)
37. Beyond the Jungle (M10)
38. Excavation of the Steep Slope (M13)
39. Palace of Steel (M18)
40. The Convoy Heads into the Wilderness (M20)
41. Penstock Assembly (M21)

"Tenryu River" (12/20/'52)
42. Main Title (M1)
43. Great Deforestation (M5)

"Hokkaido" (08/25/'55)
44. Main Title (M1)
45. Boys, Be Ambitious (M3)
46. Ending (M14)

"Disaster - The Mount Tanigawa Records" (10/10/'57)
47. Main Title (M1)
48. Last Guise (M13)
49. Natsuyama Memorial (M17)
50. Ending (M18)

Tracks 42 - 50 taken from the films' audio tracks.

Additional Notes:

As stated above, this album is the fifth of a six volume series titled Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works. The volumes in this series consist of:

Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Daiei Edition: Zatoichi Series/Nemuri Kyoshiro Series (VPCD-81186)
Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Shochiku Edition: Oh Wolf, Slay the Setting Sun (VPCD-81187)
Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Toei Edition: Shinran/Thirteen Assassins (VPCD-81188)
Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Nikkatsu Edition: The Burmese Harp/Scoundrels of the Sea (VPCD-81189)
Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Iwanami Films Edition: Sakuma Dam Trilogy (VPCD-81190)
Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Seiji Fujishiro Shadow Puppet Play: The Humpbacked Pony (VPCD-81191)

The series has been occasionally listed as the Film Composer Selection series at some websites (I myself have been guilty of this). However, this isn't entirely accurate as the Film Composer Selection series spans across a sizable number of VAP's releases.

The actual titles for the Sakuma Dam Trilogy are:

"Sakuma Dam Part One"
"Sakuma Dam Part Two: Transformation of the Great Tenryu"
"Sakuma Dam Part Three"

The cues from "Sakuma Dam Part One" were recorded on April 22, 1954. Only the recording session date for "Sakuma Dam Part One" is listed on this album.

I couldn't get an exact translation for track 5, so I decided to use a rough translation. Viewing the film also helped. By the way, "Jumbo" refers to a drilling jumbo.

Just like track 5, "Jumbo" refers to a drilling jumbo in track 20.

Additional music from "Sakuma Dam Part Three" can be found on Film Works by Akira Ifukube Vol. 4 (SLCS-5053) and disc four of Akira Ifukube Film Music Complete Works Reprint Box (KICC 91418~27).
Additional music from "Baluchaung Project" can be found on Film Works by Akira Ifukube Vol. 5 (SLCS-5054) and disc five of Akira Ifukube Film Music Complete Works Reprint Box (KICC 91418~27).

For some reason, the surviving print for "Sakuma Dam Part Three" (which I've seen) features a score composed by Yasushi Akutagawa. I've yet to uncover a reason as to why this is the case.

At the time this album was produced (1997), the tapes for "Sakuma Dam Part One", Sakuma Dam Part Three" and "Baluchaung Project" were partially lost. Here is a list of what was missing at that time:

For "Sakuma Dam Part One", three cues including M1 (Main Title) were lost. The other two cues weren't identified in the album booklet.
For "Sakuma Dam Part Three", only cues M26 - M39 (Ending) were located. However, these cues were severely degraded.
For "Baluchaung Project", cues M14 - M17 and M22 - M26 (Ending) were unable to be located.

Also, cues M15 and M18 from "Sakuma Dam Part Two: Transformation of the Great Tenryu" aren't included on this album. There is no explanation as to why these cues were excluded.

I was told by a producer at a Japanese record label that all of the master tapes for the three Sakuma Dam films were unable to be located as of 2018. The current situation of the "Baluchaung Project" tapes remain unknown.

Photo Gallery:

Here is a photo gallery of my copy of Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Iwanami Films Edition: Sakuma Dam Trilogy (VPCD-81190). The photos were taken on July 24, 2019.

The unopened box that the album arrived in.
© Brandon O'Brian

Opened box, with the album still in the packaging.
© VAP
© Iwanami Eizo
© Brandon O'Brian

Front of the album, sealed.

Back of the album, sealed.

Front of the album, unsealed and without obi.

Back of the album, unsealed and without obi.

Back of booklet, and disc.

Booklet front (page 1).

Track list (page 2).

Booklet back (page 24), featuring a leaflet for "Sakuma Dam Part Three" (1957).

Obi (the inner side of the obi is blank).

Updates:

This blog post was updated on July 4, 2019 and July 7, 2019.

Additional updates occurred on July 26, 2019 and July 27, 2019, which include a revised English translated track list, additions and changes in the Additional Notes section as well as a photo gallery of the album.

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Monday, July 11, 2016

Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Iwanami Films Edition: Sakuma Dam Trilogy (VPCD-81190)