EVENT: The Evangelion Wind Symphony Flies to the Anime's Past and Present

Image via Kyototokyo.com

 

What would Evangelion be if not for its music?

 

Sure, when you think of the iconic Hideaki Anno series, your mind may first jump to its surreal, metatextual, existentialist storytelling, brought to its ultimate apex to differing extremes with both The End of Evangelion and Evangelion 3.0+1.0. You may think about the intimidating beasts that are the Evas themselves or even the strong cast led by Shinji, Asuka and Rei.

 

But then you hear a jazz beat and the opening notes of Fly Me to the Moon or the choral and lyrical opening to Cruel Angel’s Thesis, and you can practically sing these songs from memory. For many at this point, Fly Me to the Moon is more associated with Evangelion than Frank Sinatra. Maybe you hear the thunderous, drumming tension built up by the “Angel Attack” theme and you can picture your favorite battle from the series.

 

Image via Kyototokyo.com

 

The point is, even while the story and characters may be usual representations of this franchise, it’s the music that can evoke the strongest memories for this beloved, personal creation. Since its release, Yoko Takahashi waved the flag by performing the most iconic music from the series at multiple events in Japan and around the world. The soundtrack, as well, has similarly made its mark at various music halls around the world.

 

Some of these are simple symphonic concerts allowing fans to hear the music performed live by a real orchestra, while others reinterpret the music into something altogether unique and entrancing. This was the case in Osaka in August, as fans came out in force for the Wind Symphony performance of music from across 25 years of Evangelion.
 

 

Original 2019 promotional video for the concert series

 

The symphony was taking place at the Osaka Festival Hall, the city’s biggest symphony hall situated just outside the main city center. The first performance was held in Tokyo in 2018, performed by the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, and immediately sold out due to high demand. It had initially been planned to return for a new round of performances in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in 2020 (with the latter two dates performed by the Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra). Alas, due to COVID, plans changed.

 

Over two years after the initially-planned date for the concerts, the performance was finally held, featuring songs from the TV series, Rebuild movies and 3.0+1.0. If that wasn’t enough, Yoko Takahashi herself would appear at the event with the legendary singer set to perform some of her songs from the series.

 

Arriving at the venue exuded a refined atmosphere you would expect from a venue typically attuned to Beethoven and Ebner than Evangelion. Still, the abundance of fans in Evangelion and more casual attire ensured the event felt more relaxed than one would expect. The Festival Hall is an impressive yet modern venue (opening for the first time in 2013!), with a large wooden stage for the orchestra and walls shaped in a manner to most effectively capture and reverberate the sound around the venue for all 2700 attendees for the sold-out event.

 

Osaka Festival Hall (Photo: Alicia Haddick)

 

As the wind orchestra took to their seats and tuned their instruments, the roaring battle cry of “Angel Attack” sucked you right into Shinji’s first fight in EVA-01 with an angel in TOKYO-3 setting the stage for the show to come.

 

What struck me was just how much these songs were successfully able to bring you into the world of Evangelion without a single visual reminder of the series within the venue. Unlike some other modern venues, there was no projection or screen where footage of key moments could be shown with the music, yet you were still immersed and lost in the music regardless. Without a screen, it was easier to simply allow the musicians and your imagination to guide you through the performance. 

 

The same can be said when Yoko Takahashi took the stage. While I have seen her perform live in the past, I was struck by her command over the stage even as she worked with an entire orchestra. "Tensions -welcome to the stage-", the song she performed as she made her entrance, transformed this powerful insert song into a tense battle between singer and backing that elevated the song to new heights.

 

Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra (Image via Kyototokyo.com)

 

The concert could lower this intensity when needed, as seen with the more calm 5-piece quintet renditions of “Thanatos” and “Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win” and the haunting full-orchestra rendition of Rei’s theme. Yet the wonder of hearing the song that brings the Rebuild series to a soaring close in “What If” performed live in orchestra and song stuck out as a highlight amidst it all. The song’s presence in the final Rebuild film as a soaring piece of closure that transforms the nihilism of the original into a step forward is truly brought out when performed live on such a scale.

 

Naturally, the concert had to come to an end with the classics. Takahashi stayed on stage to perform the song many had been waiting for, A Cruel Angel’s Thesis, before surprising the crowd with two extra songs. Closing out the concert, perhaps most fittingly, was a performance of Fly Me to the Moon and an extended, bouncy rendition of the next episode theme. Call it fan service, service!

 

With the new end of Evangelion behind us, the series is stepping forward into an unpredictable future, with Hideaki Anno moving beyond the franchise at last for new projects like his reimagination of Japanese kid classics like Ultraman and Kamen Rider. This concert, similarly, felt like it approached the series by recognizing its past but, with the emphasis of new songs from the movie series and its rendition of “What If,” understood the need to carve a new place for itself and move forwards. It was a chance to celebrate the franchise’s music in style, for fans to remember, but for audiences to consider their broader relationship to the series through song in an audience befitting its monumental impact.

 

In other words, I love you Evangelion. 

 

 

 

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Alicia Haddick is a freelance features writer for Crunchyroll. If they aren't watching anime or way, way too many movies, they're probably outside taking photos or listening to their favorite idol groups. You can find them sharing their other work on anime, gaming and films and rambling on just about anything over on their Twitter account @socialanigirl, or on Letterboxd.

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