Yuki Kajiura LIVE #19 Kajifes 2023 - 30th Anniversary Live

I was on the LINO LEIA boat, but I really don’t know what happened in this live. obsession wasn’t a good choice for her maybe. But she wasn’t better in Fanfare…
I wasn’t on the rito boat before this live, and still I’m not but I’m really impressed with her Senya Ichiya (btw, did Hitoshi Konno come in early with the violin?).
 
Personally i didnt like any of the two until now. But now i like LINO more than rito. I think its because their FJ songs are subpar , while Senya is guaranteed catchy and well composed IMHO. Obsession is great too but like i said rito needs to improve her english to sound good. like someone else said this should have been assigned to Joelle (or maybe have Sito has a guest :D Kajiura - Ozawa soundtrack when ? ). Early in the violin ? You mean at the the beginning while the song's still slow ?
 
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Yes, Joelle should performed obsession (you actually wrote “oblivious” xd). Btw I loved the Keiko’s lalalala.

george1234 said:
Early in the violin ? You mean at the the beginning while the song's still slow ?
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After the first verse, when rito ends with “saigo dake zutto kurikaeshite”. It seems that Hitoshi tries to play the violin but isn’t his turn.
 
Last boss in the middle of the live ? 😁 MVP yes. Oh and i so want some of the RHH 1 songs performed live like dreamcatcher and walk on your destiny which had Kasahara Hanae and Yuriko on the same track 😍
 
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Shouldn't we get a trailer for Day 2 on TBS by now, guys? I remember they posted the first one a month prior to the airing day and I really really want to see Eri Itou - Asuka again...

Edit: Tomaru Hanae as well. I love all of them XD.
 
HIGHWAY STAR PARTY trailer was posted 2 or 3 days prior to airing.

Chances are DAY1 trailer being posted so early is not the standard.
 
Kaji Fes 2023 Day 1 (Bilibili-sourced)

The World: Joelle, FJ
On point. I am a fan of Joelle, though I really appreciate Keiko's fuller/darker tone on the 2008 version (and filling out all the low notes). I do think Keiko wouldn't sing it like the 2008 style if she re-did it.

Liminality: Yuri Kasahara, Keiko/Kaori
Immediate chills when her voice came in (slightly slower vibrato). Having just Keiko/Kaori as backing was perfect (to complete the 3-part chorus harmony) as Yuri had the vocal weight/technique to handle all the upper frequencies. Different level of vocalist, tbh. She was regal all through!

Also, Kaori got to open up on her heavy vibrato with Yuri as a duet. A bit of a cadenza by Yuri at the end, slowing down the timing.

In the Land of Twilight Under the Moon: FJ
Cool performance. Yuriko and Joelle high duet in the beginning of the bridge section was sublime, with Yuriko turning up the mask resonance! Joelle's "lalala" was virtually identical to Studio Reprise 1, so perfect with the register switching. Keiko and Kaori took a moment to share a smile at the end. Memories!

Swordland: REMI, FJ full
REMI looked beautiful and was suitably dramatic! Her voice was on point with the others. I am a fan of it so no complaints here.

Luminous Sword: REMI, FJ full
Having REMI stand with the others was a sight I was pleased to see. REMI's pose at the end was cute too. She looked younger than she did at the SAO 10th Anniversary.

Hoshikuzu: KEIKO, FJ
There's a sense of being seasoned from the way Keiko led the song, both vocally and in her body language/expressions. Kaori was OK with her parts. Yuriko was sweet with her chant, and the exchanges were nice too.

Hanamori no Oka: KAORI, FJ
I think Kaori took it well, not exactly like past versions. When Yuriko came in to duet with Kaori her voice was so controlled. On the last two words of the English bridge, slight slowdown of the penultimate word's starting tempo (sweet).

We’re Gonna Groove: Instrumental
Cool. Sweet intro from the accordion and cool solos from the musicians too. Nice stage lighting effects.

Obsession: LINO LEIA, Joelle/Keiko
Lino Leia did OK. The song was OK in that it kept her in her mid-to-low range which was cool to hear, but her nasal tendencies were there all through. So it's not about tryng to use it for high notes. It's her timbre. Liked Keiko's ethnic vocalizations.

Senya Ichiya: RITO, Joelle/Yuriko
I am always a fan of rito's low notes (they are never airy, seeming to take after Keiko in their strength). She's also suitably expressive / dramatic with the lyrics. Her mid-low range is more full, and she uses more nasal resonance for high notes. Having just Joelle and Yuriko as backing/harmony works well. I think they're perfect for her (like in YKL 17) because her voice has depth and they can take the high/light tones. rito is a performer! I am curious about her singing a faster-paced song rather than a ballad. That vocal interplay at the end leading to the belt was sweet. Yuriko just resonated her way into that mix without any effort.

Point Zero: Yuri Kasahara, FJ
Nice how the cello shadowed Keiko and Kaori on the "a solti" at the beginning. Yuri with the dramatics. You can see when she raised her hands after the staccato chants she slightly planted her feet to prepare her support ahead of time. Powerful and dramatic!

Salva Nos: Yuri Kasahara, FJ
Epic version! Another chill-inducing vocal performance. Her ability to just move up in her range up to the top notes with fulness - no outward tension or seeming effort - while essentially doing drama and dancing, shows the value of deep operatic training and experience.
This wasn't heavy work for her at all.

Hana no Uta: Aimer
Aimer has always been an interesting voice to me. Her enka-ish ornamentation and choices. One thing I saw immediately was her violent way of inhaling air quickly - it almost looked like a spasm or convulsion. The breath is not as audible as Wakana's for example, but Aimer's technique is not healthy - too much tension on the body and eventually on her vocal cords. She doesn't seem to have any training in this regard. Just a raw singer who developed her own style.

Kai: Aimer
A soft and sentimental song. Still her breathing was all I could see. Seeing her and Kajiura work out the timing for the 2nd verse was cute.

Asa ga Kuru: Aimer, Joelle, Keiko
Action-style music. Keiko altered her tone to match Aimer's vocalization tendencies, lifting her larynx, using more nasal resonance and phrasing similarly to blend better. Always Keiko's superpower. Aimer gave energy/emotion to the performance. Joelle had like one or two notes a few times. They could have used backing track for that, I mean...

My Story: Instrumental
Braveheart in a symphonic envelope.

Parallel Hearts: FJ
Always fun! The ladies let some steam loose. Cool to see Yuriko just turn to the audience behind them for the chorus and stick to them. Harmonies on point as always!

Joelle's vowel on the word "ito" after coming back from the bridge was nice. Joelle holding the last note and maintained power throughout, as expected.

stone cold: FJ
Total freestyle stage unlocked (finally!) They were just all walking, climbing staircases, running, first pumping, jumping, just all over the place! Korenaga getting in on the pointing action too!

Yuriko singing to the camera. Keiko/Kaori running to hold hands. Yuriko and Joelle joint camera engagement. Keiko being Korenaga's hype lady. Joelle engaging Korenaga. In fact by the Kajiurago point, Kaori and Joelle were out of place (on elevated part of the stage).

Funnest performance! (If this was done in a more extroverted venue, there would have been a heavier roar in the hall at the end).

The image of Xenosaga II: Joelle, FJ+
Never heard it before. Wow. not bad at all!

All Kajiurago, all through. Joelle's lead was smooth and powerful. The full roster was needed for the full chorus effect I suspect. Nice run from Kaori at the very beginning. Epic song.

Sōkyū no Fanfāre:
Liked Keiko's start with a fuller voice. Joelle's "asagiri..." was like butter with exquisite dynamics (her secret weapon, imo).
rito's 2nd verse start was perfect (her low notes are always on point), and Lino Leia taking the second part was nice too.

Yuriko getting to sing in a lead position was also sweet. More of this now that she has Joelle to fill that support for the more classical/head voice parts.

rito's low notes got me again (the lowest I ever heard her sing) within the chorus when she traded with Lino Leia! That girl got some range.
They nailed the last slowed-down notes perfectly! A satisfying performance to me, better than the SAO 10th anniversay version, surely.
 
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george1234 said:
Last boss in the middle of the live ? 😁 MVP yes. Oh and i so want some of the RHH 1 songs performed live like dreamcatcher and walk on your destiny which had Kasahara Hanae and Yuriko on the same track 😍
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Now that you mentioned about tracks that featured opera singers, I'm dreaming of a live where the front vocalists are Yuri Kasahara, Remi, Tomaru Hanae, Eri Itou, and Yuriko Kaida. XD, though it might be intricate to come up with a proper playlist for such vocalists.
 
Trongaaaaa said:
Now that you mentioned about tracks that featured opera singers, I'm dreaming of a live where the front vocalists are Yuri Kasahara, Remi, Tomaru Hanae, Eri Itou, and Yuriko Kaida. XD, though it might be intricate to come up with a proper playlist for such vocalists.
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That would be HEAVY! There would be a lot of work to do on the blending, though everyone but Kasahara (possibly) has solid ensemble singing experience, though in different formats - classical, choral, musical theatre, FJ.

Yuri would possibly still stand out as the soloist in the group.
 
CloisteredFlame said:
Kaji Fes 2023 Day 1 (Bilibili-sourced)

The World: Joelle, FJ
On point. I am a fan of Joelle, though I really appreciate Keiko's fuller/darker tone on the 2008 version (and filling out all the low notes). I do think Keiko wouldn't sing it like the 2008 style if she re-did it.

Liminality: Yuri Kasahara, Keiko/Kaori
Immediate chills when her voice came in (slightly slower vibrato). Having just Keiko/Kaori as backing was perfect (to complete the 3-part chorus harmony) as Yuri had the vocal weight/technique to handle all the upper frequencies. Different level of vocalist, tbh. She was regal all through!

Also, Kaori got to open up on her heavy vibrato with Yuri as a duet. A bit of a cadenza by Yuri at the end, slowing down the timing.

In the Land of Twilight Under the Moon: FJ
Cool performance. Yuriko and Joelle high duet in the beginning of the bridge section was sublime, with Yuriko turning up the mask resonance! Joelle's "lalala" was virtually identical to Studio Reprise 1, so perfect with the register switching. Keiko and Kaori took a moment to share a smile at the end. Memories!

Swordland: REMI, FJ full
REMI looked beautiful and was suitably dramatic! Her voice was on point with the others. I am a fan of it so no complaints here.

Luminous Sword: REMI, FJ full
Having REMI stand with the others was a sight I was pleased to see. REMI's pose at the end was cute too. She looked younger than she did at the SAO 10th Anniversary.

Hoshikuzu: KEIKO, FJ
There's a sense of being seasoned from the way Keiko led the song, both vocally and in her body language/expressions. Kaori was OK with her parts. Yuriko was sweet with her chant, and the exchanges were nice too.

Hanamori no Oka: KAORI, FJ
I think Kaori took it well, not exactly like past versions. When Yuriko came in to duet with Kaori her voice was so controlled. On the last two words of the English bridge, slight slowdown of the penultimate word's starting tempo (sweet).

We’re Gonna Groove: Instrumental
Cool. Sweet intro from the accordion and cool solos from the musicians too. Nice stage lighting effects.

Obsession: LINO LEIA, Joelle/Keiko
Lino Leia did OK. The song was OK in that it kept her in her mid-to-low range which was cool to hear, but her nasal tendencies were there all through. So it's not about tryng to use it for high notes. It's her timbre. Liked Keiko's ethnic vocalizations.

Senya Ichiya: RITO, Joelle/Yuriko
I am always a fan of rito's low notes (they are never airy, seeming to take after Keiko in their strength). She's also suitably expressive / dramatic with the lyrics. Her mid-low range is more full, and she uses more nasal resonance for high notes. Having just Joelle and Yuriko as backing/harmony works well. I think they're perfect for her (like in YKL 17) because her voice has depth and they can take the high/light tones. rito is a performer! I am curious about her singing a faster-paced song rather than a ballad. That vocal interplay at the end leading to the belt was sweet. Yuriko just resonated her way into that mix without any effort.

Point Zero: Yuri Kasahara, FJ
Nice how the cello shadowed Keiko and Kaori on the "a solti" at the beginning. Yuri with the dramatics. You can see when she raised her hands after the staccato chants she slightly planted her feet to prepare her support ahead of time. Powerful and dramatic!

Salva Nos: Yuri Kasahara, FJ
Epic version! Another chill-inducing vocal performance. Her ability to just move up in her range up to the top notes with fulness - no outward tension or seeming effort - while essentially doing drama and dancing, shows the value of deep operatic training and experience.
This wasn't heavy work for her at all.

Hana no Uta: Aimer
Aimer has always been an interesting voice to me. Her enka-ish ornamentation and choices. One thing I saw immediately was her violent way of inhaling air quickly - it almost looked like a spasm or convulsion. The breath is not as audible as Wakana's for example, but Aimer's technique is not healthy - too much tension on the body and eventually on her vocal cords. She doesn't seem to have any training in this regard. Just a raw singer who developed her own style.

Kai: Aimer
A soft and sentimental song. Still her breathing was all I could see. Seeing her and Kajiura work out the timing for the 2nd verse was cute.

Asa ga Kuru: Aimer, Joelle, Keiko
Action-style music. Keiko altered her tone to match Aimer's vocalization tendencies, lifting her larynx, using more nasal resonance and phrasing similarly to blend better. Always Keiko's superpower. Aimer gave energy/emotion to the performance. Joelle had like one or two notes a few times. They could have used backing track for that, I mean...

My Story: Instrumental
Braveheart in a symphonic envelope.

Parallel Hearts: FJ
Always fun! The ladies let some steam loose. Cool to see Yuriko just turn to the audience behind them for the chorus and stick to them. Harmonies on point as always!

Joelle's vowel on the word "ito" after coming back from the bridge was nice. Joelle holding the last note and maintained power throughout, as expected.

stone cold: FJ
Total freestyle stage unlocked (finally!) They were just all walking, climbing staircases, running, first pumping, jumping, just all over the place! Korenaga getting in on the pointing action too!

Yuriko singing to the camera. Keiko/Kaori running to hold hands. Yuriko and Joelle joint camera engagement. Keiko being Korenaga's hype lady. Joelle engaging Korenaga. In fact by the Kajiurago point, Kaori and Joelle were out of place (on elevated part of the stage).

Funnest performance! (If this was done in a more extroverted venue, there would have been a heavier roar in the hall at the end).

The image of Xenosaga II: Joelle, FJ+
Never heard it before. Wow. not bad at all!

All Kajiurago, all through. Joelle's lead was smooth and powerful. The full roster was needed for the full chorus effect I suspect. Nice run from Kaori at the very beginning. Epic song.

Sōkyū no Fanfāre:
Liked Keiko's start with a fuller voice. Joelle's "asagiri..." was like butter with exquisite dynamics (her secret weapon, imo).
rito's 2nd verse start was perfect (her low notes are always on point), and Lino Leia taking the second part was nice too.

Yuriko getting to sing in a lead position was also sweet. More of this now that she has Joelle to fill that support for the more classical/head voice parts.

rito's low notes got me again (the lowest I ever heard her sing) within the chorus when she traded with Lino Leia! That girl got some range.
They nailed the last slowed-down notes perfectly! A satisfying performance to me, better than the SAO 10th anniversay version, surely.
Click to expand...
Watching again, I have a few more thoughts.

  • During "The World", for the lyric "the fields are filled with desires" in the chorus Joelle articulated the "s" at the end of the words. I didn't usually hear that consonant in the earlier performances so I just thought it was "desire", until I confirmed in the lyrics section right here!
  • During the start of Keiko's "la la la" counterpoint with Kaori towards the end of "In the Land of Twilight Under the Moon", she added a glide (never heard from her before, reminiscent of Joelle's earlier). Nice playfulness with the vocals.
  • rito is superior to LINO LEIA in breath management/control and vocal stamina. LINO tends to escape from long notes by doing a quick crescendo and pulling the mic. She doesn't tend to hold a note long enough for her vibrato to kick in naturally, meaning that she runs of breath (some work to do on that). The entirety of rito's performance (long continuous phrases) of "Senya Ichiya" and how she went into the belt at the end and held the last note with Yuriko and Joelle (I thought it would be shorter) proved it to me.
  • Yuriko is definitely vocally freer to do a lot of things since after Joelle came in - net positive indeed.
 
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