The Band: The Rock to Come

2025/02/10

I graduated from the Department of French Literature in the Faculty of Letters in 1984 and worked for a publishing house. While I was working as an editor, perhaps due to some psychological mechanism, I didn't feel like writing anything, but as soon as I left the job, I felt the urge to write "something."

However, though I'm no Futabatei Shimei, I had nothing I "wanted to write." Having no choice, I consulted a friend, who advised me, "Why don't you write about The Band, since you like them?" and so I decided to write a treatise on The Band.

The Band was a so-called American rock band that was active from 1968 to 1978. They are generally known as Bob Dylan's backing band, and their farewell concert was made into the film "The Last Waltz" by director Martin Scorsese. I first heard The Band's album "Northern Lights – Southern Cross" when I was a high school freshman, and I became obsessed with the charm of their music, listening to it almost every day for over 45 years.

However, it's not that I particularly like "rock"; for the past 10 years or so, I've only gone to classical and contemporary music concerts. I prefer the Ensemble intercontemporain, my favorite conductor is Marek Janowski, and my favorite orchestra is the Staatskapelle Dresden.

The Band is a mysterious group, and they aren't very popular with people who like so-called rock music. Just recently, when I recommended my book to someone who likes The Beatles, they told me, "Sorry, but The Band just doesn't resonate with me."

However, once you are possessed by their charm, you will undoubtedly continue to listen to The Band for the rest of your life.

The 2023 performance by the Berlin Philharmonic in Japan, conducted by Kirill Petrenko, was a wonderful performance. I was particularly impressed by Berg's "Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6." However, when I returned home, what I listened to that day was also The Band's "Northern Lights – Southern Cross." I went to sleep reaffirming that while the Berlin Philharmonic is certainly amazing, they still can't compete with The Band.

If you want to know why, please read this book.

The Band: The Rock to Come

Haruyuki Ikegami

Sayusha

280 pages, 1,980 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.