Alan Menken, known as the master of Disney music, will hold a concert titled "Alan Menken Solo Concert 'A Whole New World of Alan Menken'" at the Osaka Prefectural International Convention Center (Grand Cube Osaka, Kita-ku, Osaka City) on July 7th. WOWOW, the organizer of the concert, released an interview with Menken on April 11th.
Menken won the Academy Award for Best Original Song along with lyricist Howard Ashman for the first time for "The Little Mermaid" from "Under the Sea." He then became the 16th person in history to achieve EGOT (winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award).
The performance will feature not only famous songs from "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin," but also many of the famous songs from musicals created by Menken, including "Newsies," for which he was the first to win a Tony Award (for best original score), "Little Shop of Horrors," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and "Sister Act."
During the interview, Menken also revealed that he will be performing "Compass of Your Heart," a song he wrote specifically for the Tokyo DisneySea attraction "Sindbad's Storybook Voyage."
The performance will begin at 7pm on July 7th. Tickets are priced at 16,000 yen for S seats, 9,000 yen for A seats, 2,000 yen for U-25 seats, and 24,000 yen for SS seats. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on ePlus from noon on April 12th.
◇Full interview
--What do you think about holding a solo concert in Osaka for your Japanese fans?
I can't wait to go. I love Japan, I love the fans and everything about Japan. It's always a great pleasure to perform in front of a Japanese audience.
--The performance date, July 7th, is said to be the most romantic day in Japan. Did you know that?
I just found out. It's amazing. I met my wife Janice in 1971 and it was love at first sight. Yes, I am a huge romantic. To one woman, of course! I believe that giving your heart to each other is the key to happiness in life and to having a good relationship. When you are in love, sometimes the other person can mess with you, but in the end, love overcomes everything.
Janis sometimes says, "You're too romantic. Why is that?" (laughs). But for me, it's one of the most important things in life. Music, love for my wife, and... it's not exactly romance, but love for pets and love for children. Love in a broad sense. They say, "Love makes the world go round," and I really believe that's true.
--Did your love for your wife and children influence the many romantic songs you've written? Do you ever write songs thinking about your wife and children?
Of course, love is a universal, fundamental emotion. A lot of romantic love is how we continue to connect as humans across generations. So children are born, and their children fall in love, and new life is born. It's the greatest blessing. Of course, love has a higher spiritual purpose, but more importantly, the relationship sustains you and brings you back to your center.
I think that my relationship with Janice is the reason why I am able to live a stable and fulfilling life. However, there are times when I annoy her (laughs) and vice versa. People need to realize that just because we love each other doesn't mean everything is perfect. But in the end, the feeling of "I still love you" gets us through everything.
--You also had a solo concert in London in March. How was it? Were there any changes compared to your concert in Japan in 2023?
Oh, it was a great concert. And yes to the changes. I always try to add new songs to the repertoire for the concerts to keep the audience interested. I also added more songs that show a bit of the songwriting process, including some from the live-action "Little Mermaid" and the upcoming "Hercules" stage musical.
The only song we didn't play in London was "Compass of Your Heart." It's not well known outside of Japan, so we only play it there. But it's always a highlight of my Japanese concerts. I'm really happy that more and more people outside of Japan are starting to know the song these days. It's a song I'm really proud of. Overall, the concert in London was great, and the talk with students organized by the Oxford Union at Oxford University was a great experience.
--So we can look forward to "Compass of Your Heart"?
Oh yeah, for sure. I don't want to disappoint you all. Plus, I love playing that song. It's such a fulfilling moment to share a song that I wrote with an audience that really wants to hear it. It's a special, timeless, favorite moment that I treasure. I'm definitely going to play "Compass of Your Heart."
--I'm sure Japanese fans will be delighted to hear that.
Okay, then I'll definitely do it.
--If you were to be reborn, would you like to become a composer and play music again? Or would you like to do sports or another profession?
What I think about life is... well, first of all, do you believe in reincarnation? I think we probably reincarnate many times. I could be wrong, but life is full of mysteries. I think this life right now is my dharma, my journey, and what I can offer to the world. But when you're born, you don't know what your dharma is. That's why finding your purpose is one of the most amazing things that can happen in life. There's no rule that applies to everyone. We're all different.
In my case, all the men in my family went into medicine, mostly dentists. So it was expected that I would do the same. But then I developed a digestive ulcer at the age of 11, and my body told me that that wasn't the path for me. Of course, teeth are important, and I'm grateful to my dentist. But my journey and talent naturally led me to music. I don't know what I'll find next in life, what profession I'll take, until that time comes. But even if I can't see beyond that, one thing is for sure: music is really powerful and universal. Music goes beyond the mind and directly to the heart and the essence of life. That's why I'm so lucky to have been given the talent to create music.
