Mike Vaccaro Productions


A Message From The Maestro:

"Although I come from the country that created Godzilla, I was totally unaware of its counterparts roaming out of Hollywood in the 50s into early 60s.

It was only after I met David Schecter and was chosen to conduct his first series of the monstrous movie music re-recordings in 1995, that I was introduced to Godzilla's many cousins and friends, and even a distant relative that was the inspiration for the creation of Godzilla itself."


"I quickly became very fond of these creatures and of the fantasies, appreciating the superb craftsmanship and the marvel of the incredible Ray Harryhausen. It is this you-can-almost-touch-it feeling, the handmade, tangible art work that attracts us. That is distinctly separate from the digital, computer-manipulated imagery dominating today's market. It is nostalgia for the older and education for the younger generation.

Now, the music.

What a serendipity, buried behind all the bangs and crashes of sound effects is solid music making! Listen to the legitimate and exciting music when “The Beast from 20000 Fathoms” destroys the Cony Island playground, or when “Mighty Joe Young” goes amok at the Nightclub. Then, there are the lovely melodies accompanying the dialogue of a little romance, which is curiously always present in these monster films.


If these films belonged to the B movie category at the time, the music scored for them clearly belonged to Hollywood’s Golden Scoring Era. Herman Stein’s three note motif for “Creature from the Black Lagoon” is as significant as Bernard Herrmann’s “Psycho” motif and Irving Gertz’ waltz from “Alligator People’ is as memorable as Miklos Rozsa’s “Madame Bovary” waltz.

I must say it was a monstrous repertory expansion for me."

Thanks, dear Monsters!
Masatoshi Mitsumoto


This is an ideal presentation for the audience seeking new and exciting literature. Book your Monster Music Concert now. This is descriptive period music at its very best with music by important composers of the twentieth century and conducted by Masatoshi Mitsumoto.

Please view a sample program and listen to audio samples via real audio from the menu below. If you would like to purchase any of the monster music CDs, please follow this link to the Monster Music web site.

Maestro Mitsumoto with composer Herman Stein