LAST EMPEROR/VINYLE NOIR AUDIOPHILE 180GR/POCHETTE PVC/MUSIC BY RYUICHI SAKAMOTO/DAVID BYRNE/CONG SU

Description

The Last Emperor is a lavish historical epic directed by the great Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci and starring John Lone, Joan Chen, and Peter O'Toole. The film tells the life story of Pu Yi, the last monarch of the Chinese Qing dynasty before the republican revolution of 1911. The music for The Last Emperor was created by an unlikely trio: Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, and Cong Su. The soundtrack is a thematic exploration of the sounds and musical traditions of imperial China, filtered through very contemporary sensibilities. Sakamoto's contribution includes nine pieces and revolves around his main theme: a beautiful lyrical melody for the full orchestra. It is gentle, nostalgic, and introspective, but it becomes increasingly dramatic. Byrne contributes five pieces, with the first being the most recognizable, as it is the main theme that plays during the stylish opening credits sequence of the film. It emerges from a set of evocative Chinese percussion elements, with the melody carried by a beautiful, singing erhu. It is traditional and fully infused with classical Chinese music, but it has a real emotional weight that will resonate with Western audiences. Cong Su's contribution to the soundtrack album includes only one piece – "Lunch" – but there is much more of his music in the film; Su was essentially responsible for writing all the period-specific Chinese music heard in and around the imperial palace during Pu Yi's childhood. Overall, Sakamoto, Byrne, and Cong Su deliver an excellent score.