Ryuichi Sakamoto is a giant of 20th Century music. A composer whose work has crossed nearly every genre conceivable, from film scores (most notably to Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence and The Last Emperor) to the prototype Electronica of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, he is also a massively in-demand performer throughout the world.
Playing The Piano presents the best known of Sakamoto's compositions, performed by the composer on solo piano. Recorded in the immaculate setting of Sony's Tokyo recording studio, Playing The Piano is an accessible and beautiful package which includes some of the best known music written over the last 30 years.
In addition to the CD edition of this album, a special limited edition 2CD set is also available, featuring the brand new record Out of Noise. Out Of Noise presents a set of Sakamoto's current compositions, which range from pieces for solo piano to pieces that incorporate found sounds and electronic soundscapes (including in one instance, the sound of the melting Arctic ocean).
“East meets West in these jazz-tinged pieces playing by the composer. If there's a musical agent binding these stylistic ingredients, then it is surely that of jazz piano legend Bill Evans: his influence is apparent in much of Sakamoto's chord voicings and harmonic shapes, with A Flower is not a Flower a profoundly sincere homage.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2010
