Bang on a Can All-Stars play Ryuichi Sakamoto 1996 is an exploration, a tribute, a celebration.
Sakamoto (1952-2023) was the best-known and most successful Japanese musician in the world. He won an Oscar for the soundtrack to Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor and several Golden Globe and Grammy awards. His film scores are universally known for their diversity and sensitivity, but it’s rare for a band to play this music live. The Bang on a Can All-Stars dare to present new arrangements of the themes from the 1996 album, which includes an incredible selection of some of Sakamoto’s greatest hits: music from films such as The Last Emperor, Tea in the Desert or Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence.