Customer Reviews

End of Asia

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Always experimenting, Ryuichi Sakamoto tried his hand at early music on this CD. It contains a collection of songs from the 13th to the 16th centuries, coming from such countries as France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands. Approximately half of the songs are original Sakamoto compositions. The music is performed by the Japanese early music ensemble, Danceries. The instruments used are all traditional medieval and Renaissance instruments: no synthesizers, guitars or drum kits.

With the traditional songs taken from different countries and time periods, there is a good variety of music. The original compositions add a bit of modernism to the collection. Three of the original pieces were recorded on other Ryuichi Sakamoto albums, so it's interesting to hear these early music interpretations. Only a few of the pieces are vocal, so there's also a nice blend of instrumental and vocal music.

If you like early music, this CD is a must. I've had it since 1988, and it's always been one of my favorites. I wish I could find out more about the group Danceries. I've never been able to find out if there are any more albums by them or not. Great CD!

Good luck finding a copy but I lucked out. I heard one track over 2 years ago on WNYC's "New Sounds" program and it stayed with me. Sakamoto is a genius; collaborating with Danceries, A medieval, Western musci group seems like a very strange turn but Sakamoto pulls it off. Sakamoto-san no ongaku ga saiko yaro!