The Last Emperor [Soundtrack, Import]

David Byrne, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 9, 1987)
• Original Release Date: December 18, 1987
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack, Import
• Label: EMI Europe Generic
• ASIN: B00000DR52
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,311 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is what I called "East Meets West"!, May 5, 2001

By 

"beethoven_nikita_christ" (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Emperor (Audio CD)

"The Last Emperor"'s soundtrack consists of music that is really "East Meets West"...

Every track is special... You can hear chinese instruments, like the pipa and erhu, playing at this moment and then through smooth transition western instruments, like the violins, take over the melody... The melodys sound very Chinese in most of the tracks, while some of the tracks sounds really western... Good mix!

What impress me most is the track entitled "Main Title Theme [The Last Emperor]"... It gives listeners an imperial China feel and it is really relaxing.

Most of all, I think the music written for this movie is the best I have ever heard... You can hear lots of effort being put in writting it. It also sounds better than the soundtrack of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" as it does not attempt to squeeze in any so called pop songs to destroys the whole effect of the soundtrack.

Finally, the music here is what I really called "East Meets West"... Buy this soundtrack! You will be surprised at how the composer managed to mix eastern and western instruments together to produce such beautiful music!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Emperor: tragic story told through music, July 23, 2001

By 

VeryCherry (S-E UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Emperor (Audio CD)

After seeing the film for the first time, I was stunned by the amazing beauty and emotional content that could be created by simply telling a tragic real-life story. But it wasn't until buying the soundtrack that I realised, although the film would have been incredible and artistic on its own, it was the music that created the depth of mood that made the film so poignant. The tracks are hauntingly beautiful, and reflect all aspects of the film; the culture, the sorrow and the reminiscence of another era long gone. I recommend the soundtrack for anyone who has seen and loved the film. The combination of traditionally Chinese instruments with "a Western touch" is brilliantly skillful, and will appeal even to those who haven't had a preference for classical music before. Although the last couple of tracks may falter with Red Guard music and chants, the vast majority are instantly recognisable and deeply touching.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sakomoto's orchestral triumph, June 28, 2001

By 

Gavin Wilson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Emperor (Audio CD)

Producer Jeremy Thomas and composer Ryuichi Sakomoto had worked together previously on the stark and at times surreal 'Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence'. The soundtrack for that movie was a critical (though largely electronic) success. So it was almost inevitable that for Thomas's next oriental project, the sumptuous 'Last Emperor', he would again recruit Sakomoto for the soundtrack.

What I don't understand is why Thomas also commissioned David Byrne to contribute several compositions. (Unfortunately the extensive CD sleevenotes tell us much about the making of the movie, but nothing about the construction of the soundtrack!) Did Thomas simply want to instil a healthy sense of competition between two leading composers, or did Sakomoto run out of inspiration? There's no sign of the latter here, because every one of the Sakomoto pieces is a gem.

David Byrne clearly did his homework for this movie, listening carefully to not just chinese music, but also to Sakomoto's previous work, presumably intending a smooth blend between the tunes written by the two composers. But actually Sakomoto had moved on since 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' -- he was now writing large-scale, mostly acoustic, orchestral pieces for 'The Last Emperor' -- so the transition from the Sakomoto section to the Byrne section isn't quite as seamless as Byrne might have planned.

In retrospect, perhaps the most influential of all the music here is track #4, the chinese chamber piece, 'Picking Up Brides'. If nothing else, it provided the material for a seemingly endless sequence of Andreas Vollenweider albums!

This is one of those few soundtracks which stands on its own. There is much to be enjoyed here even if you never see the movie. But you'd be missing a visual treat.