– Toru Takemitsu: Woman In The Dunes (soundtrack) – JVC-Japan –
Known largely on this side of the Pacific as a composer of the Avant-Garde, Toru Takemitsu was a huge fan of cinema and was very much in demand by some of the legendary figures in Japanese Cinema to provide scores for feature films. His output as a film composer probably outweighs his output as a composer of Classical music – but both facets of this tremendously gifted composer are just as prominent and just as important as each other. To get a better understanding of Toru Takemitsu as a composer of Classical music, you really needed to listen to his film scores to get a better idea of just how talented and versatile he was. And likewise with his Film scores to get a better idea of just how far reaching his talents and versatility as a composer of Classical and Avant-Garde music were.
Tonight it’s the score for Woman In The Dunes, the 1964 film by Hiroshi Teshigahara. Long considered a milestone piece of film making and one which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language film. Takemitsu’s work was universally praised for its use of electronics and its highly evocative approach.
If you haven’t seen the film yet . . . .what can I say?
Hopefully the score will give you some idea what you’re missing.
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