Original music by TORU TAKEMITSU

Over a 60 year career director Akira Kurosawa’s films have passed into cinematic legend and he retains his status as one of the most influential and preeminent film-makers of the 20th Century.

Films such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Kagemusha and his last great epic, Ran are all regarded as milestones in the history of celluloid. The latter, the most expensive film made in Japan up to its release in 1985 is loosely based on Japanese legend and Shakespeare’s King Lear.

Composer Toru Takemitsu ranks as highly in the echelons
of Japanese music as Kurosawa in film with a prolific output
of soundtracks alongside major music works and books.

Commissioned on Kurosawa’s instructions to deliver a score inspired by Mahler with up to 40 disparate takes of music, the spectral and eerie sounds capture perfectly the imagery on screen.

Originally released as two separate suites of music this version includes those and adds a further 14 tracks of Takemitsu’s score.

01 Ran – Suite Part 1
02 Ran – Suite Part 2
03 Opening Credits – Main Title
04 Kyouami / The First Castle / The Brave General’s Bow
05 The Flute Orchestra
06 The Buddhist Praying Temple / The Last 110,000 and Hidetora / The Fury of Ootemon / The Second Castle
07 Hell’s Picture Scroll
08 The Crimson Citadel / Surrendering the Castle – Desert of Madness
09 Tsurumaru’s Flute / Azusa Castle in Ruins
10 Saburou’s Army Arrives / Departing for the Front
11 Endless Hell / Escape
12 Tension in Yahatabara / Assault
13 The Battle of Yawatano
14 Lamentation / Chaos in the First Castle – Ujigabana / Illusions in the Sky
15 Attendance at the Funeral / Flute of Darkness
16 Ending Credits