Playing the Piano is a concept album by Ryuichi Sakamoto

Ryuichi Sakamoto

After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...

 which was first released in Japan in 2009. The album is completely instrumental and features Sakamoto covering his earlier work, such as the soundtracks to Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence and The Last Emperor

The Last Emperor

The Last Emperor is a 1987 biopic about the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, whose autobiography was the basis for the screenplay written by Mark Peploe and Bernardo Bertolucci. Independently produced by Jeremy Thomas, it was directed by Bertolucci and released in 1987 by Columbia Pictures...

, and also pop songs such as "Thousand Knives," by rearranging them to be played on a single piano. Sakamoto himself refers to the album as a "Self covers" album. In North America it was released as a deluxe double album along with the experimental album Out Of Noise on 28 September 2010. Sakamoto promoted the album in North America with an 11-date tour in October and November 2010.

Track listing

All songs by Ryuichi Sakamoto.

1. "Amore" – 5:07
2. "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" – 4:41
3. "A Flower Is Not A Flower" – 6:34
4. "The Sheltering Sky" – 4:54
5. "Tamago 2004" – 2:50
6. "The Last Emperor" – 6:43
7. "Tibetan Dance" – 4:23
8. "Thousand Knives" – 5:22
9. "Riot In Lagos" – 4:35
10. "Reversing." – 3:31
11. "Mizu No Naka No Bagatelle" – 3:46
12. "Bolerish" – 5:09