Ryuichi Sakamoto

Silk Original Soundtrack Ryuichi Sakamoto Limited edition

The original soundtrack for the film "SILK" receives its first-ever vinyl release!

This is the soundtrack to the 2007 film "SILK," directed by François Girard.

The film's journey through a wide range of locations, including Europe, Egypt, Russia, and Japan, is accompanied by music rooted in a classical sensibility. In "First Trip to Japan," the journey across the snowy plains of Siberia toward Japan is depicted through a melancholy string melody, followed by the majestic sound of horns and cymbals, before concluding with the exotic timbre of a stone flute.

"Snowy Village," a piano piece heard as the protagonist arrives at a snow-covered village, uses long reverberation to evoke the density and chill of the air. The piano heard throughout much of the soundtrack was recorded at Glenn Gould Studio in Canada. Its lonely, desolate sound seems almost to carry on the spirit of Gould himself. In "The Girl," which accompanies the protagonist as he becomes captivated by a woman he meets in the village, a gently arpeggiated piano intertwines with a violin whose slightly rough tone, subtle friction, and wavering pitch evoke an Eastern sense of beauty, further emphasizing the elegance of the woman dressed in a silk kimono.

The protagonist makes three journeys to Japan in total, and Ryuichi Sakamoto composed separate themes for each outward and return journey. For the second and third trips, he introduces variations reflecting the changing circumstances, skillfully shaping both the rhythm of the film and the passage of time.

The soundtrack also includes shorter pieces such as "Mill Theme" and "Building the Garden," which make effective use of pizzicato. While much of the score follows classical conventions, "Revolution" suddenly shifts into a more ominous and unsettling sound world. Overall, this soundtrack offers a vivid demonstration of the remarkable breadth of Ryuichi Sakamoto's musical vocabulary.