FROM FMS RESTORATIONS...

T he Society for the Preservation of Film Music Tribute: Film Music by Toru Takemitsu is an eclectic collection of rare movie tracks by one of Japan's most beloved and renowned contemporary film composers.

This limited edition of 350 copies was originally distributed by the SPFM as a gift to attendees at the Society's 1995 Career Achievement Award dinner honoring Takemitsu. Each CD is numbered, and there are just a few available for purchase. Accompanying the CD, each member will receive an original program from the Award dinner, which features a lengthy biography of Takemitsu (1930-1996).

Produced by Soundtrack Listeners Communications' Yasuhiro Wada on behalf of the SPFM (now the FMS), the Takemitsu Tribute CD includes selections from fourteen of his films – most or all of which are unavailable through any other legitimate source. Takemitsu's diverse musical styles are evident throughout the album, from the jazz stylings of The Inheritance (1962); the avant-garde percussion in Harakiri Seppuku (1962) and the lilting waltz of The Face of Another (1966); to the latin rhythms of A Marvelous Kid (1963); the haunting nature cries of Banished (1977); the sensual and mysterious Sharaku (1994); and the playful, spirited Alone on the Pacific (1963).

According to FMS President Christopher Young, "Toru was amazing. Here was this extraordinary concert composer who thoroughly defended film music as a valuable form of music making. He didn't write film music for the money. He wrote it to legitimize it as an art form."

Composer David Raksin recently commented on the wide spectrum of Takemitsu's musical styles: "[It] bespoke of his interest in, and familiarity with, current aspects of the arts; but he was no mere compendium of styles. On the contrary, he seemed able to absorb the best of everything and to make it his own.... It was the passion he brought to bear on the art that brought it to life and deeply involved all who came within its purview."

Film Music by Toru Takemitsu CD (and accompanying Award dinner program) is being offered in support of the Society's efforts toward film music preservation. Half of its $50 price (plus s/h) is tax-deductible. Please visit the FMS Merchandise page for contact information.

Tracks: Glowing Autumn (1978) 3:07 The Inheritance (1962) 2:14 Kwaidan (1964) 2:57 Harakiri (1962) 3:55 The Face of Another (1966) 6:18 Empire of Passion (1978) 2:55 Dodesukaden (1970) 3:50 Billowing Clouds (1967) 1:32 Time Within Memory (1973) 4:54 Alone on the Pacific (1963) 3:17 A Marvelous Kid (1963) 3:17 Silence (1971) 1:51 Banished (1977) 1:47 Sharaku (1994) 8:00