An elegiac air hangs over A Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto—To the Moon and Back, a new anthology of covers of the Japanese composer’s work. This weekend, the cancer-stricken musician livestreamed a solo concert from his studio, seeming to harbor no illusions about his prognosis: “This might be the last time that you will see me perform in this manner.” But the anthology also marks the rare occasion to pay homage to a beloved figure while he is still alive. There are remarkable reworks from a number of his friends and collaborators, including David Sylvian, Fennesz, and Hildur Guðnadóttir. One of the simplest yet most moving pieces comes from the German electronic musician Alva Noto, aka Carsten Nicolai, Sakamoto’s longtime partner in some of the most minimalist music in his catalog.
In much of their work together, Nicolai supplies spartan scrapes and pings while Sakamoto occupies himself with typically lyrical melodies. Here, though, Nicolai sets aside his signature austerity to tackle Sakamoto’s theme to Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1990 film The Sheltering Sky. Originally scored for symphony orchestra, it is one of the Japanese composer’s most sweeping and sentimental works, with a languid melody that rises and falls like rolling dunes. Beginning with a steady electronic ping, like the sound of a hospital ward, it seems at first that Nicolai is about to deliver his usual clinical precision. Instead, he opens up, unfurling lush string synths and delicate chimes. But a cautious air hangs over “The Sheltering Sky – Alva Noto Remodel,” substituting the original’s orchestral fanfare for a carefully calibrated digital palette. A spare, somber take on the original, it represents a captivating fusion of the two men’s sensibilities.
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