So, I have been on a Memoirs of a Geisha trip lately. For one, I just finished reading the novel by Arthur Golden, and have enjoyed it very much. While the novel starts out a bit slow, the rest of the book was very rich, lyrical and quite exciting. Most people probably think that I just read the novel because the movie is coming out, but I want to point out that I bought this book for 50 cents at a garage sale almost a year ago in freezing Seattle, because I knew it was a bestseller and was genuinely interested in reading it. So, now that the movie is coming out, I am of course very much looking forward to see it on the big screen.
Now, what's more exciting though is that I recently received my Memoirs of a Geisha CD in the mail. The music is composed by my all-time favorite composer John Williams, and I had high expectations for this album, because Williams' previous works with violins and cellos have been amazing. John Williams' soundtrack to "Schindler's List" where the violin pieces were played by world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman is heart-wrenchingly sad, and earned him his fifth Oscar. His composition for "Seven Years in Tibet" where the cello pieces were played by world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma is another memorable soundtrack.
A good description to Williams' new score would be that Memoirs of a Geisha is simply the best of both worlds. Not only do both Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman return to Williams with startling performances, Williams delivers in my humble opinion his most "Asian" score yet to date, beautifully combining the sad elements from "Schindler's List" with the Asian grammar from "Seven Years in Tibet" that I am certain that this will earn him his 45th Oscar nomination.
My favorite tracks on the album:
- Going to School – While the melody of this short, playful piece is simply repeated many times, Williams gives this piece a lot of variation through different Asian instruments.
- Becoming a Geisha – In my opinion this piece is what embodies and captures the entire album best. It's a piece that has many different string instruments playing Sayuri's theme on a different time offset, making this almost an energetic canon, almost a dance if you like (I just don't like the drum segment in the middle of this piece).
- The Chairman's Waltz – A very slow, nostalgic and sad piece that is often described as a distant cousin to the Schindler's List's theme.
- Confluence – This short piece sounds very epic, feels like a piece capturing Sayuri's hardship throughout her entire life. Its epic and Asian undertones makes you feel as if you can find this piece on Tan Dun's "Hero" or "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
Alright, enough of boring talk, go to the official soundtrack website and listen for yourself! This is one of Williams' most delicate and exquisite albums, certainly the best in the past several years.
For the Ender's Game fans among you guys: Doesn't Sayuri remind you of Si-Wang Mu?