The Film Music of: Harakiri / Woman in the Dunes / Empire of Passion

"I have to commend Nonesuch for releasing this excellent collection. It serves as a great introduction at a domestic price. There are several volumes of Takemitsu's film music available on Victor/Japan as well, but they'll set you back around 35 bucks each and the liner notes are in Japanese. I've acquired 6 volumes so far, and I recommend Vol. 4 as the most essential. It also happens to be on David Toop's list of desert island discs, if that means anything to you. Still, this Nonesuch sampling is the best place to start. I even prefer John Adams' more polished performance of Woman in the Dunes to the original (available on Vol. 4). The real highlight for me, however, was the London Sinfonietta darting through the Waltz from Face of Another, which appears again on Vol. 4 as a woman singing, accompanied by accordians and orchestra. You'll find yourself humming it for weeks."
(Amazon.com)