Get tickets for this incredible homage to a film-score icon and synthesiser phenomenon. Get tickets now!

The Bang on a Can All-Stars channel the cinematic world of Ryuichi Sakamoto in a brand-new live take on his legendary 1996 album, arranged for the sextet by clarinettist-composer Ken Thomson and heard live in Europe for the first time. Expect melodies you know by heart, reimagined with the power and punch of a rock band and the precision of a chamber ensemble.

Bang on a Can All-Stars perform Sakamoto’s 1996 

Sakamoto’s 1996 distilled some of his most beloved themes (e.g. Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, The Last Emperor, The Sheltering Sky) into intimate, pulsing arrangements for piano trio, adding warmth and immediacy to his unique blend of minimalism, pop lyricism and widescreen romanticism. The All-Stars expand that palette with electric guitar, bass, clarinets, piano, cello and percussion, revealing fresh colours and rhythmic light in classics such as Bibo no Aozora, 1919, High Heels (Main Theme) and The Wuthering Heights. Don't miss hearing 1996 at Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ.

Pre-concert, from 7.15pm

Before the concert, writer and moderator Huib Ramaer sets the scene: Sakamoto’s film legacy, the story behind the album, and how the All-Stars have re-scored it for their signature line-up. It's worth showing up early!

Main programme, from 8.15pm

• Ryuichi Sakamoto - 1996 (arr. Ken Thomson) (European premiere)

Tracklist

Here are some of the specific works you can expect to hear at the concert:

A Day a Gorilla Gives a Banana, Rain, Bibo no Aozora, The Last Emperor, M.A.Y. in The Backyard, The Sheltering Sky, A Tribute to N.J.P., 1919, High Heels (Main Theme), Aoneko no Torso, Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, The Wuthering Heights.

Highlights of the night

The music you love, reborn for today. Sakamoto’s iconic themes, originally refashioned for trio, are now reimagined live for the All-Stars’ amplified sound as a European premiere performance.

This is a band built for crossover. The Bang on a Can All-Stars move fluently between minimalism, jazz, rock and contemporary classical. “A fiercely aggressive group, combining the power and punch of a rock band with the precision and clarity of a chamber ensemble,”  proclaimed The New York Times.

Cinema is at the centre. From David Bowie’s Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence to Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, Sakamoto’s originals were always cinematic; this set places that silver screen DNA front and centre.

“A fiercely aggressive group, combining the power and punch of a rock band with the precision and clarity of a chamber ensemble.”

Performers & credits

Here are the people behind Bang on a Can All-Stars:

• Vicky Chow (piano)
• David Cossin (percussion)
• Arlen Hlusko (cello)
• Tristan Kasten Krause (bass)
• Taylor Levine (guitar)
• Ken Thomson (clarinets)
• Andrew Cotton (sound engineer) 

Thursday evening series: A new discovery every week

Every Thursday, something is happening at Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ that you won't want to miss. The Thursday Evening Series is the ultimate stage for new music: unexpected, groundbreaking, and sometimes downright breathtaking. Here you can hear the premieres, the innovators, and the modern classics that define how music sounds today.

Get your tickets and experience 1996 like never before

Get your tickets! Standard adult tickets cost 45 euros. Concession tickets cost 36 euros, and Early-bird youth tickets cost 12,50 euros.