The Last Emperor and Seamless Modulations: A Man Swept Along by History's Waves

Ryuichi's piano arrangement of Morricone's "1900" begins in G major but shifts to A minor midway (0:28), where the melody adopts the A melodic minor scale. This transition smoothly leads into C major (0:30), utilizing the C major scale, and then seamlessly moves to the E melodic minor scale (0:39) before returning to the original G major melody (0:45). This continuous modulation mirrors the narrative of the movie "1900," which chronicles Italy's tumultuous history from 1901 to 1945. Similarly, in "The Last Emperor," Ryuichi's main theme features successive modulations, portraying a protagonist swept along by historical tides.