Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ‘Opus’ film of final performance streaming on Criterion Channel; album out in August

Composer and Yellow Magic Orchestra co-founder Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away in March 2023 at the age of 71. Before he died, he worked with filmmaker Neo Sora on Opus, a solo piano performance film featuring music from throughout his career. The film played in theaters earlier this year and will be streaming via Criterion Channel on June 30 at 8 PM Eastern. There’s also a companion album which will be out August 9 via Milan Records.

Here’s the synopsis:

A celebration of an artist’s life in the purest sense, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Opus is the definitive swan song of one of the world’s greatest musicians. In late 2022, as a parting gift, Ryuichi Sakamoto mustered all of his energy to leave us with one final performance: a concert film featuring just him and his piano. Curated and sequenced by Sakamoto himself, the twenty pieces featured in the film wordlessly narrate his life through his wide-ranging oeuvre. The selection spans his entire career, from his pop-star period with Yellow Magic Orchestra and his magnificent scores for filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci to his meditative final album,12. Intimately filmed in a space he knew well and surrounded by his most trusted collaborators, including director Neo Sora, his son, Sakamoto bares his soul through his exquisitely haunting melodies, knowing this was the last time he would be able to present his art.

You can watch the trailer and listen to “Tong Poo” from the Opus album below.

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Opus:
Lack of Love
BB*
Andata
Solitude
for Jóhann*
Aubade 2020
Ichimei – small happiness
Mizu no Naka no Bagatelle
Bibo no Aozora
Aqua
Tong Poo*
The Wuthering Heights
20220302 – sarabande
The Sheltering Sky
20180219 (w/prepared piano)
The Last Emperor
Trioon
Happy End
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
Opus