Legendary composer and founder of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, Ryuichi Sakamoto, passed away on March 28, 2021 at the age of 71. Before his death, he was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2021 and throat cancer in 2014.
The acclaimed composer had one final performance to share with the world, which was recorded for a concert film titled Opus. A clip of the performance is now streaming at Deadline.
In a posthumous statement about the project, Sakamoto said: “The project was conceived as a way to record my performances – while I was still able to perform – in a way that is worth preserving for the future. We borrowed the NHK Broadcast Center’s 509 Studio to record in, which is a place that I think offers the finest acoustics in Japan.”
He added: “I played every piece at home which we recorded on an iPhone to construct the overall composition of the concert that will express the progression of time from morning into night. Everything was meticulously storyboarded so that the camera positions and the lighting changed significantly with each song.”
The film Opus, which features Sakamoto’s final performance, will be premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 5. Earlier this year, his management shared a playlist that he had curated titled ‘Funeral’, which was meant to be played at his own funeral.
Ryuichi Sakamoto was an inimitable sonic innovator whose music will remain timeless and influential. His presence in the world of music will be dearly missed.
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