The performance without an audience will premiere at the Venice Film Festival and is entitled “Opus”.
As a composer and electro pioneer, Ryuichi Sakamoto (“The Revenant”) shaped the music world worldwide. The artist died in March 2023 as a result of cancer. In previous years, the musician had already been so weak that he was no longer able to perform in front of an audience. Fans will soon be able to see Ryuichi Sakamoto on stage one last time, however, as his final live performance will be made into a film.
Ryuichi Sakamoto and his son filmed “Opus”
Sakamoto had his final appearance filmed under the title “Opus”. The recordings were made in December 2022. Alone on the stage and without an audience, the pianist mobilized the last of his strength to capture his skills for posterity. Sakamoto’s son Neo Sora directed it and planned the performance down to the smallest detail together with his father. A crew of nearly 30 people helped capture the image and sound of the performance.
A posthumous statement from Sakamoto said of “Opus”: “The project was conceived as a way to record my performance — while still being able to do so — in a way worthy of being recorded for the future . We rented the 509 Studio at the NHK Broadcast Center [Japans einzige öffentlich-rechtliche Rundfunkgesellschaft – Anm. d. Red.] for the recordings, which I think is the place with the best acoustics in Japan.”
Sakamoto’s final performance includes the oeuvre of the past 20 years, which he has performed on the piano. Of course, compositions from his time as a film composer can also be heard, such as from “The Last Emporer”, for which he received an Oscar in 1988. “Since this was my last chance to play live, I felt it should be groundbreaking as well,” Sakamoto added in his estate. “Just playing a few songs with full concentration was all I could do at that point in my life. Probably due to the exertion, I felt completely drained afterwards and my condition worsened for about a month. Still, I felt relieved to be able to make the recording before I died – a performance I was happy with.”
“Opus,” starring Ryuichi Sakamoto, will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 25th.