Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away on March 28, 2023, after battling throat cancer and later colon cancer. As the third anniversary of his death is approaching, we honor his extraordinary artistry with this post.
Recorded in December 2022 and released in November 2023, just months after his death, the album “Opus” stands as his final solo work. Each of the 20 tracks was recorded and filmed in a single take, capturing the essence of his compositions in its most intimate and unadorned form. Opus (and the film) serves as both a retrospective and a farewell. In this post, we explore four tracks from Opus alongside their original versions.
Tong Poo (1978) composed by Sakamoto for Yellow Magic Orchestra, the band that he was in from 1978-1984.
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence was originally released in 1983. It was Ryuichi Sakamoto’s first major film score and won the 1984 BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. The orchestral original uses synthesizers to create a lush, atmospheric wall of sound, while the Opus version is a stark, rhythmic meditation.
The Sheltering Sky was released in 1990. The soundtrack won Sakamoto a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. The Opus arrangement replaces the sweeping, cinematic grandeur of the original strings with a performance that feels more like a personal memory.
Andata is the opening track for the 2017 album “async” released after Sakamoto’s throat cancer diagnosis. In Italian, “Andata“ translates to “departure” and is thought to reflect his thoughts on mortality. The original is a journey from decaying piano notes to a vast, organ-driven cinematic void and which eventually dissolves into ambient static, representing the transition from life to the other side.
I (Chris) have been a fan of his music for decades and have written several posts about his music since his passing
– RIP Mr Sakamoto,
– Sakamoto’s Own Last Playlist,
– Sakamoto’s playlist for his favorite restaurant, and
– Seeing sound, Hearing Time.
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