In the lead up to his 2023 death, composer and performer Ryuichi Sakamoto performed 20 selections from his vast body of work. In the years he suffered with cancer, Sakamoto could no longer perform live, but he mustered all of his energy to leave the world with one final performance – featuring just him, his piano and a small film crew.
Curated by Sakamoto himself and presented in his chosen order, the 20 pieces performed in the film wordlessly narrate his life through his music. The selection spans his entire career, from his popstar Yellow Magic Orchestra period, to his magnificent film scores such as 'The Sheltering Sky, The Last Emperor and Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, to music from his meditative final album, 12. Captured with precision and poetry by his son, director Neo Sora, Sakamoto bares his soul through his music, knowing at the time that this may have been the last opportunity to present his art.
Sora has constructed a gorgeous elegy, a celebration of an artist's life in the purest sense. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus is an intimate, melancholy and achingly beautiful one-man show and the definitive swan song of a beloved maestro.