Opus, a film of Ryuichi Sakamoto's final performances, will arrive in cinemas in UK and Ireland at the end of the month.
The late revered composer's final concert film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last September, is directed by his son Neo Sora and produced by his wife and manager Norika Sora. In the 103-minute feature, Sakamoto sits at piano to play a career-spanning selection of his music, including from Yellow Magic Orchestra, his award-winning Bernardo Bertolucci scores and final studio album, '12'.
Opus will open in cinemas on 29th March, just one day past the first anniversary of Sakamoto's death.
Following the 2022 release of '12', Sakamoto broadcast a solo piano concert recorded over a week at Tokyo's 509 Studio. Those sessions for Ryuichi Sakamoto: Playing the Piano 2022 became the basis for 'Opus'. At the time, Sakamoto said, "I don’t have the energy to do live concerts. This might be the last time that you will see me perform in this manner."
After his death, Sakamoto's management shared the playlist he prepared for his own funeral.
Milan Records released a compilation of Sakamoto's solo music called 'Travesía'.
Listen to a compilation of Sakamoto's ringtone compositions for the Nokia 8800 from the mid-2000s.
Watch the trailer for 'Opus', and learn more about the film here.