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Ryuichi Sakamoto

Opus

Milan Records - Sony Masterworks
Release Date: August 9, 2024

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for Jóhann
Ryuichi Sakamoto: A Celebration
1 Lack of Love  
2 BB  
3 Andata  
4 Solitude  
5 for Johann  
6 Aubade 2020  
7 Ichimei - small happiness  
8 Mizu no Naka no Bagatelle  
9 Bibo no Aozora  
10 Aqua  
11 Tong Poo  
12 The Wuthering Heights  
13 20220302 - sarabande  
14 The Sheltering Sky  
15 20180219 (w/prepared piano)  
16 The Last Emperor  
17 Trioon  
18 Happy End  
19 Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence  
20 Opus - ending  
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The late legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s highly anticipated posthumous album Opus, a collection of works performed as a final concert in the fall of 2022 before Sakamoto’s death in early 2023, is released via Milan Records.

Alongside the release of Opus is a video of Sakamoto performing “for Jóhann,” one of the newly composed pieces on the album. It is a tribute to Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannson, one of Sakamoto’s close friends and colleagues, who passed away in 2018. Watch Here.

In late 2022, the Japanese composer, producer, and artist Ryuichi Sakamoto sat down at the piano for a final performance. Too ill to complete an entire set at once, Opus is garnered from multiple sessions shot and recorded in Tokyo’s legendary NHK 509 Studio. The concert was filmed and recorded without an audience, directed by Sakamoto’s son Neo Sora and turned into a film Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus, now available on The Criterion Channel.  

Opus was carefully curated by Sakamoto, with selections including his iconic film scores, Yellow Magic Orchestra classics, alongside pieces reflective of his eclectic career. “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” perhaps one of his most famous melodies, and beloved works "Andata,” "Aqua" and "Trioon" are represented as well as entirely new or never-before-recorded compositions.  “for Jóhann”, dedicated to the late composer and Sakamoto’s friend Jóhann Jóhannsson, “BB,” a tribute to filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, and “20180219 (w/prepared piano),” a previously unreleased solo prepared-piano track, are all new to Sakamoto’s vast repertoire.

  • Ryuichi Sakamoto's last filmed performance is a meditation on resilience in the face of mortality / Resident Advisor
    Posted At: August 15, 2024 12:00 AM
    Resident Advisor writes….In the autumn of 2022, Ryuichi Sakamoto sat down in front of a Yamaha Grand in Tokyo's 509 recording studio, a large room said to contain the best acoustics in Japan. The musician and composer, best known for his breathtaking cinematic scores, spent the next nine days in that room, in what would become his final performance committed to film.The music he played included some of his ...
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  • Ryuichi Sakamoto's final concert film/album: 'Opus' is a moving testament to the composer's spirit and perseverance / Pitchfork
    Posted At: August 14, 2024 12:00 AM
    From Pitchfork…..Six months before his death, the composer sat down to record Opus, his final concert film and album. Slow and contemplative, it offers a moving testament to his spirit and perseverance.Colin Joyce writes….When director Neo Sora was approached by his father, Ryuichi Sakamoto, to direct the concert film that became Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus, urgency was in the air. Sakamoto and his team knew th...
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  • 'Monster' director Kore-eda Hirokazu on working w/Sakamoto Ryuichi on one of his last compositions / Variety
    Posted At: September 11, 2023 12:00 AM
    Variety - Jazz Tangcay writes…..Kore-eda Hirokazu returns to Japan for his latest film “Monster,” which poses this question to audiences: “Who really is the monster?” While location scouting, the filmmaker was looking down at a lake, dark and almost black, and “I thought of Sakamoto Ryuichi music. He was the only person who could do the music for this film.”It would mark the first time in years that the leg...
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  • What is Ryuichi Sakamoto's legacy, and how did he change the music scene? / TOKYO ART BEAT
    Posted At: August 10, 2023 12:00 AM
    Film director and writer Hiroyuki Oda remembers Ryuichi Sakamoto in conversation with composer and Tokyo University of the Arts professor Hiroyuki Nagashima. Hiroyuki Oda writes…This year, all of Japan was shocked by the death of Ryuichi Sakamoto, the exceptional composer nicknamed ‘Kyoju (Professor).’ Sakamoto was a world-renowned musician who also achieved great success in the field of film, includin...
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  • Ryuichi Sakamoto to be honoured at Jecheon International Music & Film Festival / FAR OUT
    Posted At: July 13, 2023 12:00 AM
    Ryuichi Sakamoto  was a composer, producer, artist, and environmental activist born in Tokyo. Making his debut in 1978 with the album Thousand Knives, Sakamoto's diverse résumé includes pioneering electronic works in the legendary techno group Yellow Magic Orchestra, producing globally-inspired pop albums and numerous classical compositions, two operas, and nearly 40 original film scores for directors,...
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  • Ryuichi Sakamoto's '12' makes metacritic's '20 Best Albums of 2023 So Far'
    Posted At: July 7, 2023 12:00 AM
    In 2023 Milan Records released 12, the new album from prolific composer, producer and artist RYUICHI SAKAMOTO. 12 marks the 15th solo studio album from Sakamoto and the first of new solo material since 2017’s async. The album features 12 songs selected from a collection of musical sketches Sakamoto recorded like a sound diary between 2021 and 2022 during his ongoing battle with cancer. Each track is titled ...
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  • A seance with Ryuichi Sakamoto at the Shed / The New York Times
    Posted At: June 25, 2023 12:00 AM
    “Kagami,” a new mixed-reality presentation, features a virtual likeness of the late composer. It becomes, mostly despite itself, an affecting meditation on grief.The New York Times - Max Lakin writes……“Kagami,” the new “mixed reality” concert of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s music by the production company Tin Drum is meant to be a profound experience, a groundbreaking achievement in virtual reality that expands the v...
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  • 10 artists on Ryuichi Sakamoto's musical impact and legacy / CRACK
    Posted At: May 23, 2023 12:00 AM
    CRACK writes…..It’s not uncommon for hyperbolic language to be used when describing some of the world’s favourite, and most revered, musical artists. But in the case of Ryuichi Sakamoto, the Japanese composer, producer and musician behind a catalogue so vast, so varied, that any attempt to compact a life’s work into only a smattering of sentences would feel like a disservice. Terms like ‘pioneer’, ‘icon’ an...
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  • Northwest Film Forum gives moving tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto, in three cinematic segments / northwest asian weekly
    Posted At: May 18, 2023 12:00 AM
    northwest asian weekly's Andrew Hamlin writes….Producer, arranger, keyboardist, songwriter, composer, electronic music pioneer, actor: Japan’s Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died in late March this year after a long battle with cancer, was all of these things, together and/or separately. His musical work in film represents a significant portion of his always-fluctuating career, and the Northwest Film Forum (NWFF) de...
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  • Listen to Ryuichi Sakamoto's final playlist - funeral / mixmag
    Posted At: May 17, 2023 12:00 AM
    mixmag writes….Ryuichi Sakamoto's management team has shared his "final playlist", curated by the late composer for his own funeral. Shared yesterday via Spotify, the 33-track playlist titled 'Funeral', features music from Debussy, Bach, Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota — beginning with a piece from Sakamoto's regular collaborator Alva Noto, and ending with Laurel Halo's 'Breath'. His team shared the play...
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  • Milan Records posthumously releases: 'Travesia' compilation in honour of Ryuichi Sakamoto / HOT PRESS
    Posted At: May 12, 2023 12:00 AM
    In memory of Ryuichi Sakamoto, Milan Records has posthumously released a 20-track compilation of his works.HOT PRESS- Claire O'Neill WRITES….The Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away earlier this year at 71 years old from cancer - since, many have made tributes in honour of his memory, including Questlove, Alva Noto, and HEALTH. Nokia, for whom he once composed the ringtones and alarms of Nokia 880...
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  • Ryuichi Sakamoto's music will be fully alive when the rest of us are gone. Milan Records releases: TRAVESIA / VF
    Posted At: May 9, 2023 12:00 AM
    Milan Records is set to releases TRAVESÍA, an album of music by the late composer RYUICHI SAKAMOTO curated by award-winning filmmaker ALEJANDRO G. IÑÁRRITU. Available now both digitally and in vinyl format, Travesía features selections from Sakamoto’s prolific catalogue handpicked by Iñárritu, who famously collaborated with the composer on his Oscar-winning film The Revenant. Originally conceived as a surpr...
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  • Milan Records releases the Ryuichi Sakamoto compilation: 'Travesia' / The Quietus
    Posted At: May 5, 2023 12:00 AM
    Ryuichi Sakamoto was a composer, producer, artist, and environmental activist born in Tokyo. Making his debut in 1978 with the album Thousand Knives, Sakamoto's diverse résumé includes pioneering electronic works in the legendary techno group Yellow Magic Orchestra, producing globally-inspired pop albums and numerous classical compositions, two operas, and nearly 40 original film scores for directors, inclu...
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  • 'Tsunami Piano' struck a note that touched Ryuichi Sakamoto's heart / The Asahi Shimbun
    Posted At: May 2, 2023 12:00 AM
    The Asahi Shimbun's HIDEAKI ISHIBASHI writes……. World-renowned musician Ryuichi Sakamoto felt an irresistible pull to a damaged piano at a school building in the northeastern prefecture of Miyagi.The building was rendered unusable by the tsunami spawned by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011.Ten months later, Sakamoto visited the Miyagi Prefecture Agriculture High School in the city of Natori.He a...
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  • Ryuichi Sakamoto treated his piano with respect and adoration / '20211201 is Now Playing: NPR'
    Posted At: April 28, 2023 12:00 AM
    The Milan Records release: 12, the new album from prolific composer, producer and artist RYUICHI SAKAMOTO, marks the 15th solo studio album from Sakamoto and the first of new solo material since 2017’s async. The album features 12 songs selected from a collection of musical sketches Sakamoto recorded like a sound diary between 2021 and 2022 during his ongoing battle with cancer. Each track is titled and seq...
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  • SPIN covers 8 essential albums by Ryuichi Sakamoto
    Posted At: April 27, 2023 12:00 AM
    A beginner’s guide to the late Japanese composer, from the synth-pop of Yellow Magic Orchestra to his ambient solo workSPIN's Daniel Bromfield writes…..How to even describe the late Ryuichi Sakamoto to someone who might not have heard of him? Just imagining the scope of his music strains the limits of thought, like pondering the size of the universe. There is no definitive entry point.His most solid front-t...
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  • Master of electronic music: Ryuichi Sakamoto / INDEPENDENT
    Posted At: April 15, 2023 12:00 AM
    A prolific solo artist and composer who worked with musicians from Bowie to Madonna, Sakamoto refused to stay within the confines of one genreINDEPENDENT's Tim Greiving writes……Ryuichi Sakamoto, an eclectic Japanese composer who was an early leader in electronic pop music and became an acclaimed writer of film scores that blended Eastern and Western cultural influences, has died age 71.Sakamoto founded the ...
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  • Ryuichi Sakamoto - The groundbreaking polyglot / qobuz
    Posted At: February 27, 2023 12:00 AM
    qobuz's Jason Ferguson writes…When Ryuichi Sakamoto started his first college term at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1970, he had a background in classical piano performance with a special affinity for daring-for-their-time composers like Debussy and John Cage. He likely envisioned a career path that involved working around music (he studied ethnomusicology) with occasional opportunities for performance. W...
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  • Ryuichi Sakamoto - 12 makes exclaim!'s February staff picks
    Posted At: February 6, 2023 12:00 AM
    exclaim writes….It's Monday again. We know you're grieving the weekend's end, but we've got another round of Exclaim!'s Staff Picks to soften the blow. Let's usher this short month in before it disappears right before our very eyes with a set of new releases that spans sleepless nights, Drive-By Truckers devotion, ambient workday soundtracks and the end of teenage dreams. From PR……Milan Records release...
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  • As Ryuichi Sakamoto returns with '12,' fellow artists recall his impact / NPR
    Posted At: January 26, 2023 12:00 AM
    NPR's All Things Considered - Elizabeth Blair writes….Japanese musician, composer, record producer, pianist, activist, writer, actor and dancer: Ryuichi Sakamoto has been an enormously respected artist for decades, starting with his work in the '70s and '80s as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra in his native Japan to his deeply affective, Grammy and Oscar-winning scores for film and within his numerous ava...
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  • '12' is an introduction to Ryuichi Sakamoto in six albums / DAZED
    Posted At: January 19, 2023 12:00 AM
    Following the release of his minimal new album 12, we explore the Japanese composer’s decades-long career, from Yellow Magic Orchestra to his film scores and beyondDAzED - James Balmont writes…On the week that he celebrates his 71st birthday, legendary Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has dropped a sombre and minimal new album, titled 12. A stark collection of ambient sounds and delicate musings, it offer...
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  • Ryuichi Sakamoto. A musical pioneer reckons with mortality / The Economist
    Posted At: January 14, 2023 12:00 AM
    Ryuichi Sakamoto is a composer, producer, artist, and environmental activist born in Tokyo. Making his debut in 1978 with the album Thousand Knives, Sakamoto's diverse résumé includes pioneering electronic works in the legendary techno group Yellow Magic Orchestra, producing globally-inspired pop albums and numerous classical compositions, two operas, and nearly 40 original film scores for directors, includ...
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  • Ryuichi Sakamoto's '12' is a starkly beautiful song cycle about mortality / SLANT
    Posted At: January 11, 2023 12:00 AM
    The album is a paradoxically delicate yet fearless plunge into the unknownSLANT - Paul Attard writes……Ryuichi Sakamoto wrote and produced his 15th studio album, 12, during a year-long recovery from cancer treatment. It’s a starkly intimate affair where, on some songs, the Japanese composer and pianist’s heavy breathing can clearly be heard in the mix, a conscious decision that underscores the corporal cost ...
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  • Milan Records releases tribute album to Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto To The Moon and Back
    Posted At: November 30, 2022 12:00 AM
    On December 2, Milan Records releases A TRIBUTE TO RYUICHI SAKAMOTO – TO THE MOON AND BACK, a collection of songs from Sakamoto’s vast catalogue newly reworked and remodeled by contemporary artists and collaborators. Available everywhere now, the album features contributions from THUNDERCAT, DEVONTÉ HYNES, HILDUR GUÐNADÓTTIR, THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA, DAVID SYLVIAN, ELECTRIC YOUTH, ALVA NOTO and more, each o...
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  • 13 artists including Thundercat and Devonte Hynes honor Ryuichi Sakamoto on 'To the Moon and Back' / FADER
    Posted At: November 30, 2022 12:00 AM
    13 artists rework iconic tracks from across the 70-year-old icon’s vast catalog on the new album. Milan Records just released A TRIBUTE TO RYUICHI SAKAMOTO – TO THE MOON AND BACK, a collection of songs from Sakamoto’s vast catalogue newly reworked and remodeled by contemporary artists and collaborators. Available everywhere now, the album features contributions from THUNDERCAT, DEVONTÉ HYNES, HILDUR GU...
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  • Ryuichi Sakamoto announces new album: 12 / Pitchfork
    Posted At: November 21, 2022 12:00 AM
    The composer will debut music from the new record during a ticketed livestream concert next monthPitchfork's Matthew Ismael Ruiz writes….Ryuichi Sakamoto has announced his new solo album 12. It’s due out January 17 via Milan Records. 12 is the first non-soundtrack solo studio album from the Japanese composer since 2017’s Async. Sakamoto recorded the album in 2021 and 2022, and the track titles reflect the d...
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  • Ryuichi Sakamoto pushes music into new frontiers / Wallpaper*
    Posted At: November 14, 2022 12:00 AM
    An iconic composer who traverses popular and high culture, Ryuichi Sakamoto on making the impalpable tangible, most recently in ‘Seeing Sound, Hearing Krug’, a new composition that pairs sound, flavour, light and textureWallpaper's DAVID GRAVER writes…..Dressed in a warm, effervescent glow, the two-storey Beaux-Arts Court of New York City’s Brooklyn Museum played host to the world premiere of ‘Seeing Sound,...
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  • Will there be 'Exception' season 2? / Daily Research Plot
    Posted At: October 23, 2022 12:00 AM
    This show will be right here quickly and many people are already thinking about season 2 So, here is the small print about the Exception season 2 release date.Daily Research Plot's K. Sarvani Sita writes…..The horror sci-fi anime ‘Exception’ is coming to Netflix in October 2022. Almost we have waited for one year to learn more details. Netflix has a habit of renewing anime shows, and with the market bustlin...
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  • 'Exception' anime series first-look images, synopsis and more / FANSIDED
    Posted At: June 18, 2022 12:00 AM
    FANSIDED - Diana Nosa writes…From confirming that Seven Deadly Sins: The Grudge of Edinburgh part 1 is an original we can expect to see in December 2023 to revealing that Junji Ito, the renowned horror manga artist, has a series on the way, anime fans are blown away by what Netflix Geeked Week announced to be on the way in the future — particularly, by an anime called Exception. Ever since the series w...
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