A new concert film, directed by Neo Sora, captures a final and wide-ranging performance from the legendary Japanese composer. Here’s how it got made.
Before he died, knowing that the end was coming, Ryuichi Sakamoto planned one last performance . The film — which features a career-spanning selection from his oeuvre of pop music , movie scores , and experimental and ambient compositions — rearranges many songs for solo piano ; a showcase of the strength and mutability of Sakamoto’s work. In a press statement, Sakamoto said the set list was locked much further ahead than he usually planned. He explained: “The director, Neo Sora , was quite strict.
He believed the studio had “the finest acoustics in Japan.” But it also presented specific challenges. The old wood floors were creaky, meaning the entire crew — a mix of Japanese and English speakers — had to wear socks and no shoes. Because the studio was in a broadcast tower, no radio-wave-emitting equipment was allowed, meaning everything had to be physically connected. And then there were Sakamoto’s own physical limits. He could only do a handful of takes a day.
Ryuichi Sakamoto Last Performance Career-Spanning Selection Pop Music Movie Scores Experimental Compositions Ambient Compositions Solo Piano Neo Sora Rectal Cancer
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