Ryūichi Sakamoto is the legendary Japanese composer and master of the soundtracks of “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.”, “Far Heels”, “The Protective Sky” o “The last Emperor”, for which he won an Oscar. The musician decided to record this concert after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, six months before he died. In the filming, Sakamoto offers a poetic celebration of his work by performing twenty of his most recognized compositions in front of the piano, alone. Neo Sorahis son, was the one who recorded the concert and, now, of the movie y Elastic they carry this show titled “Opus” to the big screen, being the final goodbye to Ryūichi Sakamoto.
“I conceived the project as a way to record my works while I was still able to perform them,” he explained. Sakamoto before leaving us. “I came to the shoot a little nervous, thinking it was probably my last chance to play my compositions this way. I played some pieces that I had never played alone on a piano before, like “The Wuthering Heights” (92) o “Ichimei-small happiness” (eleven). Also “Tong Poo”in a version with a new slower tempo,” he commented on one of the hits that catapulted him to fame in the late 1970s with his techno-pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra. “After filming, perhaps due to fatigue, I felt completely empty, and my condition worsened. However, I feel very relieved that I was able to record this before my death.”
The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and will have its Spanish premiere at the D’A Film Festival. It will be released in theaters next April 26 coinciding with the first anniversary of his death (March 28, 2023).