Ryuichi Sakamoto’s final posthumous album, ‘Opus’, to be released next month
The first single from the record, ‘Tong Poo’, is out now
The estate of the late Ryuichi Sakamoto has announced the release of his final posthumous album, titled ‘Opus’, due for release next month.
‘Opus’ is due to land on August 9 via Milan Records, featuring a collection of works performed by the late Japanese composer at his final concert in 2022 before his death in April 2023.
The first single from the posthumous record, ‘Tong Poo’, is out now. The track originally debuted on Yellow Magic Orchestra’s first album in 1978, now reworked into a downtempo piano piece. Check it out below.
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The 20-track record - which is due for full audio release in Dolby Atmos - features compositions from Sakamoto’s final-ever performance at his legendary NHK 509 Studio in Tokyo.
Although too ill to perform an entire session in one take, Sakamoto performed without an audience across multiple sessions, which was filmed by his son, Neo Sora.
Using footage from the performance, Sora created a documentary of the same name which premiered in June on The Criterion Channel, where it remains available to stream.
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After completing the project, Sakamoto explained that it was “conceived as a way to record my performances — while I was still able to perform — in a way that is worth preserving for the future.”
“In some sense, while thinking of this as my last opportunity to perform, I also felt that I was able to break new ground,” he said. “Simply playing a few songs a day with a lot of concentration was all I could muster at this point in my life.”
The final posthumous album from Sakamoto is set to feature several never-before-heard or recorded tracks, including ‘BB’, ‘for Jóhann’, and ‘20180219 (w/prepared piano)’, as well as the newly released ‘Tong Poo’.
Check out the tracklist and artwork for ‘Opus’ below, and pre-order the record here.
Tracklist:
1. Lack of Love 2. BB 3. Andata 4. Solitude 5. for Jóhann 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
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter