New Posthumous Ryuichi Sakamoto Album Opus Announced For August 2024 Release

The estate of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Milan Records announce Opus, which is collection of works performed and composed by the late legendary composer from his final concert in the fall of 2022, before his death in early 2023. Available for preorder now, Opus is set for audio release in Dolby Atmos through Milan Records on August 9. Careful attention was paid to the audio and engineering by capturing every note, every pedal shift and every labored breath in immersive audio sound and Dolby Atmos, while Sakamoto interpreted his vast catalog for the last time.

Carefully curated by Sakamoto, selections include iconic film scores and Yellow Magic Orchestra classics alongside pieces reflective of his eclectic career. “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” “Andata,” “Aqua” and “Trioon ” are represented as well as entirely new or never before recorded compositions.  “for Johann”, dedicated to the late composer and Sakamoto’s friend Jóhann Jóhannsson, “BB,” 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.

Sakamoto provided a statement on the project after it was recorded: “The project 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. Simply playing a few songs a day with a lot of concentration was all I could muster at this point in my life. Perhaps due to the exertion, I felt utterly hollow afterwards, and my condition worsened for about a month. Even so, I feel relieved that I was able to record before my death a performance that I was satisfied with.”

Opus Track List

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