“I don’t have the energy to do live concerts... This might be the last time that you will see me perform in this manner.”
The Professor said during his solo piano concert broadcasted worldwide on December 11, 2022. He passed away March 28, 2023.
Ryuichi Sakamoto is one of the greatest, most influential artists of our lifetime, vastly expanding the horizons of music and sound with introspection, fluidity, and grace, alongside his innumerable other contributions to the broader cultural landscape, including film, art and ultimately, life.
The word legend gets thrown around casually a lot, but very few are truly deserving of that accolade more than him. His contributions are monumentally important and carry truly foundational levels of influence, from electro to Hip-Hop, film scores to video game soundtracks, composing, writing, innovating and reinventing again and again. He was a pioneer of it all, and in the process shaped the way we hear the world with a brilliant, varied and peerless body of work. He will be missed.
"Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" from live streaming "Ryuichi Sakamoto: Playing the Piano 2022"
Sunday, December 11, 2022, @Tokyo/Japan
Music Written and Performed by Ryuichi Sakamoto
Director Neo Sora
Produced by Norika Sora
Director of Photography Bill Kirstein
Mixed & Mastered by ZAK at st-robo
Editor Neo Sora, Takuya Kawakami
Presented byKAB Inc.commmons / Avex Entertainment Inc.