It seems to me that the genius of the late composer & musician Ryuichi Sakamoto was in his offerings of serenity and momentum, with subtleties of transitions, always with exquisite timing, as befitting the visual imagery and the moment.
Listen to his composition Blu, commissioned for the 50th Anniversary of the Aoyama clothing company in 2016, or the composition Rain for the scene in his Academy award winning score for the The Last Emperor.
Sadly, I only discovered his music belatedly, upon the announcement of his passing earlier this year, long after he had captured the imagination of a generation of followers. From his first technopop album to the chimeric evolution of melody and rhythm, he matched the cadence of the screen, and blended with the other senses, and finally, in the purest expression of flow, in slow solo piano pieces, recurring musical anagrams to his haunting melodies.
Listen to his opening score for The Sheltering Sky, or the haunting endnotes of the final scene in Babel
From bold novel statements away from the conventional musical instruments to the synthesis of music electronically, the movements from Hokusai to Debussy eventually returned full circle in the artistry of Sakamoto and the accompanying classical orchestra.
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Playing the Piano for the Isolated with Special Guest – Hidejiro Honjoh, 2020.04.02, Tokyo
Mr Sakamoto’s wiki biography provides a glimpse of the past melding into the present. It spoke not just of roots, but also restlessness, a pilgrim’s journey (he lived in New York City for much of his career), and return.
Watching the documentary CODA, one sees a glimpse of his passions, his humble acknowledgement of the serendipities of life that had brought forth opportunities and breakthroughs. His broader sketch lived beyond music to the environment, climate, nature, and his roots. Later we see the vulnerability in the person behind the larger-than-life persona, as he battled cancer and recovered if only momentarily, while pondering about the future, the spectre of cancer recurrence, and create anew with the unknown time ahead. In CODA, the definitive documentary about his life’s work may yet be produced, but for now, this will suffice.
There is a subtle melancholy in the music of Mr Ryuichi Sakamoto, which is enhanced in its bittersweetness now that he has passed on.
If music is the food of the soul, then it must have provided solace in the winter of Sakamoto’s time and provided comfort and a safe passage in his final journey with illness. May he rest in Peace. Amen.
Kuju Highlands, Kyushu, Japan, in Spring, 2023. Lumix Panasonic GF10 Leica Panasonic 15 mm lens