On the evening of April 2nd, in Hong Kong time, Ryuichi Sakamoto’s office released a statement confirming that Professor Sakamoto passed away on March 28th in a hospital in Tokyo, Japan, bringing an end to his 9-year battle with cancer. He was 71 years old. The obituary reads, “Art is long, life is short” (“Ars longa, vita brevis”), which aptly summarizes the life of this legendary master of music.
To many people, Ryuichi Sakamoto is not just a musician, his charm has long surpassed music itself and has become a classic symbol in popular culture.
Studied classical music
As a promoter and innovator of modern Japanese music, many people may not know that Ryuichi Sakamoto actually has a background in classical music. In 1978, he formed the YMO band with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. Although their first album received a poor response, they did not give up and released a second album. Since then, YMO’s music has become a sensation overnight, leading the development of Japanese electronic music. They were also the first Japanese band to gain popularity in the West in the late 1970s.
And because Sakamoto is the member of the three-person band with the highest academic qualifications, he is also known as “Professor”. Sakamoto’s charm not only comes from his classical music background, but also from his avant-garde and revolutionary approach that goes beyond tradition.
Multiple identities beyond composing
As a film composer, Sakamoto has received prestigious awards such as the Oscar, the British Academy Film Award, the Grammy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. His notable works include “The Last Emperor” (1987), “The Sheltering Sky” (1990), “Little Buddha” (1993), and “The Revenant” (2015). In 1983, he even made his debut as an actor in the film “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence”. Additionally, Sakamoto has also served as a composer and scriptwriter for animation and video games. In recognition of his great contributions to music, he was awarded the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture in 2009.
Dedicated environmentalist
In 2011, after the Fukushima nuclear leak incident in Japan, he went to the nuclear leak exclusion zone the following year and held a concert for the evacuees staying in shelters. In addition, he collaborated with writer Kenzaburo Oe to organize a gathering in Tokyo with the theme of “Goodbye Nuclear Power Plant,” which attracted 100,000 people, continuously urging people to oppose the reconstruction of nuclear power plants. Besides being a staunch environmentalist, the professor is also full of compassion for the people.
Compose music for Ann Hui’s “The First Incense Burner”
When filming “The First Incense,” Ann Hui initially wanted to cast idol Ryuichi Sakamoto. She even made a special trip to Tokyo to meet him. However, in the end, Sakamoto politely declined Hui’s invitation, stating that he only wanted to be a musician. However, after watching the film, Sakamoto agreed to compose music for “The First Incense.” This was his first time composing music for a Chinese-language film, and his work ultimately won the Best Original Film Music Award at the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards.
與香港觀眾失之交臂
Two years ago, the Freespace at West Kowloon Cultural District invited Professor Ryuichi Sakamoto to hold a concert titled “Ryuichi Sakamoto feat. Shiro Takatani: dis·play”. The concert was originally scheduled to take place in April 2020, but was postponed twice due to the pandemic. However, after a year, it was officially announced that the professor had decided to cancel the performance scheduled for December 2021 due to health issues. Many fans in Hong Kong felt regretful at that time.
When the tickets for the concert “坂本龍一 feat. 高谷史郎:dis·play” were released, they sold out quickly. This concert will combine the 2017 album “Async” with other new creations, accompanied by visual designs by multimedia installation artist 高谷史郎, showcasing the professor’s reflections on life and eternity. After a ten-year absence, everyone was excited about the arrival of this genius musician, and there were even scalpers selling tickets at high prices online. However, due to the ongoing instability of the pandemic, the concert was initially postponed from April of last year to September, and then rescheduled again to December of this year. At that time, the maestro even appeared in a short film to comfort the affected audience, but what everyone didn’t expect was that what they missed, they could never recover.
A farewell concert that has long been rehearsed
In the past 10 years, Professor Sakamoto, a music genius who has been battling cancer, has been closely watched for his physical condition. He was originally scheduled to hold a concert in Hong Kong in December last year, but it was ultimately canceled due to health issues, which was deeply regrettable for everyone. Although unable to personally appreciate the master’s performance, Sakamoto will hold an online piano solo concert on December 11th this year. He even described this performance as follows: “I no longer have the physical strength to hold live concerts. This may be the last time I perform in this form for the audience,” which saddened his fans. However, no one could have imagined that these words would become a reality. On March 28th, the long-awaited farewell finally came to an end.
Professor Sakamoto has been actively fighting cancer for many years and continues to create music even while battling the illness. He once said, “The music I want to create is a composition that people will still listen to even after 100 years.” Thank you, Professor Sakamoto, for all the beautiful music you have left behind. It will forever remain in our hearts, no matter how much time passes.
