Another musical great has left this world. Ryuichi Sakamoto was a founding member of Yellow Magic Orchestra. He became well known for his neo-classical work, his collaborations, and of course his film scores, from Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence to The Revenant to the Oscar-winning score for The Last Emperor. The solo piano version of Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is one of my favorite piano pieces ever written.
In January of this year he released an album of piano tracks, called 12, that is hauntingly simple and beautiful.
In 2017 he recorded a track called "Life, Life", from the album Async, that is one of my favorite pieces of all time. I'd like to finish this post with the spoken word poem that appears in that track...
And this I dreamt, and this I dream
And some time this I will dream again
And all will be repeated, all be re-embodied
You will dream everything I have seen in dream
To one side from ourselves, to one side from the world
Wave follows wave to break on the shore
On each wave is a star, a person, a bird
Dreams, reality, death - on wave after wave
No need for a date; I was, I am, and I will be
Life is a wonder of wonders, and to wonder
I dedicate myself, on my knees, like an orphan
Alone - among mirrors - fenced in by reflections
Cities and seas, iridescent, intensified
A mother in tears takes a child on her lap
Thank you for your music.
T R A C K L I S T :
- 00:00 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence(solo piano version)
- 04:40 Ryuichi Sakamoto - life, life
- 08:45 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Mountains
- 09:37 Ryuichi Sakamoto - 20220123
