Ryuichi Sakamoto has an eccentric and extraordinary career under his belt. “In the past 20 years alone, he’s written a multimedia opera, turned a glass building into an instrument, and travelled to the Arctic to record the sound of melting snow,” says the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing.
Firstly, Sakamoto was a trailblazer in synth-pop music. In Tokyo, 1978, the band Yellow Magic Orchestra was formed, and Sakamoto was the keyboardist and vocalist. The evolution of electronic music has been heavily influenced by the band’s punchy sounds. With songs like, “Technopolis,” “Computer Game,” and “Firecracker,” they were a hit, reaching Billboard’s Hot 100.
To date, Sakamoto is a composer of over 30 films such as The Last Emperor (1987) and The Revenant (2015). A fan favorite of Sakamoto’s work is the 1987 movie, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, for which he composed an unforgettable theme song, and acted alongside David Bowie who played the lead. The film’s melodic theme song, performed live by Sakamoto, has almost 10 million views on youtube.
Recently, Sakamoto and nine other artists performed an improvised concert broadcasted live on the Kuaishou video-sharing app. UCCA co-hosted this online performance in an effort to “encourage isolated people in China” during the current coronavirus outbreak. UCCA writes, “This concert is an extension of the UCCA exhibition ‘Voluntary Garden’, which is regrettably closed to the public due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic.”
“By relocating from real to virtual space, this latest exciting stage in the ‘Voluntary Garden’ process is in a sense attempting another improvisation based on the current environment—once again affirming the power of art to break through the constraints of time and space during a period in which virtual connections have taken on a particular importance for musicians, artists and the wider Chinese population,” adds UCCA.
Subsequently, on April 22nd, Sakamoto released his full performance, “Improvisation for Sonic Cure,” on his YouTube channel. His gentle and ethereal concert is now available for anyone who may need their spirits lifted.
“I did this performance for the people who were in isolation due to the COVID-19 outbreak in China at the end of February. It was broadcasted as a part of the program called “Sonic Cure”, produced by UCCA and Kuaishou. Now, I’d like to share it with you. Lets wash hands, but we also need to save water. Lets keep social distance, stay inside, stay home, and I hope you enjoy the music,” said Sakamoto.
