World-renowned composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto announced his first solo piano concert performance in Japan since 2013. Titled Ryuichi Sakamoto: Playing the Piano 12122020, this show will be streamed simultaneously in eight countries on December 12.
For the everyday person who isn’t familiar with Sakamoto, he is an Oscar, BAFTA, Grammy, and Golden Globe Awards winner and is possibly most famous for writing the music for Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (1983) starring David Bowie. You may recognize the famous melody if you’re familiar with Utada Hikaru’s FYI which loops this tune throughout the song. In terms of more recent mainstream film music production, he’s also worked on the film adaptation of The Revenant (2015) featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, but his career actually goes way back to the 70s.
Coming back to the present day, his upcoming concert will be streamed in Japan, the USA, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, Canada, and Australia only, so tough luck European readers and fans. To further rub it in, the stream will be powered by MUSIC/SLASH which boasts the highest sound quality available in the industry, so you’ll hear every crisp and clear note of Sakamoto’s playing. Now is possibly a good time to upgrade your sound system or headphones to make the most of these HD streams. Tickets are already on sale and will end on December 7 at 23:59 JST on eplus.
If you’re looking for a taste of what the upcoming concert will be like, at the beginning of this year Sakamoto played alongside shamisen artist Hidejiro Honjoh on April 2, in hope of easing tension for those in isolation. They were some of the early adopters of livestreaming music performances during the pandemic and the full hour-long show of piano and shamisen can be enjoyed on YouTube.
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Playing the Piano 12122020
Date: December 12, 2020 at 19:30 JST
Broadcasting countries: Japan, USA, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, Canada, and Australia
Broadcast platform: MUSIC/SLASH
Purchase tickets: eplus
Ticket sales end: December 7, 2020 at 23:59 JST
Ticket price: 5,000 yen (excluding tax)
Special notice: When purchasing a ticket, viewers must first watch a test video to confirm their setup is working correctly on the MUSIC/SLASH page.