Ryuichi Sakamoto is one prolific ghost. A year after his death, new work by the musician is still arriving in Japan.
“Time,” which Sakamoto co-created with artist Shiro Takatani, premiered in Japan on March 28 at the New National Theatre, Tokyo. The mixed-genre performance, conceived by the pair, incorporates sound by Sakamoto and visual designs by Takatani, who also leads Kyoto-based art collective Dumb Type. “Time” had its world premiere in 2021 at the Holland Festival, the Netherlands’ largest performing arts festival.
The piece follows on the first collaboration between Sakamoto and Takatani, “Life a ryuichi sakamoto opera 1999,” a performance that combined film and projected visuals with a live orchestra and occasional singers, conducted by Sakamoto.