Ryuichi Sakamoto listening session
The Sound Lounge at Percy
1700 N Front St.
Philadelphia,
Aug. 7, 2026
Opus is the 2023 concert film by Japanese composer and pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto. Beautifully shot in black and white, the film features Sakamoto seated at the piano playing a program of tender, evocative pieces for an hour and forty minutes. Recorded in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and a few months before his death from cancer, the film captures an incredibly vulnerable moment for Sakamoto. Standing on the precipice of death, with an entire career of music behind him, Sakamoto pours all of his training, influences and history into his instrument. An entire life dedicated to producing and cross-pollinating music distilled into one powerful, impossibly vulnerable performance. The genius of Sakamoto was that his music felt like a timestamp documenting how culture felt and sounded in a given era. From the cutting edge electronic pop of his band Yellow Magic Orchestra (probably the only Japanese pop band to perform on Soul Train) to his solo explorations of dub, classical and film scoring, Sakamoto’s work was timely yet ageless.
On Aug. 7, the Sound Lounge at Percy held a listening session for one of Sakamoto’s greatest works: 1989’s Beauty. Recorded at a time period when “world music,” hip-hop and electronic dance music had attained global reach, the album is a dizzyingly eclectic and cosmopolitan offering. Featuring appearances from Brian Wilson, Misako Koja, Yoriko Ganeko, Robert Wyatt, Youssou N’Dour, Sly Dunbar, Arto Lindsay, Pino Palladino, and more, Beauty is a veritable world’s fair on wax. Working under Sakamoto’s direction, each guest brings their distinct cultural perspectives to Beauty’s global pop sound.
The evening began with The Sound Lounge’s programming director Cyrus Lampton talking about the cultural and historical significance of the album and letting folks know that Great Circles had copies of its reissue for sale. Fittingly, the album opens with “Calling From Tokyo,” a Japanese pop and hip-hop fusion with heavy dub bass and pan flute. “Rose” starts off with gorgeous piano chords and Pino Pallidino’s deep, melodic bass playing a tasteful counterpoint. As usual, the sound at the venue was gorgeous and “Rose”s spare arrangement filled the room warmly. Whether it was the sturdy, mechanized rhythms of “Futique” or the soaring, idyllic art-pop gem “We Love You,” Beauty is a bold travelogue of places, people and culture. Sakamoto may have left us in 2023 but his willingness to explore and experiment are lessons that will enrich our musical landscape for years to come.
