Listen to Ryuichi Sakamoto’s final playlist, played at his funeral

Ryuichi Sakamoto died in March following a lengthy battle with cancer, leaving behind an expansive legacy, from his groundbreaking work with Yellow Magic Orchestra to award-winning Hollywood scores such as Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence and The Last Emperor. Upon announcing his death, Sakamoto’s management wrote that “he lived with music until the very end”. Now, they’ve shared a playlist curated by the late artist himself for his own funeral.

Released today (March 15), his management wrote on social media: “We would like to share the playlist Ryuichi has been privately compiling to be played at his own funeral to accompany his passing. He truly was with music until the very end.” Titled Funeral, the 33-song collection opens with an 11-minute piece from Sakamoto collaborator Alva Noto, and includes classical works by Bach, Debussy, and Ravel, as well as soundtrack pieces from Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota. It closes with Laurel Halo’s “Breath” from 2020’s Possessed. 

In December last year, the composer played his final show, a livestreamed concert titled ‘Ryuichi Sakamoto: Playing the Piano 2022’. Earlier this month, Milan records shared a new compilation titled Travesía, featuring some of Sakamoto’s solo works, including “Thousand Knives”, the title track of Sakamoto’s 1978 debut album, and 2017 full-length async.

Listen to the playlist below.