Ryuichi Sakamoto 2nd Anniversary Tribute Concert to be Held

A tribute concert honoring the legendary Japanese film music composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who passed away in March 2023, will be held to mark the 2nd anniversary.

The organizing company Nothing But Chill · H&H Media announced on the 11th that the Ryuichi Sakamoto Tribute Concert will take place at Lotte Concert Hall on the 5th of next month at 7:30 PM.

Sakamoto gained great popularity in the electronic music genre by forming the group Y.M.O in the 1980s. He officially entered the film music field through the movie 〈Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence〉 in 1983, and in 1986, he became the first Asian to win the Academy Award for Best Original Score for the film 〈The Last Emperor〉, gaining recognition as a world-class composer.

The tribute concert will feature the principal conductor of the Linz State Opera in Austria, Han Joo-hun, performing on piano. Cellist Joo Yeon-sun and violinist Joo Yeon-kyung will also take the stage to recreate Sakamoto's musical world.

The concert will include Sakamoto's representative songs that are familiar to Korean fans, such as 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence', 'The Last Emperor', 'Rain', and 'Aqua'.

Sakamoto had a deep connection with Korea as well. During his battle with illness in 2017, he composed the music for director Hwang Dong-hyuk's film 〈The Fortress〉, winning the Grand Bell Award for Best Music and the Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award at the Busan International Film Festival in 2018.