Before his passing in late March, the late Japanese composer and electronic music pioneer Ryuichi Sakamoto had been putting together a playlist of music to be played at his own funeral. Now, Sakamoto’s management has shared that “last playlist,” simply titled “funeral.”
“We would like to share the playlist that Ryuichi had been privately compiling to be played at his own funeral to accompany his own passing,” Sakamoto’s team wrote in an accompanying message. “He truly was with music until the very end.”
Opening with an 11-minute track by Sakamoto’s frequent collaborator Alva Noto, the 33-song playlist features classical music from Johann Sebastian Bach, Claude Debussy, and Maurice Ravel. It also includes the work of renowned film composers Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota, jazz music from Bill Evans Trio, and David Sylvian’s “Orpheus” — the latter of which features Sakamoto himself on piano and synths. Closing out the playlist is electronic musician Laurel Halo’s “Breath,” which was made for the Possessed soundtrack.
Stream the full playlist below.
Sakamoto was diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2021 and revealed it had reached stage 4 in 2022. His final solo album, 12, was released this past January. Meanwhile, a tribute album featuring reworkings from Sakamoto’s catalog by Thundercat, Devonté Hynes, Hildur Guðnadóttir, and more came out in December 2022.
Ryuichi’s Last Playlist.
We would like to share the playlist that Ryuichi had been privately compiling to be played at his own funeral to accompany his passing. He truly was with music until the very end.
– skmt managementhttps://t.co/QPeSnthq9p pic.twitter.com/lK7B2ltUM9
— ryuichi sakamoto (@ryuichisakamoto) May 15, 2023
