Recorded and filmed as he was dying of cancer, Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Opus” — the Japanese film composer’s posthumous album and documentary of the same name — is clearly meant to be his final farewell. The hour-and-a-half recording of 20 songs played on piano takes the listener on a journey through his half-century career. The album also showcases the film scores that form the pillars of Sakamoto’s legacy, such as the majestic theme for Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor." AP's Yuri Kageyama writes that the album shows a man unafraid to face his catalog of works and give it his own personal interpretation, knowing it would be his last.
