Sakamoto had been battling cancer since 2014, and could no longer do concert performances, and so he turned to film. The filming took place over several days, just a half year before his death on March 28 at 71.
"I thought that this was a piece that needed good tunes. And also, because it's a concerto, you have to have some fast music in there. There are parts where I'm like, 'Okay, let's let it rip.'"
An hour-long piece for baritone and orchestral septet, the work depicts with unrelenting intensity the horrors of war and the PTSD faced by many returning veterans.
Dancers who have fled Ukraine — and Russia — due to the war have found a new temporary home in Berlin’s top ballet company, which helps with practice space, housing, even shoes.
