Cliburn winner Nobuyuki Tsujii: Virtuosity beyond reproach

http://blog.al.com/mhuebner/2010/04/cliburn_winner_nobuyuki_tsujii.html

Published: Sunday, April 25, 2010, 3:04 PM     Updated: Monday, April 26, 2010, 1:57 PM

By Michael Huebner -- The Birmingham News 2009 CLIBURN WINNERS

Nobuyuki Tsujii, pianist

Saturday night, Trinity United Methodist Church, Huntsville

Presented by Huntsville Chamber Music Guild

Listening to a performance by Nobuyuki Tsujii, there is a strong urge to try to forget the obvious: that despite being a pianist of the first order, he was born blind; that the 21-year-old Cliburn gold medalist needs to be escorted on and off stage; that his head bobs and weaves to an inexplicable rhythm while performing.

But the true irony, in his recital Saturday at Trinity United Methodist Church in Huntsville, is that he closed with one of most visually evocative works in the literature - Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition."

After countless hearings of the work in its orchestral and piano versions, our mind's eye is trained to visually reference the gnome, the old castle, the scurrying chicks, the great gate, all images Tsujii can only know through sound. Yet this performance so convincingly brought them to life, one wondered if he has an innate advantage over sighted pianists.

The same thought occurred earlier with the festive atmosphere he constructed for Schumann's "Papillons," and the theatrical stage ambiance in Liszt's arrangement of music from Verdi's "Rigoletto."

The bottom line is that Tsujii plays with honesty, forbearance and true virtuosity, all of which he displayed at every turn. Two Chopin Nocturnes opened the program, both performed with grace and refinement. Liszt's "Un sospiro" was played with ease, fluidity, and pure beauty, its descending chromatic lines given perfect weight and balance. It was made all the more remarkable because of the numerous cross-hand patterns, negotiated with finesse and otherworldly accuracy.

Where Tsujii needs work is with reining in tempo, particularly in monumental romantic music like "Pictures." Although he was never in danger of losing control, at times his playing was so fast, it blurred the music. But the finale of this work left no doubt of his potential to be one of the great pianists of his generation. Its overwhelming power and fullness was beyond comparison, its inner vision beyond reproach.