http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/music/classical/mc-piano-review-20110416,0,2749192,print.story

This is a fantastic review, although I wish the writer would not repeatedly emphasize "blind".  But I did not expect to see such a positive review coming from an unlikely corner in Pennsylvania - the Empire Theater has 392 seats.

www.mcall.com/entertainment/music/classical/mc-piano-review-20110416,0,6479021.story

mcall.com

Blind Japanese pianist wows sold-out Muhlenberg audience

By Steve Siegel, Special to The Morning Call

4:15 PM EDT, April 16, 2011

The Muhlenberg College Piano Recital Series ended its season Friday evening with an extraordinary concert by the blind Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, whose virtually note-perfect performance of three challenging works enraptured a sold-out Empie Theatre audience.

Tsujii's control of the keyboard would be remarkable even for a sighted pianist, and that fact that all three works — Mozart's Sonata in C Major, Beethoven's "Tempest" Sonata, and Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" — were performed from memory is mind-boggling. To achieve his control, precise placement of the piano bench is critical; upon sitting down, Tsujii tested his reach to the keyboard a number of times, moving the bench back and forth mere fractions of an inch until he was satisfied.

The Mozart Sonata opened the program, sounding as if someone had switched on a sparkling music box. It was light and lively, perhaps a bit mechanical sounding, but delightful and toy-like in its nearly absent rubato. It was fascinating to watch Tsujii's fingertips fluttering over the keys, deftly checking hand positions and gauging distances. How he managed hand crossovers is simply beyond belief.

The Beethoven sonata was churning and turbulent, with much more passionately shaped phrasing than the Mozart. Tsujii went all-out for drama and achieved it, employing a remarkable dynamic range that sucked up notes like a strong undertow, then dashed them ashore. The allegretto was especially vivid, perhaps sounding a bit rushed, but with a theatricality that matched the spirit of the piece.

If the Beethoven sounded theatrical, "Pictures at an Exhibition" was wide-screen cinemascope. This was a big and bold performance, with startling jumps and threatening lurches in "Gnomus," contrasted with playful, fleet-fingered finesse in the "Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells." There was a tendency to rush some phrases, with some blurring of passages as a result. The final movement, "The Great Gate of Kiev," was wonderfully orchestral, Tsujii seemingly conjuring the sounds of unseen gongs, bells, and chimes.

Two encores in a popular vein closed the performance, with Tsujii's head bobbing from side to side and an angelic ear-to-ear grin on the young pianists cherubic face.

Steve Siegel is a freelance writer.

I submitted this comment, which may or may not get posted:

This review made my day!  I attended this same recital a week ago in Boston, and your observations are spot-on.

I am with you on the Mozart sonata: it was vivacious and sparkling.  Like you, someone in Boston thought the Mozart was mechanical, but to me that's Mozart!  Tsujii has been criticized for not including baroque music in his recital programs; I think in this recital he demonstrated that he is perfectly capable of playing Mozart and Bach, even though I do believe that his heart is with Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt.

The Beethoven "Tempest" was simply mesmerizing, although I do agree that the third movement may be a tad too fast - Tsujii played it at a "galloping" pace, contrary to what the great pianist András Schiff recommends.  But that’s Noubyuki: a 22-year old young man with lots of energy.

I have attended four of Nobuyuki's concerts on two continents, and I can tell you that he brought the house down every time.  I cringe at the repeated mentioning of his blindness in this otherwise excellent review, but there is no denying it - to see Tsujii do hand crossing and large leaps is to witness a miracle that seems humanly impossible.

Nobuyuki Tsujii is an inspiration and a virtuoso par excellence.  It is so heartening that his artistry is appreciated in Pennsylvania.  Thank you!