2013 Berlin Philharmonic Chamber Hall Recital
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On November 6 Wednesday evening, Nobuyuki Tsujii held a recital in the world famous Chamber Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany. The Chopin/Liszt program was challenging, including many works that Nobu had not performed in public before. I had thought that it was reckless of him to debut it in Berlin, but apparently our intrepid Nobu pulled it off in grand style ... as always!
image presented via Internet link source: The construction of the Chamber Music Hall (1,136 seats)
Nov 7
Posted on a German piano forum at just after midnight
Nobuyuki Tsujii in der Berliner Philharmonie
War zufällig gerade noch jemand dort?
Ich hatte ja gar keine Ahnung, was mich erwartet. Habe das Konzert wegen den Stücken von Chopin und Liszt ausgesucht, über den Pianisten hatte ich mich nicht informiert, wollte mich überraschen lassen und es war in der Tat eine Überraschung, denn der Pianist ist blind.
Unglaublich, was der alles abgeliefert hat, die Campanella war lange nicht das schwerste. Liste der Werke gibts hier
<Berliner Philharmoniker: Konzert mit Nobuyuki Tsujii>
War ein sehr schönes Konzert und der Steinway Flügel klang einfach nur perfekt. Hätte den so gerne mal angefasst
English translation:
Nobuyuki Tsujii at the Berliner Philharmonic
Was anyone else there?
I had no idea what to expect. I was there for the workds by Chopin and Liszt on the program, without looking into the pianist, wanted to be surprised. And it was indeed a surprise, because the pianist is blind.
It was incredible what he delivered, Liszt's Campanella was far from the hardest ... List of works available here (link to Berlin Philharmonic's listing Concert with Nobuyuki Tsujii>
It was a very nice concert, and the Steinway grand piano sounded just perfect. I had a good time.
November 6 8PM Nobuyuki Tsujii held a recital at the Chamber Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany. He performed a brand new and challenging Chopin and Liszt program for the first time anywhere in the world.
Minutes ago I heard from someone -- big, big thanks -- who came back from the recital, who wrote:
The recital was a success.
The hall was not full (75-80%) but we all are very satisfied, we enjoyed 2 hours and 15 minutes.
BS ASAHI covered this recital, and they said the program will be on air 1 January 2014.
Encore were 4 pieces: Nocturne No.8 op27-2 (Chopin), Rigoletto Paraphrase(Liszt), Prelude Raindrop (Chopin) and それでも生きてゆく (Soredemo Ikiteyuku -- Still we live on)
The recital was powerful (because of the hall acoustic effect？)
I was looking forward to listening to the “Sonata No.2” of Chopin and his performance met my expectations.
I was very satisfied this recital.
He seemed to have a lot of confidence in himself.
It was worth my while to have come all the way from ...
Mother of Nobu (Mrs. Itsuko Tsujii) was seated in same block.
And a tweet
辻井伸行さんのピアノリサイタル行ってきました。本当に本当に本当に素敵な時間でした。自ら聴きに行きたいと思うなんて本当にベルリン来て色々変わったなー。 pic.twitter.com/lDXpchZAVY Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii's piano recital is over. It was a really, really, really nice time. I don't usually come to Berlin voluntarily, but I really wanted to listen to him.
and responding to my response, this person wrote: "It was ja, wunderbar!!"
image via Internet link
Concert information
http://www.schoneberg.de/Konzerte/Nobu-Tsujii/Berlin/554 (has link for purchasing tickets)
Berlin Philharmonic Concert Hall, image via Internet link
The program is very ambitious and is the same program for Nobu's upcoming 2013/14 Japan Tour,. This performance will be the first time that the recital is performed by Mr. Tsujii anywhere in the world.
Chopin:
Nocturne in C sharp minor (op.posth.) (~4min) - Ashkenazy video
Nocturne no. 18 in E major, Op 62/2 (~6 min) - Kissin video
Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante, Op.22(~8 min) - Nobu has performed and recorded this work
Piano sonata no. 2 in B flat minor (funeral march), Op.35 (~25.5 min) - Performance by Ivo Pogorelich
Liszt:
Les jeux d'eaux à la villa d'Este, S 163 no. 4 (~8 min) - Earl Wild performance video
Sonetto del Petrarca no. 47, S 161 no. 4(~5.5 min) - Lortie video
Liebestraum No. 3 in A flat major, S 541(~4 min) - Nobu has performed and recorded this work
Grandes Études de Paganini S 141: no. 3 in G sharp minor, "La Campanella" (~4.5 min) - Nobu has performed and recorded this work
Isolde’s Liebestod from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, transcribed for piano, S 447 (~6 min) - Brandel performance video
Paraphrase on a Waltz from Gounod's "Faust", S 407(~10 min) - Stephen Hough video
There are seven works on this program that Nobu is performing in public for the first time, with the exception of the Chopin Nocturne in C sharp minor, which he played for encore on his recent Nobuyuki & Ashkenazy 2013 Japan Tour.
In interviews, Nobu has mentioned that one of his remaining dreams is to perform with the famous Berlin Philharmonic (it is an orchestra revered in Japan).
November 6
Just hours before the concert, I found a "curtain raiser" article written in German,
Kammermusiksaal
Herbert-von-Karajan-Str. 1 Tiergarten
Today, 20 to tomorrow, 4 o`clock
NOBU TSUJII Klavier
Today, 20 to tomorrow, 4 o`clock
Von Geburt an blind für die Außenwelt, stellt es für Nobuyuki Tsujii immer wieder eine ganz besondere Herausforderung dar, sich neue Stücke anzueignen. Er lauscht ihnen nach, bis er jede Einzelheit in seinem Kopf gespeichert hat und mit seinen Händen wiedergeben kann.
Aber vielleicht ist es genau diese intensive Auseinandersetzung mit dem Klang der Musik, dieser Blick ins Innere, der sein Spiel so außergewöhnlich macht. Längst gehört der 25-jährige Japaner zu den weltweit besten jungen Pianisten.
Neben einer beeindruckenden Technik und einem angeborenen Sinn für Klangfarben, begeistert Nobuyuki Tsujii durch eine atemberaubende Emotionalität, die sein Spiel begleitet und die sich auch in seinen eigenen Kompositionen wiederspiegelt.
Sein Konzert in der New Yorker Carnegie Hall 2011 war restlos ausverkauft und an Gefühl nicht zu übertreffen – Unter Tränen beendete Nobuyuki Tsujii einen unvergesslichen Klavierabend mit einer Eigenkomposition in Gedenken an die Opfer des verheerenden Tsunamis 2011 in Ostjapan.
Tickets: 24,40 – 45,30 € (inkl. VVK-Gebühren)
Nobuyuki Tsujii - Pianist
Blind to the outside world from birth, it always makes for Nobuyuki Tsujii a special challenge to learn new works. He listens to them, until he has every detail stored in his head and can play with his hands.
But perhaps it is precisely this intense engagement with the sound of music, this introspection that makes his playing so extraordinary. For some time now, the 25-year-old Japanese has been one of the world's best young pianists
Besides an impressive technique and an innate sense of timbre, Nobuyuki Tsujii is inspired by a breathtaking emotion that accompanies his playing, which is also reflected in his own compositions.
His concert at New York's Carnegie Hall in 2011 was sold out and was incomparable in feelings - With tears, Nobuyuki Tsujii finished a memorable evening with a piano performance of an original composition in memory of the victims of the devastating 2011 tsunami in eastern Japan.
October 8
http://blog.yoshikoikuma.jp/?eid=211038 <blog of 伊熊よし子 Ikuma Yoshiko, Tokyo Music journalist, music critic.>
2013.10.07 Monday
辻井伸行 ベルリン・コンサート
ベルリンではタクシーではなく、みんなで地下鉄やパスに乗って移動したため、いろんな発見があった。
ひとつ、私たちが日本人として大きな誇りを抱いたのが、地下鉄の駅に辻井伸行のカンマームジークザールでのコンサートのポスターが貼ってあったことである。
早速、写真に収めた。
「辻井さん、頑張っているなあ」
何度も取材でお会いしている身としては、うれしい限りだ。
彼はこれまでもベルリンで演奏しているが、私はまだ海外での演奏は一度も聴いたことがない。
先日、アシュケナージのインタビューの際、辻井伸行との共演について聞くと、「とても素直で、才能がある」と語っていた。
ぜひ、機会があったら海外で演奏を聴いてみたいと思う。海外の聴衆にまじって聴く演奏は、また格別だろうから。
今日の写真はそんな貴重な1枚。これも、タクシー移動だったら、けっして目にすることはなかっただろうから、取材班に感謝、感謝。
辻井さん、コンサート頑張ってください。いつか聴きにいきますからね。
image shown in blog post, presented here via Internet link
Nobuyuki Tsujii Berlin Concert
Riding in a taxi in Berlin to subway station; I got to see a lot than usual.
This one brought me a great deal of pride as a Japanese, a concert poster over Musik Saar, near the subway station.
Immediately, I thought, "Mr. Tsujii is doing his best."
I was glad to have seen him in interviews many times.
He has played in Berlin, but I still have never heard him even once playing abroad.
The other day, during an interview of Ashkenazi, I heard him talking about co-starring with Nobuyuki Tsujii. He said, "He is very talented, and obedient."
I would love to listen to music in a foreign country when I have a chance. Because it would be exceptional to listen to a performance in an audience overseas.
Seeing this photo today was such a rare happenstance. Because I would not have laid eyes on it if not for the taxi ride. Thanks to the TV crew. Thanks.
Mr. Tsujii, please, good luck with the concert. And I will go to hear you someday.
Nov 1
On a BBC 3 broadcast of Nobuyuki Tsujii performs Grieg with the BBC Philharmonic, there is some discussion about how Nobu learns music by listening to tapes and how he coordinates with the conductor, and there is mentioning of Nobu's upcoming Chopin/Liszt recital in Berlin . I was surprised to hear it said that Nobu learned the recital program in one week. I think something was lost in the translation. I don't think Nobu learned every work on that program from scratch in one week - some of the works on that program he had performed before, but a sonata such as the Chopin Sonata No. 2 alone would probably take him one week to learn from scratch, as he had said in previous interviews. I suspect what Nobu said is that he only has one week to prepare for the Berlin recital after the Grieg performance.