Notable web postings - July 2020

Continued from  Notable web postings June 2020

More archival of past postings can be found at Notable web postings archive

Upcoming Concerts

Most upcoming concerts in year 2020 have been cancelled/postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic:-( :-(

But an Online Salon Concert was held in June, with great success.

And the Ark Classics at Suntory Hall this fall seems to be going ahead!

♪ July 29 Words of Wisdom

Posted by "daniel" as a comment on Twitter to the YouTube video of Nobuyuki Tsujii plays Kapustin's Concert Etude no. 1 (1.5M+ views)

"painting is a blind man's profession ... he paints not what he sees, but what he feels - what he tells himself about what he has seen" - picasso

This quote reminds me of a piece that I wrote back in 2014: "Of Taste and Critics, and Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii"

The piece starts like this:

Recently, an interesting thread of discussion showed up on Japan's Yahoo ask-a-question "Music" section:

The thread starts like this:

A French classical music critic known for his dry criticism had this to say about the performance of Nobuyuki Tsujii. There are other completely blind pianists. They have one thing in common: Their playing is uniformly comfortable to listen to. But in the case of those born blind, the pianist has not had the visual input of the magnificence of the sea, the scene of rain, and the grandeur of nature. Therefore, there is no way for him to approach the depth of the composer, and the input is therefore limited to the pleasant part (of the audio)."

The questioner sought opinions on the validity of the assertion (that someone born blind could never fully approach the depth of the composition).

Borrowing from  the Piccaso quote: "A pianist does not play what he sees, but what he feels ... what he tells himself about what he has seen." 

Nobu may not have the visual input, but his music conveys more than that: the magnificence of the sea and the grandeur of nature as felt by someone whose integrity has never been spoiled by the vainglory that comes with sight.

More at "Of Taste and Critics, and Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii"

UPDATE

I am not sure if this tweet is in reference to mine, but a great comment anyway:

https://twitter.com/nirontn_12x/status/1288725859809898496

辻井伸行は盲目の人間が美しいピアノを弾いてる！じゃなくて「美しいピアノを弾く人間がたまたま盲目だった」なんだよな

Nobuyuki Tsujii is said to be a blind person who plays beautiful piano! Instead, he is "a human who plays beautiful piano, who happens to be blind"

♪ July 27 Bravos & congratulations to "点字毎日 [Braille Everyday]"

https://mainichi.jp/articles/20200729/ddm/010/040/005000c

「点字毎日」"Braille Mainichi [Everyday]," the only Braille newspaper in Japan & published by The Mainichi - Japan Daily News, reached the 5000th edition on July 26th.

With archival photos of Emperor and Empress of Heisei, Helen Keller & Nobuyuki Tsujii.

Image: December 10 2013, Tokyo. Nobu, standing next to mother Itsuko, who is guiding his hand on a plaque being presented to him for the Mainichi Cultural Award.

Image: November 17 1999, Osaka. Emperor and Empress of Heisei (retired imperial couple) tead the words of welcome written with Braille typewriter.

Image: 1955, Osaka. Helen Keller (left) visiting Braille Everyday shop. While touching a braille plate making machine, she said, "I never dreamed that I could do it with such a fine machine."

♪ July 27 Recital in St. Polten, Austria May 19 2021

Things must be going well in Austria! Concerts are resuming in earnest, it seems.

Nobuyuki Tsujii's recital in Festspielhaus [Festival theater] St. Pölten has been rescheduled from May 7 2020 to May 19 2021. Wed 19.05.2021 from 7.30 p.m. Tickets EUR 29 (free choice of seats).

Recital program unchanged (Schubert impromptus; Scriabin Sonata; Chopin ballades)

https://www.festspielhaus.at/en/calendar/new-nobuyuki-tsujii

♪ July 22 Ueno Gakuen University 上野学園大学, Nobuyuki Tsujii's alma mater 母校, is closing

Sad news, Ueno Gakuen University, a 116-year-old music college in Tokyo, will stop recruiting new students next year and phase itself out gradually.

The college is the alma mater of Nobuyuki Tsujii, & he is mentioned on the news and in a video .

東京・上野の音楽大学「上野学園大学」が、来年度から学生の新規募集を停止することがテレビ東京の取材で分かりました。

私立上野学園は創業116年の音楽教育の名門で、大学の卒業生にはピアニストの辻井伸行さんがいます。

関係者によりますと、大学は来年度から学生の新規募集を停止し、今後は段階的な閉鎖を検討するということです。

在学生には他校への転籍の相談にも応じます。

大学は少子化による影響で学生数が減少し、４期連続で定員割れしていました。

Tokyo. Ueno Gakuen University, a music college in Ueno, Tokyo, will stop recruiting new students next year.

Ueno Gakuen is a prestigious private music education institute founded 116 years ago, and university graduates include pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii.

According to the people involved, the university will stop recruiting new students next year and will consider gradual closure in the future.

It will also offer consultation to current students regarding transfer to another school.

The number of students at the university decreased due to the declining birthrate, and has fallen  below the capacity for four consecutive terms.

The college has experienced financial and managerial turmoils in recent years.

There is an interview of Nobu, posted on the university's website, English translation at Nobuyuki Tsujii interviewed by Ueno Gakuen University 2018.

Nobu was enrolled at the university when he competed in the 2009 Cliburn Competition.

One of his professors, 横山幸雄 Yukio Yokoyama, flew from Tokyo to Texas to give Nobu some last-minute coaching.

The college's chairman also flew to Texas for the finals and medal ceremony.

Below is a photo of Nobu and Professor Yokoyama, which topped the university's website in the wake of Nobu's Cliburn triumph.

♪ July 22 Nobu's "Lockdown Playlist"???

This is a surprising tweet from the Liverpool Phil:

https://twitter.com/liverpoolphil/status/1285864709422489600

Welcome to another week of our Lockdown Listening playlists! https://spoti.fi/2ZLRrit

This week we have Liverpool Philharmonic favourite, pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, [whose] playlist includes Scriabin, Liszt, John Lennon and Disney’s ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ – enjoy!

Nobu himself is not on the playlist, so it seems to imply that the playlist is Nobu's own.

The playlist includes the titles mentioned, but also Bohemian Rhapsody, lots of Chopin by Pollini, Schubert's impromptus and string quartets, Kapustin etudes, Beethoven's piano concerto no. 2 & violin concerto, Rach 3 (by Simon Trpčeski with Liverpool Phil & Vasily Petrenko), Fauvre, Elgar, and some that I don't recognize. 

I have some doubts.  For one thing, I am almost certain that Nobu's own playlists would include some Japanese pieces. 

It's an interesting list, in any case. 

♪ July 20 "Team Nobuyuki Tsujii leads the way!"

Not long ago I posted a piece "Team Nobuyuki Tsujii leads the way!" about the success of Nobu's online concerts.

Over the weekend word came that the opera superstar Jonas Kaufmann held an online recital in Germany for the Metropolitan Opera (U.S.), streamed at 20USD per view.

As with Nobu's online concert, camera work was employed to provide unusual viewing perspectives. But it seems some viewers find the many closeups of the singer's face and throat less than pleasing. By contrast, the camerawork at Nobu's online concert focuses on the hand movements, including overhead shots and footage from the pianist side in a duo recital, and in online comments such camerawork was widely praised.

According to the article on the Slipped Discs blog: " Word around town is the the Met is budgeting $400,000 to $500,000 for each streamed recital. That’s a lot of $20s."

If you wade through the comments posted to that article, you will find one of mine :-) mentioning the success of Nobu's online concerts.

The Met Opera streaming event was also reported by New York Times at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/19/arts/music/met-opera-jonas-kaufmann.html

"Mr. Kaufmann’s concert ... offered professional camera work, including many — maybe too many — dramatic close-ups, and high-quality sound.

"It just goes to show just how well Nobu's online concerts came off!

The next one -- this time with a commercial sponsor no less -- is coming up this weekend in Japan:

Nobuyuki Tsujii "Original & Classic" Online Concert July 25/26 2020

♪ July 19 Schubert's Impromptu no. 3 Explained

On his second online Salon Concert last month, Nobuyuki Tsujii played Schubert's Impromptu no. 3 for encore (2nd piece in the video Nobuyuki Tsujii plays 2 great impromptus, June 2020). It was as mesmerizing as when I heard it in Paris in January, a lifetime ago.

I am attempting to play the piece now, and discovered this tutorial by pianist Henrik Kilhamn. It is a superb explanation of the musical structure of this piece. It makes me appreciate even more the interpretation of Nobu.

Sad to say, I will never be able to play it like either Mr. Kilhamn or (especially) Nobu, no matter how much I practice.

♪ July 18 Remembrance of Things Past -- Nobuyuki Tsujii  & Yeol Eum Son duet 2011

A Japanese twitter wrote:

今も忘れられない一曲。 JSバッハ｢羊は安からに草を食み｣。 辻井伸行さんが世間に脚光を浴びるようになったきっかけの同じヴァン・クライバーンのファイナリスト、ソン・ヨルムさん。 透き通るような澄んだ音と演奏が素敵で10年以上経った今でも時々思い出しては聴いてる。

Yeol Eum Son & Nobuyuki Tsujii were finalists at the 2009 Cliburn Competition ... I still remember the crystal clear sound of her wonderful performance [of a Bach piece] ... would love to hear her 2011 duet with Nobu.

Well, I happen to have a page about that :-) here -> Nobuyuki Tsujii & Yeol Eum Son duet 2011

Ms. Yeol Eum Son 손열음went out of her way to befriend Nobu at the competition, and the duet was a "friendship" performance between Japan & South Korea.

She, like Nobu, has become active worldwide, and is highly regarded and popular in South Korea.

♪ July 17 Nobu & Fumi on cover of Towers Records monthly magazine

Tweet by Tower Records Osaka Marubiru タワーレコード梅田大阪マルビル店

https://twitter.com/TOWER_Marubiru/status/1284061453289320448

【クラシック】本日ぶらあぼ8月号が入荷しました。表紙は辻井伸行さんと三浦文彰さんの盟友ふたり。辻井伸行さんの来週のいずみホールでのベートーヴェン・リサイタルは中止になったのは残念な限り。

部数も少なくなっていますのでお早めにどうぞどうぞ

[Classic] The August issue of Braabo  is available today. The cover is two friends of Nobuyuki Tsujii and Fumiaki Miura. It's a pity that Nobuyuki Tsujii canceled Beethoven Recital at Izumi Hall next week. The number of copies is small, so please go ahead.

♪ July 15 "Music Aid Fest" T-shirt

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCnuKHAH3cr/

Commemorative T-shirt for Music Aid Fest held in May in Japan for for #COVID19 front-line workers.

Nobuyuki Tsujii 辻井伸行 was the o representative from classical music - Can you spot👀his name on the shirt?

♪ July 14 "Mask-clad music lovers trickle in as Vienna concert houses reopen"

As mentioned yesterday, Nobuyuki Tsujii may be performing in Europe this fall after all, with the Tonkünstler-Orchester & conductor #YutakaSado.

Upon further investigation, the venues for the three "Rachmaninnov &Sibelius" concerts (Oct 23, 25 and Nov 4) are all located in Austria, where concerts have resumed since June, as described in this article "Mask-clad music lovers trickle in as Vienna concert houses reopen" .

Concerts there have been held for small audiences to start, but if all goes well, will be performed to full audience by September.

Performers are tested for #COVID19, and perform without face masks.

Bravo!

♪ July 12 "(To  teenagers)Mr.  Nobuyuki Tsujii:  His interests; his dreams"

Doesn't this smile brighten your day?

The photo comes with an interview posted in the July 12 2020 digital 朝日新聞社 (Asahi News)

https://www.asahi.com/articles/DA3S14546572.html

titled （１０代の君へ）好きなこと、夢につないで 辻井伸行さん"(To teenagers) Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii: His interests; his dreams."

The target audience are teenagers. The contents is familiar to long-time Nobuyuki Tsujii fans.

The photo might be a recent one taken at Nobu's home studio. Nobu is seen wearing a blue long-sleeve shirt -- if you look closely, you can see stubble on his slightly unshaven face!

English translation at (To teenagers) Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii: His interests; his dreams

♪ July 8 "カプースチンのお話 The Kapustin Story"

Professor Masahiro Kawakami, Nobu's piano teacher and long-time champion of the works by the late Russian composer Nickolai Kapustin, made a moving post on his blog:

https://www.masahiro-kawakami.com/archives/3193

大変悲しいお知らせではありますが、カプースチンの奥様アッラさんも7月6日（ニコライ・カプースチンの葬儀の日）にお亡くなりになりました。

とても仲の良い夫婦でしたから、神様はずっと二人を一緒にしておきたかったのだと思います。

今頃はもう二人は天上の世界で再会していることと信じています。

It is very sad news, but the wife of Mo.Kapustin, Alla passed away on July 6th (Nikolai Kapustin's funeral day).

Since they were a very close couple, I think God wanted to keep them together.

I believe they are reuniting in the heavenly world now.

Photo of Mr. Kawakami with the Kapustins at their home, year 2003

As described, Mr. Kawakami was among the few people who gained the hearts of the Kapustins and welcomed to the home of the devoted couple, the last time in 2016, when "for some reason, tears did not stop."

Over the years since 2003, Mr. Kawakami seems to have become a curator of Kapustin's music, publishing the scores and performing his technically formidable concertos, often for the first time ever.♪ July 12 Remembrance of Things Past -- "Favorite things & more"

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CCi-SGgposA/:

... 以前行った

辻井伸行さんのピアノコンサート🎹

生で聴くピアノ演奏は本当に素晴らしかったです✨

ロビーには、お祝いの花も💐ずらりと

また気軽にコンサートに行ける世界になりますように

Festive flower displays in the lobby of a past piano concert 🎹 of Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii

I look forward to  a world where we can easily go to a concert again

The lush flower displays shown are from 朝日新聞（The Asahi Shimbun）& BSフジ FUJI TV -- their excellent Nobu documentaries are also sorely missed!!

♪ July 9 In search of Lost Time: canceled concerts and a void in the heart

What a year of loss this has been.

I just looked over a list of Nobuyuki Tsujii concerts in year 2020 that have been cancelled/postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Compared to so many lives torn asunder, cancelled concerts are insignificant. Even so, they have left a void in my heart.

Spain, Austria, Sweden, Hong Kong, United Kingdoms, Germany, U.S.A. -- these are countries that Nobu would have graced.

Not to mention the postponed Tokyo Olympics, which should have been in full swing by now.

In the coming months and perhaps years, we will be in search of lost time.

More at In search of Lost Time: canceled concerts of Nobuyuki Tsujii

♪ July 9  "Summer Thursdays with Orpheus"

The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is showing videos on their Facebook page -- "Summer Thursdays with Orpheus".

This week it is video from the orchestra's performance with Nobuyuki Tsujii in Hong Kong in 2019 (a lifetime ago!) Viewable JUL 9 2020 | 12:00PM on the orchestra's facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OrpheusNYC/

(The video is the same as what was posted by the Hong Kong University.)

♪ July 6 Team Nobuyuki Tsujii leads the way!

The success of the just completed Online Salon Concert of Nobuyuki Tsujii, streamed live on each Sunday in June, has not escaped the media's attention in Japan.

In addition to an article posted on June 30 by Japan's Economic News ("オンライン公演に活路 Live performance with online distribution"), the online concert is prominently mentioned on July 6 in the online Weekly Economist section of Japan's 毎日新聞 Mainichi [Everyday] newspaper.

https://weekly-economist.mainichi.jp/articles/20200706/se1/00m/020/001000d

[posted by Japan's Everyday News Economy section online]

サザンや辻井伸行の「オンラインコンサート」から「オンライン芸者」まで…「リモート化」に生き残りをかけるエンタメ業界＝白鳥達哉

From ... Nobuyuki Tsujii's "online concert" to "online geisha"... the entertainment industry survives  on "remote"

[Translated from Japanese]

Mr. Tsujii's normal concert has a venue size of about 2000 people, and the ticket price is set at 7,000 to 10,000 yen for a solo concert. This online concert was held in a small hall for about 120 people, and tickets are, at 1800 yen, inexpensive. The number of viewers increased steadily to 2,500 in the first session, 2700 in the second session, and 3700 in the third session, and the total number of viewers reached 9000.

Avex Classics International, to which Mr. Tsujii belongs, said, "In addition to the limited number of seats in the concert hall, the increase in the number of people watching online is clearly a plus for business. Social distance remains in place after September, and all concerts scheduled to resume with a social distance will be delivered online as well." ...

I am happy for the success of Nobu's online concert. Instead of suffering in silent desperation, the support team of Nobu took a chance. The revenue from the concert might have been modest, but it keeps Nobu and his staff active, and his fans in Japan happy. Except for some minor technical glitches (such as on the 2nd night when the access demand overwhelmed the system at the start), the online distribution apparently has worked well. This is an impressive accomplishment by a small team turning to online streaming for the first time. The team was also successful in generating media attention, apparently through press releases as well as invitations to media representatives to attend and writing about the concert.

My hat is off to Team Nobuyuki Tsujii. Bravos, bravos!

There is no comparison to Nobu's live performances. I yearn to be able to travel to London, Berlin or New York City for Nobu's piano, as I have done during the last decade. But the world has changed. It is clear now that we will be living with the Corona Virus for a long time. At the rate things are going in the States, my carefree traveling days may be a thing of the past ... at least for some years.

I would gladly pay for the privilege of online viewing of Nobu's concerts. So, please ... Team Nobuyuki Tsujii... please do make the online distribution available outside Japan!!

More at Team Nobuyuki Tsujii leads the way!

♪ July 9  "Summer Thursdays with Orpheus"

The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is showing videos on their Facebook page -- "Summer Thursdays with Orpheus".

This week it is video from the orchestra's performance with Nobuyuki Tsujii in Hong Kong in 2019 (a lifetime ago!) Viewable JUL 9 2020 | 12:00PM on the orchestra's facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OrpheusNYC/

(The video is the same as what was posted by the Hong Kong University.)

♪ July 6 Going ahead with Ark Classics at Suntory Hall

A promotional video posted by TicketSpace. Nobu and Fumi are seen standing side-by-side (but with social distancing) speaking in turns to promote their ARK Classic concerts this fall

The footage was apparently taken at a rehearsal for the July 4 Online Salon Concert -- Nobu in black long-sleeve shirt, open collar, and Fumi in black suit jacket over white shirt, no tie.

サントリーホール ARKクラシックス(2020.10.2～4) 三浦文彰＆辻井伸行よりメッセージ！！

Our best wishes on great success.

♪ Maestro Nikolai Kapustin -- his music will live on

Composer Nikolai Kapustin has passed away on July 2.

"Nikolai Girshevich Kapustin (Russian: Никола́й Ги́ршевич Капу́стин; 22 November 1937 – 2 July 2020) was a Russian composer and pianist. He played with early Russian jazz bands such as the Oleg Lundstrem Big Band. In his compositions, mostly for piano, he used a fusion of jazz and classical forms. He and other pianists recorded his works." - wikipedia

In Japan, the music of Mo. Kapustin has been championed by Professor Masahiro Kawakami, childhood teacher of Nobuyuki Tsujii

I first heard of Mo. Kapustin when I came upon this video i n 2010. Nobuyuki Tsujii plays Kapustin/"8 Concert Etudes for Piano Op.40-2"

How did Nobuyuki Tsujii, at age 15, come to play an etude by the late Russian composer, then little known in Japan?

Story at Maestro Nikolai Kapustin -- his music will live on

♪ July 4 Teaser video for Nobu & Fumi online concert

Posted by Avex Classics on the Nobuyuki Tsujii 辻井伸行official YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yld3Ru_oAHI

♪ July 2 The passing of composer Nikolai Kapustin

Word came that composer Nikolai Kapustin has passed away on July 2. In Japan, the music of Mo. Kapustin is championed tirelessly by Professor #MasahiroKawakami, teacher of Nobuyuki Tsujii.(Nobu's performance of Mo. Kapustin 8 concert etude prelude no. 1  has had over 1 million views on youTube)

Mr. Kawakami wrote:

"Nikolai Kapu, who is now loved by many music fans in the world. In the future, I think that the music of kapu chin will continue to live in us forever. Thank you so much for all the wonderful treasures that have given us so generously. Rest in peace from the heart."

♪ July 3 Congratulations to Conductor Patrick Hahn

Posted by Harrison Parrot, which manages the overseas concerts of Nobuyuki Tsujii

Patrick Hahn appointed General Music Director of Wuppertaler Bühnen und Sinfonieorchester GmbH

At just 24 years of age, Patrick Hahn from Austria will succeed Julia Jones in the 2021/22 season, becoming the youngest General Music Director in Germany.

Congratulations!

Mo. Hahn performed with Nobu in Japan last summer, on a highly successful nationwide tour.

When Nobu made his debut in Hamburg, Germany, last fall, he took time from his own busy schedule to visit Nobu backstage.

Bravos and all our best to Patrick!

♪♪ July 2 Article posted by Japan's Economic News

A photo of Nobuyuki Tsujii tops a June 30 article published by Japan's Economic News

https://style.nikkei.com/article/DGXKZO60957070Q0A630C2BE0P00?channel=DF280120166618

オンライン公演に活路 Live performance with online distribution

Photo caption: 辻井伸行の配信は通常は見られないアングルの映像が人気だった As for the delivery of Nobuyuki Tsujii, video filmed with unusual angle proved popular.

Below is part of the text of the  article:

10日、無観客のサントリーホール（東京・港）に、チャイコフスキー「弦楽セレナード」のドラマチックな旋律が響いた。同ホールが日本フィルハーモニー交響楽団と共同で開催した有料のオンライン公演だ。

一般向け視聴券は1000円で、視聴者は約500人。同ホール総支配人の折井雅子は「どれぐらいの事業規模で配信を展開できるかわからないが、可能性を追求したい」と語る。コロナ禍で表現の場も手段も失うという非常事態。多くの音楽家やオーケストラなどが配信に活路を求める。

人気ピアニストの辻井伸行は5月、動画サイトのユーチューブに公式チャンネルを開設。無料動画の好評を受け、6月から有料のオンラインコンサートを始めた。リスト「ラ・カンパネラ」を披露した21日は3600人超が視聴。マネジメントを担うエイベックス・クラシックス・インターナショナルの中島浩之社長は「実際のコンサートよりも若い層を開拓できている。コンサートとオンラインを両方展開できればファン層を広げられる」とみる。

観客を入れたホール公演が再開しても、当面は感染対策で満員にはできない。リアルの公演に有料配信を組み合わせたハイブリッド型コンサートは、収入を補う手段になり得る。...

On the 10th, the dramatic melody of Tchaikovsky's “String Serenade” struck the Suntory Hall (Tokyo, Minato). It is a paid online performance that was held in collaboration with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. The viewing ticket for the general public was 1,000 yen, and there were about 500 viewers.

Masako Orii, general manager of the hall, said, "I don't know how large on a business scale this can be, but I want to pursue the possibility." In an emergency situation where the place of expression and the means are lost due to the Corona pandemic, many musicians and orchestras are seeking a way to deliver.

...

In May, popular pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii opened an official channel on YouTube, a video site. In June, he started a paid online concert in response to the popularity of his free videos. On the 21st, when a Liszt "La Campanella" program was shown, more than 3,600 people watched. Hiroyuki Nakajima, President of Avex Classics International, who is in charge of management, said, "We are able to cultivate a younger audience than in the actual concert. If we can develop both concert and online, we can expand our fan base."

Even if the hall performance with spectators resumes, it will not be possible to fill up due to infection control for the time being. Hybrid concerts that combine live performances with paid distribution can be a means of supplementing income. ...

♪♪ July 1 Mrs. Tsujii appeared on NHK

https://twitter.com/AscomChannel/status/1278248987229712386

『今日の風、なに色？CDブック』（http://amzn.to/2cZi9OP）の著者

#辻井いつ子 がNHK「ニュース シブ５時」で紹介されています！

伸行を育てるにあたり、ずっと大切にしてきた「宝もの」、

伸行が生まれてからピアニストになるまでの道のりなどが取り上げられています。

Mrs. Itsuko Tsujii, author of CD book "What color is today's wind?"(http://amzn.to/2cZi9OP)

was featured on a news program of NHK [Japan's national public TV]

In bringing up her son Nobuyuki Tsujii, he was always cherished as a "treasure"; the book covers the journey of Nobuyuki from birth to becoming a pianist.

This photo posted on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CCGTWIZJzMp/, shows a photo that was shown during the NHK broadcast,

Mrs. Tsujii is not in this photo, but two other key figures in the upbringing of Nobuyuki Tsujii are: Mrs. Yukari Kawakami (center) and her spouse Mr. Masahiro Kawakami (to her right) are two of Nobu's childhood teachers. (See How Professor Masahiro Kawakami taught Nobuyuki Tsujii.)

***