Notable web postings -December 2018
Continued from Notable web postings - November 2018
Older notable web postings are collected at Notable web postings archival
Image sources: Avex Classics and www.dgreetings.com
December 7 19:00 "Nobuyuki Tsujii Secret Concert" for ANA card members, Kioi Hall Tokyo
December 11 Launch of Nobuyuki Tsujii "Debussy-Ravel-Chopin" 2018-19 Japan Recital Tour
December 17 20:00 Paris Recital -- December 17 2018 ( works by Satie, Debussy, Ravel and Chopin ) <= a great success!
♪ DEC 27 A new CM (commercial, promotion video)!
Daiwa Securities Group (a major sponsor of Nobu's concerts): "There are no places that cannot be reached. A story of believing in possibilities"
In the CM, Nobu is juxtaposed with a young man (presumably a Daiwa employee). Nobu practices on the piano; the young man types furiously on his computer. Nobu is escorted to a concert hall. The young man arrives at a fancy office building. Nobu is on stage for a performance; the young man arrives at a business meeting. Nobu plays on the piano; the young man makes a presentation. The young man's presentation earns nods from his seated bosses; Nobu won enthusiastic applause. End with the slogan on screen "Passion for the best" [This is grammatically correct unlike the "Be Best" slogan of a certain First Lady.] The CM is posted on the Daiwa website and also on YouTube
There is also a video that is posted on the Daiwa website but not posted to YouTube, about the filming of the CM
It can be seen here => http://www.daiwatv.jp/contents/group/cm/play/21167-001/
Minor complaints (1) Too much hair gel on Nobu, and (2) why can't they use classical music for th sound track?
Screen grabs: Nobu grimacing after being applied make-up 😬 Too much hair-gel, methinks 😄
♪ The Tsujii Family Christmas Tree
Photos from Mrs. Itsuko Tsujii of the family Christmas tree, posted on Instagram, decorated with ornaments collected from her trips overseas with son Nobuyuki Tsujii.
"The ornament with musical notes is from a church in Vienna; the bear was bought in London!"😃
♪ Nobu's albums available on YouTube
Linda, American Nobu fan and pianist, came across a "Nobuyuki Tsujii - Topic" page of Nobu on YouTube, including a comprehensive list of albums of his that can be watched/listened to, available to YouTube's "Music premium members only." Most of these videos look to be sound tracks with a still photo. I wasn't aware of this page, and thought it may be of interest to some people.
♪ Dec 20 Fukushima News article
Nobu performed his Debussy-Ravel-Chopin recital in Fukushima on Dec 13. The Fukushima News 福島民報 posted a nice article the next day.
This is a follow-up article. It comes with a photo of Nobu in street clothes, white long-sleeve shirt and slacks, seated in front of a piano, probably in practice before the recital. He is smiling broadly, his face looks freshly scrubbed and his hair is neatly combed.
The article promotes an upcoming concert next April.
http://www.minyu-net.com/news/news/FM20181220-335856.php
ピアニスト・辻井伸行さんが名曲熱演 福島公演「大好きな場所」
Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii performed famous works at performance in Fukushima, "My favorite place"
[translated from Japanese]
Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii, popular pianist, gave a powerful solo performance in Fukushima city on Dec 13. He performed enthusiastically famous works by Debussy, Ravel and Chopin. "I am pleased to be able to play these favorite works; I'd like to continue to convey the splendor of these three great composers in the future."
His album debut in 2007 (Heisei 19) was a huge hit, with sales of over 280,000 copies, exceptional for classical music. Last year marks the tenth anniversary of that CD debut, when he performed numerous solo performances and orchestra collaborations both in Japan and abroad, including a concert in Iceland for the first time in November. "With each concert, I want to expand my repertoire more."
In the past 12 years, he has performed a concert in the prefecture almost every year. Of his impression of the prefecture, he said, "It is a place where the people are warm, the air is clear and I love the disk dumplings (gyoza) that I ate the other day; they were delicious."
At the concert to be held in Koriyama city in April next year, he will perform with violinist Fumiaki Miura and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (USA). He will be playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2.
"Beethoven lost his hearing in later years, and yet he overcame the handicap and wrote masterpieces; his compositions have a special feeling, to me. He is an important composer whose work I would like to study for the rest of my life," he said firmly
Photo caption "The dumplings we ate the other day were delicious," Nobuyuki Tsujii. Dec 13, at Fukushima Cultural Center.
♪ December 19 CSIE.UK: "Today we honour Japanese pianist and composer Nobuyuki Tsujii"
Tweeted by the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education
https://twitter.com/csie_uk/status/1075354512280510464
Disabled people do things differently. We continue our daily posts on the theme of Disability & Music this UK #DisabilityHistoryMonth (22 Nov–22 Dec). Today we honour Japanese pianist and composer Nobuyuki Tsujii http://www.nobupiano1988.com/english @mlliu2006 http://www.ukdhm.org @UKDHM
The accompanying image shows a photo of Nobu (taken by me backstage in Munich 2015, I believe :-) with these words:
"Nobuyuki Tsujii (born 1988) Nobuyuki Tsujii is a Japanese concert pianist and subject of the documentary Nobu: Touching the Sound. He has an impressive number of albums, international performances and awards in his career. Born blind, he has developed unique techniques for learning music and performing with an orchestra."
♪ A little humor for the day
https://twitter.com/masa505t/status/1075324939807350784
今日クレディセゾンの支払い明細のメールがきて確認した。
来年1月4日引き落とし額が約９万円😱
でも明細みるとそのうち7万5千円が辻井伸行さんのコンサートチケット代。(画像の3つのコンサート)
納得
"Today my credit bill for the month came. 90,000 yen due Jan 14! Of which 75,000 yen [~700USD] is for concerts of Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii (3 concerts as shown in photo.) Approved."
It's great that Nobu has such devoted support in Japan, but those of us outside Japan have no right to complain about concert ticket prices
♪ December 17 The BBC Proms comes to Japan in 2019 and ...
Nobu is not mentioned in this press release, but I would be shocked if he is not going to be on the performers' list of this "The first ever BBC Proms Japan," given his sensational 2013 BBC Proms Debut in London. Furthermore, Nobu is a Harrisonparrott Artist, the sponsor Daiwa Securities group is a regular sponsor of Nobu's Japan tours, and Nobu has frequently performed at the Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo and the Symphony Hall in Osaka. Moreover, this event is said to be part of the buildup to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, and it is highly likely that Nobu will perform in the opening/closing ceremonies of the Olympics/Paralympics.
HarrisonParrott is delighted to manage the inaugural BBC Proms Japan in 2019. The first ever BBC Proms Japan with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and its Chief Conductor, Thomas Dausgaard will take place in Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo and The Symphony Hall in Osaka from October 30 – November 4, 2019. The BBC Proms Japan tour is kindly supported by the Scottish Government and sponsored by Daiwa Securities Group in Japan. Programme and soloists will be announced in March.
Looking over Nobu's Upcoming Concerts, I see that he is scheduled to perform Liszt's Piano Concerto No 1 on Nov 2 in Nagoya with Kent Nagano and the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra -- I wonder if the performance will also figure in this event ...
In another report , it is mentioned this:
The programme will include core classical repertoire, British music and new music, accompanied by a varied schedule of learning activity in the region.
The BBC Proms Japan concerts will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3 for BBC Sounds.
So the performances should be listenable on the Internet, in nothing else.
Dec 18 A Terrific Piece on Nobu, in French!
This is the best thing yet from Paris! A terrific article published by handicap.fr, with fresh and insightful observations from two organizers of Nobu's Paris recitals. You have to read it.
Nobuyuki, pianiste et aveugle : Trésor vivant venu du Japon
[Nobuyuki Tsujii, pianist and blind: living treasure from Japan]
Original article => https://informations.handicap.fr/a-nobuyuki-pianiste-aveugle-11401.php
English translation => https://mlliu2006.blogspot.com/2018/12/nobuyuki-tsujii-pianist-and-blind.html"
Among the things mentioned that really made me smile are things about Nobu that I suspected but could not confirm till now.
The fact that Nobu is fearless and takes impossible risks (Mr. Masahiro Kawakami, Nobu's childhood teacher, said the exactly same thing), and I might add that Nobu delivers, every time.
That Nobu has a true love to perform and, unlike other artists, including the most famous, need no pushing to go on stage.
That he is tireless and drives those around him crazy with his energy -- this explains why he gets along with powerhouse conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy and Valery Gergiev!
And, these great words: "I think when you start to say that he's a blind pianist, you take the wrong direction right away. It's like saying that Beethoven was a deaf composer, it does not make sense."
I want to meet those concert producers!
The article comes with this photo of Nobu on stage at the recital
♪ ANA Airways Magazine interview Nobuyuki Tsujii
You know those airline magazines that you love to hate? Well, I would love to get hold of a copy of this one, of the All Nippon Airways, in which there is an interview of Nobu, complete with several very professional photos. Topics include his turning 30 ("I have become an uncle!"), his visit to the New York Yankees Stadium, Vladimir Ashkenazy, etc.
"Happily Running for 10 Years"
Original article => https://www.ana.co.jp/ja/jp/promotion/ready-for-take-off/tsujii-nobuyuki/
English translation => Nobuyuki Tsujii interviewed by ANA Magazine Vol 35 2018
♪ December 7 19:00 "Nobuyuki Tsujii Secret Concert" for ANA card members, Kioi Hall Tokyo (714 seats)
The concert program is listed on this page => ttps://www.ana.co.jp/ja/jp/amc/cpn/secret-concert1808/
First half:
Original compositions
Second half:
Debussy: Two arabesques
Debussy: Clair de Lune
Chopin: Scherzo no. 2
Chopin: Andante Spianato
Nobu has recorded the scherzo before (it's on his 'Debut' album) but to my knowledge not in concerts. He will play all 4 CHOPIN scherzos in his upcoming recitals in Japan and Europe.
UPDATE: Nobu did perform the scherzo no. 2 in the 2005 Chopin Competition, but not in regular concerts (to my knowledge). The other 3 scherzos are new to his repertoire.
♪ December 2 BS-Asahi-TV announces New Year Day Special
Since 2009, the BS (premium) channel of Japan's Asahi-TV has aired a New Year special on Nobuyuki Tsujii, known as the "Miracle Pianist" series.
The tradition continues this year. On New Year Day 2019, a Tuesday, there will be a show to be aired 9: 00 ~ 10: 54.
Description at http://www.bs-asahi.co.jp/tsujii2018/
English => "Miracle Pianist" Nobuyuki Tsujii 2019 New Year Day Special
The show can be watched on the Internet through a [one-time] subscription to JapanTV or similar providers (see Nobu's Japan TV Specials -- how you can watch them on the net).
According to the description, this episode will "follow Nobuyuki Tsujii closely as he tackles the challenges of a new music genre, chamber music,with an international cast of young musicians at the Ark Classics concerts this past fall.
In addition, there will be a rebroadcast of the "Miracle Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii Debut 10 Years Anniversary Special" aired Christmas 2017.
http://www.bs-asahi.co.jp/tsujii10th/
◆BS朝日【再放送】
「奇跡のピアニスト 辻井伸行 デビュー10周年 感動と涙の全軌跡」
12月31日（月）よる9：00～10：54
◆ BS Asahi 【Rebroadcast】
"Miracle Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii debut 10th anniversary
9: 00-10: 54 Monday, December 31
Yura reminds us that this is the show which includes footage of Japan's esteemed Royal Couple appearing in Suntory Hall for Nobu's special "Debut 10 years" concert, as seen in a clip that accompanies her tweet => https://twitter.com/icoyuraco/status/945302241375797248
♪ December 7 "Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii, Secret Concert Don ... broke a string ..."
The sold-out "Secret Concert" took place in Tokyo's Kioi Hall this evening, and, judging from the positive comments that have come up, it seems Nobu was in fine form. The audience was delighted with an encore of Christmas music medley, and ... a piano string broke!
https://twitter.com/rumirumi0118/status/1071022219436781568
終わりました🎹❤️ ANAシークレットコンサート💙 第1部は自作曲から始まり第2部はクラッシック名曲で終わりました…アンコールはショパン♪♪ 即興クリスマスメドレー🎄楽しかった😊 最後の曲でピアノ弦が切れてビックリでした
The ANA secret concert is over. It started in the first half with his own songs and ended in the second half with classical masterpieces ... encore was Chopin [Nocturne no. 20] & an improvisation of Christmas medley. I enjoyed it. It was surprising that the piano string broke in the last piece.
The accompanying photo shows a list of encores posted on a wall next to a decorated Christmas tree.
https://twitter.com/redriver777/status/1071019202151112705
ANA presents 辻井伸行 シークレット・コンサート2018 ー流、最高に接すると、気持ちが良いです。 素晴らしかった！
ANA presents Nobuyuki Tsujii Secret Concert 2018 - a stream, When you touch the highest, you feel comfortable. It was wonderful!
https://twitter.com/KIRODOT_Zeta/status/1071011176719429632
日頃ブラスターや爆撃音ばかり聴かせている耳への癒しとご褒美になりました😊
This was a reward as a healing to the ear, a respite from the cacophony of everyday sound .
https://twitter.com/MariKart1984/status/1070990168734068736
辻井伸行さんシークレットコンサートだドン ... 弦が切れた…
Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii, Secret Concert Don ... broke a string ...
♪ December 8 "The string got tired of being played by so many people"
Twitter rumirumi shared more from the "ANA secret concert":
... ショパンの最後の曲でピアノの弦が切れてしまった事をのぶ君は「ピアノのも沢山の人に弾かれてお疲れなんです」と…お客さんを笑わせてくれました😊
アンコール「ノクターン第20番遺作」とクリスマスメドレー楽しかった😊のぶ君の笑顔は皆んなを優しく幸せな気持ちにしてくれました…また来年行きたい
... The piano string broke in the last song of Chopin. Nobu said, "It must be tired of being played by many people on the piano."
And ... that made the guests laugh. 😊Encores were 'Nocturne No. 20 Posthumous' and a Christmas Medley. The smile on his face gives everyone a relaxed and happy feeling ... I want to go [to this concert] again next year.
So the string broke during the first encore (the Chopin nocturne), and a piano technician must have come on stage to replace the string before Nobu went on to play the medley.
I did a quick search on the web on "broken piano string", and it turns out that replacing a string is not trivial and may be quite costly.
At the performance, the string was probably quickly replaced to allow Nobu to wrap up the co ncert, but more work might have been necessary afterward.
I am constantly amazed by how tough a piano must be built to endure the pounding on its keyboard, especially by some heavy-handed pianists ( Nobu is not one of them) and especially when they play bombastic works such as some of Franz Liszt.
Broken Strings cause more Trouble than you might think, posted by a piano technician
♪ December 7 2019 Suntory Hall performance with the Orpheus has sold out
This may be the first of the 8 performances of the 2019 Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Japan Tour that has sold out.
サントリーホール Suntory Hall posting:
辻井伸行 三浦文彰 オルフェウス室内管弦楽団 4月23日 予定枚数終了
Nobuyuki Tsujii Fumiaki Miura @orpheusnyc April 23 concert has sold out
This is the performance featuring Mr. Miura playing a Mozart violin concerto and Nobu playing Beethoven's piano concerto no. 2 (new to his repertoire).
I had expected the Kioi Hall performance, with its deluxe program of 3 concertos, to quickly sell out. But the ticket price tags are prohibitive (23,000Y - 30,000Y)!
♪ A Gracious Note from Professor Kawakami
On November 16, Professor Masahiro Kawakami, Nobu's long-time piano teacher, made a posting on his Facebook page about his successful performance in Osaka of the 5th piano concerto of Nikolai Kapustin, a Japan premiere of the extremely challenging work. I posted a comment congratulating him on behalf of Nobu fans, and just today I noticed that he posted a gracious reply: "Thank you! Your website helps us a lot to know his activity precisely!" It made my otherwise quiet day!
♪ December 3 Paris unrest & Nobu's December 17 Paris Recital
It is unfortunate, but things are looking rather tense in Paris, as the <<gilets jaunes>> "Yellow Vest" protests continue.
I hope the tension will be resolved soon, and the events will not affect Nobu's Dec 17 recital at the Theatre des Champs Elysees (which is actually not located directly near the Champs Elysees, center of the nrest)
Image: U.K. Guardian
♪ December 2 BS-Asahi-TV announces New Year Day Special
Since 2009, the BS (premium) channel of Japan's Asahi-TV has aired a New Year special on Nobuyuki Tsujii, known as the "Miracle Pianist" series.
The tradition continues this year. On New Year Day 2019, a Tuesday, there will be a show to be aired 9: 00 ~ 10: 54.
Description at http://www.bs-asahi.co.jp/tsujii2018/
English => "Miracle Pianist" Nobuyuki Tsujii 2019 New Year Day Special
The show can be watched on the Internet through a [one-time] subscription to JapanTV or similar providers (see Nobu's Japan TV Specials -- how you can watch them on the net).
According to the description, this episode will "follow Nobuyuki Tsujii closely as he tackles the challenges of a new music genre, chamber music,with an international cast of young musicians at the Ark Classics concerts this past fall.
♪ December 1 Nobuyuki Tsujii: Rachmaninov Prelude in G-Sharp Minor video
This video was uploaded this past May by EuroArts Music, and escaped my attention.
I first heard Nobu play this piece in London in 2011, after his first ever performance of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto no. 3 with Ashkenazy & the Philharmonia Orchestra, and it has always had a special place in my heart ever since.
Comments on this video:
"What a beautiful encore to the Tchaikovsky concerto previously. Rachmaninoff played with such delicacy, yet it's own melodic strength...a performance of this like no other. "
"Beautiful. As light as a feather"
"how beautiful he can hear his beautiful piano."
♪ December 2 Although God did not grant him light, he made himself shine.'
@Junior_ignition wrote on Twitter:
辻井伸行さんの演奏に対して「神は彼に光を与えなかったが、彼自身が光るようにしたのだろう」という誰かの名言コメントは今でも心に残ってる
"This comment from someone has stayed in my mind regarding Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii's performance: 'Although God did not grant him light, he made himself shine.' "
As a case in point, I submit this video of Nobu playing "Clair de Lune" and "Pavane pour une infante défunte" performed last year at his "Debut 10 Year Anniversary Concert".