interview-8

"Tsujii -kun has a sense that makes people happy with his performance." (Quote from Sado)

(Editor's note: "kun" is a Japanese salutation used (affectionately) for a young man, in lieu of "san" for an older person)

"We ourselves are looking forward to the concerts, hoping that miracles may happen." (Quote from Sado and Nobu)

"Mr.Sado is so special for me, because he is also strict with me." (Quote from Nobu)

(N.K.)You together  performed and recorded Tchaikovsky's Concerto No. 1  with the BBC Philharmonic in the city of Manchester, England, didn't you?

(Sado) It (the December England concert) was a really wonderful concert. The (brick-lined)dressing room  there  looked like a prison, and Nobu looked like a prisoner as he was wearing a striped shirt.  The concert was very successful; I really wish  more Japanese people could have been there.

(Tsujii) There were more older people than young ones on that day.  The audience's thunderous applause sounded like the rumble of the earth,which made me extremely surprised.

(Sado) I have been performing with BBC Philharmonic for 5 years so far, and they are one of my most reliable orchestras now.   But it was the first time for Tsujii-kun to play with them and at a place that he'd never been to before.  I felt that the audience were a bit nervous at first; but as soon as we started, they seemed to relax. They applauded very loudly, like mad, much louder than before we started. I believe that the audience realized that even though Tsujii-kun can't see, his piano sounds beautifully.  The music was great, and the people were wonderful.

(N.K.) This concert is a memorable one for both of you on the tours in England and Japan.

(Sado) Yes,I have known Tsujii-kun for more than 10 years. But this is the first time that I  perform with him an entire work in public, apart from recording Rachmaninov's Concerto No. 2 with the Deutsches Symphonie-orchester in 2008.

(Tsujii) I was also surprised to hear that.  I met Mr.Sado just before I turned 13 years old, and he invited me to join him at a concert in Paris. We performed "Mozart concerto#20", but it was only the second movement.  It did not occur to me  that this was the first time that we performed a complete work together in public.

(N.K.) How did the idea of Sado and Tsujii performing with the BBC Philharmonic come about?

(Sado) I was thinking, after recording Rach#2 with Tsujii-kun two years ago, that we should play Tchaikovsky's Concerto No. 1 someday. And I also wanted Japanese fans to listen to the performance of  a really prestigious orchestra,  which I have been involved with for 20 years in Europe.

(Tsujii) Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite pieces. Actually my mum likes this piece, she was listening to the CD all the time before I was born.  Of course I don't remember that.  But I watched the  Tchaikovsky competition when I was little, and I could imagine the magnificence of Russia's nature that the work depicts.  I'm over the moon to play and record it with my most respected conductor Mr.Sado in both England and Japan.  I really feel like my dream has come true.

(N.K.) I have heard that there is a secret between the two of you before the concert in Manchester.

(Tsujii) That's right. Mr.Sado said to me "We'll have a special lesson" after the rehearsal with the orchestra.

(Sado)Yes,yes. It was the day before the concert; we always do it at the last minute, don't we?

(N.K.) What was it?

(Tsujii) Mr.Sado always says to me that Nobu-kun's piano is technically excellent, but there are more important things in music.

         Play each tone carefully, express tones that only Nobu can explore -- no other people can.

         I am so grateful to him, because not many people give advice like that.

         I practiced more on my own after Mr. Sado left the room.

         Thanks to Mr.Sado, I was able to perform very well, and Mr.Sado said to me that he was moved to tears by my performance.

 (Sado) Tsujii-kun is very focused on playing the notes.

        He is trying to express the tones in his head; but in music, you should express past, present and future at the same time.

        Especially so because the sound of the piano dies out soon after the key is touched.  We should be conscious of those tones as well.

        That was what I told him. For instance: don't play too fast when practicing.

(Tsujii) Mr.Sado is so special, because he teaches like that. Not only this time, but also before recording Rach#2.

He said to me that it is not good with such tones, which are not good enough to play what the Rachmaninoff concerto requires, especially after my playing at the Chopin competition (in 2005).

(N.K.) Pianist Tsujii Nobuyuki is also special for Mr. Sado, isn't he?

(Sado) Ten years have passed since we met.

         His performances have made big progress, especially after the Cliburn competition.

         At the same time, he has never changed since I met him. He has a sense to make people happy with his piano playing.

         I really want him to keep that wonderful sense.

(N.K.) You both have amazing news: Mr.Tsujii won the gold medal at the competition, and Mr.Sado will debut at a regular concert with the Berlin Philharmonic in May this year.

(Tsujii) I was so excited to hear about Mr. Sado conducting the Berlin Philharmonic; it was one of his dreams when he was a primary school boy.  It's excellent that the dream has come true for him

(Sado) I was encouraged by Tsujii-kun when he won the gold medal. I cried out over his achievement. I respect him for getting over many difficulties to win the competition.  The members of the BBC Philharmonic were so happy to invite Tsujii-kun as a soloist this time.

(Tsujii) I'm so glad. I'm very familiar with the Rachmaninov concerto and I completed the learning of the Tchaikovsky while on tour last year.   This tour will be a memorable one for Mr.Sado and me.

(Sado)I think these concerts will be ones that miracles may happen.

(Sado and Tsujii) We are looking forward to them.