Notable web postings -- May 2015
Please click here for newer postings: Notable web postings -- June 2015
Older notable web postings are collected at Notable web postings archival
Please click these links for news and comments about the Nobuyuki Tsujii May 2015 North America Tour and Nobuyuki Tsujii in Austria, May 2015
♪ May 31
Food for thought -- this tweet came up
盲目の辻井伸行さんの好きな女性のタイプは浅田真央選手と知りました。浅田真央選手の心と見た目の美しさは目が見えなくても分かる。盲目だからって大して私たちと違いはないんだな。目が見えないってだけで、不便とかじゃないんだな。これまで持ってた偏見という自覚のない偏見に虚しくなりました。Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii, blind, often says that his favorite type of women is athlete Mao Asada (famous Japaese figure skater). He sees in his mind the beauty of the appearance of Ms. Asada. He is no different from us just because he is blind. Not being able to see might be an inconvenience, but he is [just like the rest of us] subject to prejudice that he may not be aware of.
In his defense, I believe Nobu said he admires her for her indomitable spirit (not for her looks).
♪ May 29
This photo appears with a posting that appears today on the official page of the city of Pitten, Austria. "Japanischer Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii auf Besuch in Pitten". That's the mayor of the city holding the umbrella for Nobu. The article mentions that the visit was filmed by Fuji TV for a documentary that will air in Japan in JULY!
The posting in German can be read here, and below is an English translation by me, with help from Google Translate.
29.05.2015
Japanischer Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii auf Besuch in Pitten
Bürgermeister Helmut Berger konnte den berühmten, japanischen, blinden Pianisten Nobuyuki Tsujii in Pitten begrüßen. Über den Besuch wurde vom drittgrößten Fernsehsender Japans ein Portrait Pittens gedreht, dass bereits im Juli 2015 in Japan ausgestrahlt wird. Pitten wird international präsentiert und kann damit eine unbezahlbare Werbung für sich und die Erlebnisregion Bucklige Welt –Thermengemeinden verbuchen.
[Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii visted Pitten
Mayor Helmut Berger welcomed the famous Japanese blind pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii in Pitten. The visit in Pitten was filmed by the third-largest television station in Japan for a documentary that will be broadcast in Japan in July 2015. The recording of Pitten will be seen internationally and will therefore provide a priceless advertisement for the city as well as the (tourist) experience in the region of Bucklige Welt -Thermengemeinden.]
♪ May 26
Posted on the Facebook page of the Japan Society of Boston
Joshua Katz Sorry we missed it. We are away. I heard it was phenomenal.
Evelyn Flynn The pianist, Tsujii, was phenomenal.
♪ May 16
A big thanks to our friend Yuko for spotting this blog post by Berlin-based Japanese bassist Toru-san, a foodie friend of Nobu. There are some great photos of Toru-san enjoying sushi with Nobu and his family at their favorite sushi restaurant in Tokyo, in April. Please click HERE to see the blog post.
♪ May 28
http://romanticworldblackhole.blogspot.com/2015/05/cand-nu-mai-avem-nimic-decat-lacrimi-si.html
(Translated from Romanian, rough google translate]
For blind from birth light is black and white darkness. A miracle of God. Heaven brings us countless wonders such as to make us faint pleasure you end up falling back on the meadows of Paradise upside down as hens pecked sticks after they trashed sour cherry. I saw a blind pianist. E Japanese; Nobuyuki Tsujii is called. How did God talent to handle all piano keyboard without ever having seen it! He is blind from birth; So he never saw the light of day, no colors, no objects, no form of piano keys. He sits down at the piano when he first takes a landmark, a flap that he knows that touches lightly, then, based on this and studying previously helped play without a score or listening to someone who knows, starts music emerge. And to see what attacks difficult passages without seeing the site of action of flaps, sometimes apart, putting his finger exactly on the flap to be without a miss, with breathtaking precision! Asked how he fares with the piano in such conditions without seeing the keyboard and replied that his score did not seem so hard because blindness piano became a part of his body, a body that works together with all others. That makes you think that this seems to be the hand of God as we like to believe and say placid and tired to bother and we think all and all analytical when we see that something is inexplicable. Why would you ever think that? When something in this world is inexplicable and seems a miracle it's not easy to say it's a miracle of God? ...
♪ May 26, 2015
Well -- big surprise! It turns out that today Nobu is on the East Coast of the U.S.!
This tweet was posted at about midnight, by a Japanese currently in Massachusetts:
今晩は辻井伸行氏の演奏を聴く機会に恵まれた。
Tonight I was blessed with the opportunity to listen to the performance of Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii.
That's Nobu on stage all right, and it seems that people are standing in front of the stage. It seems to be a small venue (which turns out to be Boston's Fairmont Copley Plaza).
And ... after a little investigation, I figured out that the event is the Annual Dinner of the Japan Society of Boston - yes, see here. The gala features Caroline Kennedy (U.S. Ambassador to Japan), and Nobu is one of three "distinguished honorees".
♪ May 25
How do you like them critics!
Over the years, I have increasingly lost my respect for classical music critics (see Nobuyuki Tsujii and concert reviewers), and so this review that came up today in the Washington Post made me chuckle. It's a review about another pianist with whose performance the reviewer, Robert Battey, finds fault.
"For me, the clue was that he stares almost obsessively at his hands, the head darting left and right; the danger is that the finger action becomes the focus rather than the music itself."
He went on to write:
"For those who might object that I’m just looking for things to carp about and that pianists must rely on their eyes sometimes, especially to handle large leaps, I have two words: Nobuyuki Tsujii."
Ah, I remember all too well that this same critic wrote a stinging piece about Nobu's 2010 Washington debut, essentially condemning Nobu to no hope of ever achieving greatness because of his disability.
Mr. Battey probably still thinks so, but at least it seems he remembers Nobu well.
♪♪ May 23
In an article posted by La Opinión de Tenerife (a newspaper for the largest of Spain's Canary Islands) about the importance of hearing aids, a doctor (Juan José Artazkoz) is quoted as saying:
(translated from Spanish)"Hearing impairment is much more devastating than visual impairment. It comes to my mind that Nobuyuki Tsujii is one of the best pianists in the world despite his blindness. A hearing-impaired who does not hear properly would not even be able to read well. Rarely does a classic hearing impaired person reaches an advanced intellectual level, unlike the blind.
♪ May 21
福島テレビ『サタふく』 @ftv_sataFukushima TV tweeted:
あすのサタふくで辻井伸行 福島公演のチケットを先行販売します！人気の公演です。要チェックです！
Tickets for Tsujii Nobuyuki Fukushima performance pre-sale tomorrow! It is a popular performance. Check it out!
♪ May 18
私の中のピアニストは、ダニエル・バレンボイムと辻井伸行。この二人だけ。 When it comes to pianists, for me, Daniel Barenboim and Nobuyuki Tsujii; only those two persons. - tweet
♪ May 15
http://www.tz.de/stars/waleri-gergiev-plant-philharmonikern-5014706.html
Waleri Gergiev: Das plant er mit den Philharmonikern
...
Beethoven, Hartmann, Schostakowitsch
Hartmanns Zweite, Schostakowitschs Neunte und Beethovens 5. Klavierkonzert (Nobuyuki Tsujii) erklingen am 4.11...
♪ May 13
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra announces 2015-2016 season
... "Other soloists performing with the orchestra include pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, cellist Alisa Weilerstein and folk performer Kathryn Tickell."
A search on the Liverpool Phil site reveals two performances of "Beethoven's Emperor"
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
21 & 22 April 2016
Darrell Ang conducts Berlioz Roman Carnival Overture, Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5 ‘Emperor
Thursday 21 April 2016 7:30 pm
Robin Bloxsidge posted to Nobuyuki Tsujii fans facebook:
Announced last night - bought tickets today! Really looking forward to seeing and hearing him back in Liverpool. Darrell Ang conducted in Liverpool for the first time this year and he seems to be a really nice man as well as a good conductor, so it should be a memorable concert.
♪ May 12
In U. K., "Nobuyuki Tsujii: Live at Carnegie Hall" was shown TODAY, Tue 12 May, 2:00pm-3:55pm
http://www.tvguide.co.uk/detail/1933906/107880249/nobuyuki-tsujii-live-at-carnegie-hall#.VVGoV5OJfF4
Among those who watched the show is famous U.K. pianist James Rhodes, who tweeted
James Rhodes @JRhodesPianist · 3h 3 hours ago
Extraordinary seeing Nobu Tsujii being walked to the piano @carnegiehall (he's blind) then playing so perfectly. On Sky Arts 2 now.
He then posted a 30-second clip that he filmed from the show with the comment: "I just find it indescribably moving. And powerful. What we are capable of... Blind concert pianist? Why not. " See the video here: http://twitter.com/JRhodesPianist/status/598135317334466560
Still photo from video clip taken by U.K. pianist James Rhodes, who tweeted about the show.
And I am grateful to this tweet which brought the tweets of Mr. Rhodes to my attention:
無糖＠S3バレ有 retweeted James Rhodes
辻井伸行氏の演奏に感激するＪローズ先輩。感激ポイントが純芸術家的というより大衆チックだな。演奏家背景の物語もひっくるめた捉え方 James Rhodes was thrilled by Nobuyuki Tsujii's performance. Inspiring point rather than a pure artistic basis. Story of musician background
May 12
Orla Farmer @hellonitty1 tweeted [possibly in reaction to a broadcast of "Nobuyuki Tsujii: live at the Carnegie" in U.K.]: Nobuyuki Tsujii is such a genius and inspiration :( wow
May 10
Nobuyuki Tsujii sur Arte, surprenant et émouvant ! (Nobuyuki Tsujii on Art [Channel], surprising and moving!) -tweet
今日は母の日。先日ゲットできた辻井伸行さんのコンサートチケットをプレゼントすることにしたけど、2万4千円也。ちと痛い。そこで妹に二人からのプレゼントにしない？と持ち掛け、妹承諾。「お姉ちゃん、もうちょっと安いプレゼントでも良かったんじゃない？」と言われた。そだね(￣▽￣;) Mother's Day today. And we decided to present a concert ticket of Nobuyuki Tsujii' that we got the other day. 24,000 Y! A bit painful. So it was a gift from two sisters together. -tweet
@amickelthwate @WpgSymphony Wow! At intermission after listening to Nobuyuki playing. Speechless.... #WSO
Another brilliant night of music with the @WpgSymphony. We are so lucky to have them. Can't wait for next season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40SIUihL_PY
May 9
A belated blog post about Nobu's recital in Symphony Hall, Osaka last month
http://soleilsuz.exblog.jp/24073146/
Nobu is performing this same recital in North America -- I wish there were most postings like this coming from this shore.
yura @icoyuraco tweeted
チケット取るため大阪フェスティバルホールへ電話150回かけっぱ(>_<)やっとGET❗️辻井伸行 日本公演 ❗️ゲルギエフ指揮 ミュンヘン・フィル。ベートーヴェン：ピアノ協奏曲 第5番 『皇帝』 コレ第2楽章 なんとも言えん美しさ http://ord.yahoo.co.jp/o/realtime/_yl
It took me 150 phone calls to get ticket for Nobuyuki Tsujii Japan Tour with Gergiev conducting the Munich Philharmonic. The second movement of Beethoven's 5th piano concerto "Emperor" is beautiful [link to video of Nobu's Winnipeg radio interview ]
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