Notable web postings - November 2018

Continued from Notable web postings - October 2018

Older notable web postings are collected at Notable web postings archival

We wish the Iceland Symphony orchestra, Maestro Askenazy & Nobu great success on their Nov 3-18 Japan tour -- 12 performances in 11 cities.

♪ Upcoming Concerts

November 3-18 2018 Japan Tour with Iceland Symphony Orchestra

News, comments and photos at 2018 Iceland Symphony Japan Tour, as it unfolds

♪ November 19 #IcelandSymphonyInJapan A Tour to Remember!

Yesterday Nov 18, the 2018 Iceland Symphony Japan Tour tour culminated with a final concert in Nagaoka City, Niigata, the conclusion of a 14 day marathon of 12 performances in as many venues in 11 cities.

As a long-time Nobu fan, I have observed many of these Japan tours over the years. I don't live in Japan, but I do enjoy following the events vicariously. I can honestly say that, of the many Japan tours of Nobu with a foreign orchestra, this is one of the most epic and memorable.

12 performances, 12 venues,11 cities; warm-up photos; shinkansen mishap; a maestro with 'tea eye'; ambassador reception; celebration ... => A Tour to Remember & Happy Thanksgiving!

ABOVE: A collage of some choice photos posted by the orchestra.

♪ Nov 29 Jan 30 2019 recital at Queen E Hall (916 seats), London -- 14 seats left

I count 14 unclaimed seats, including 12 earmarked for wheelchairs.

Tickets here => https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/122017-nobuyuki-tsujii-satie-debussy-chopin-2019

UPDATE: On Nov 30, only the 12 wheelchair seats are still available.

♪ Promotion for Dec 17 Paris Recital

The ovninavi.com site, a Paris-based portal for the city's Japanese community, posted a banner for the recital

A click on the banner leads to this page posted by the venue, the Theatre des Champs Elysees => https://www.theatrechampselysees.fr/la-saison/recital-piano/nobuyuki-tsujii

Nobuyuki Tsujii  piano

Le jeune pianiste aveugle dans un programme mêlant les grands noms du clavier français et son cher Chopin

Programme

Satie Trois Gymnopédies

Debussy Images, livre I

Ravel Sonatine

Chopin Quatre Scherzos op. 20, op. 31, op. 39 et op. 54

La saison dernière, les débuts sur la scène du Théâtre des Champs-Elysées du pianiste japonais, aveugle de naissance et qui n’a jamais appris le piano que par l’oreille, ont profondément ému le public. Nobuyuki Tsujii revient dans un programme consacré à Chopin et aux compositeurs français qu’il aime tant : Satie, Debussy et Ravel, où, comme peu d’autres le peuvent, il nous fera sentir le « mystère de l’instant ».

[Nobuyuki Tsujii  piano

The young blind pianist in a program combining the names of the French keyboard and his beloved Chopin

PROGRAM

Satie Three Gymnopedies

Debussy Images , book I

Ravel Sonatine

Chopin Four Scherzos op. 20, op. 31, op. 39 and op. 54

Last season, the Japanese pianist's debut on stage at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées deeply moved the audience.  Blinded by birth and who has learned to play the piano strictly by ear, Nobuyuki Tsujii returns in a program dedicated to Chopin and the French composers he loves so much: Satie, Debussy and Ravel, where, as few others can, he will make us feel the "mystery of the moment".]

♪ CHOPIN's four Scherzos

I would bet good money that Nobu is hard at work on the four Chopin Scherzos that are on his recital programs starting next month. The programs of his Japan Recital Tour (launch date Dec 11) and his  Dec 17 Paris Recital are different in the first half, but these 4 Chopin scherzi will be in the 2nd half. And I will further wager that he will make a test run of these at the Dec 7 "Secret Concert" for ANA card members.

Here is a good write-up about the works, from program notes published by the Kennedy Center=> http://www.kennedy-center.org/artist/composition/5456

And here is how the grand master Arthur Rubinstein played those works (audio only, on YouTube).

♪ Nobu plays Mozart's Sonata for 2 pianos

Last year about this time, there was a TV documentary shown in Japan, about Nobu's time in Paris for his recital on October 23 2017 (yup, I was there :-)

I just watched a video of the show agan, and thought I would share this footage of Nobu playing Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D (K. 448) with his high school friend and fellow virtuoso Jean Michel Kim. The setting is a magnificent room in Salle Érard, where in its heyday Paris' nobility and wealthy were entertained by the likes of Chopin and Liszt.

For more about the documentary, please see  "Nobuyuki Tsujii in Paris" 2017 documentary

Because of a change in Nobu's management, I am concerned that we may not get our usual treats of year-end Nobu documentaries as in years past :-(

Shirley Hare of Australia wrote on YouTube:

Nobuyuki is an absolute delight to watch and listen to, he is really enjoying this!xxxx🇦🇺💓💓💓note, the pianist with sight needs music to play, what a contrast!xxxxx

My response:

Yeah, good point. It amuses me to see Nobu placidly playing on, in blissful oblivion of the frantic flipping of pages of his sighted fellow performer. I once saw him in rehearsal of Tchai 1 with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. At one point, the conductor said let's do it again at a certain point, Nobu started right a

way, without hesitation, while the orchestra members were still flipping the pages of their scores. Everybody laughed, including the conductor and Nobu himself, once he realized what happened.

Comment from another viewer:

They are enjoying this! That makes me happy!

♪ Nov 25 "Chopin's Piano'

I just listened to an excellent segment of "Chopin's Piano" on the 'Travel with Rick Steves' Radio Show => https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/radio/programs/program-545

It turns out that Mr. Rick Steves, a renowned travel guru in the U.S., plays the piano and is quite a fan of classical music and of Chopin, and the segment talks about Chopin's time in Majorca, where Chopin composed some of his best loved pieces.

I was immediately reminded of a 2010 TV documentary about Nobu traveling to Majorca to pay homage to Chopin, in which -- among ample memorable footage, he is shown playing the 'Raindrop' prelude in a Chopin museum (mentioned on the radio show), as seen in this video now on YouTube, also shown below.

UPDATE: It is raining in California, apropros of this video.

♪ Nov 23 "The piano: Hitting the Right Keys"

I am a fan of the BBC4 radio program the Forum. I missed the original broadcast of this episode, "The piano: Hitting the Right Keys", but discovered the podcast just now

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3cswps1

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3cswps1

This episode should be enjoyable to anyone who loves the piano, and if it had originated from Japan, Nobu would most likely have gotten at least a mention.

Near the end of the first half, there is an amusing anecdote of Vladimir Ashkenazy, told by an American piano tuner.

And then, near the end of the program, when  host Bridget Kendall brings up the popularity of the piano in Asia, the commentator who responds very unfortunately brushes over Japan's long-standing fascination for the instrument and instead crows about the rising popularity of piano in China, mentioning the two Chinese [over-hyped] "star pianists" (trained in the U.S., mind you) -- That part does leave a sour taste in my mouth, but the episode on the whole is excellent, well worth a listening!

♪ Nov 23 A word from Mr. Kawakami

On November 15, Mr. Kawakami gave a successful performance of the 5th piano concerto of Nikolai Kapustin, in Osaka.

Some of us were hoping that Nobu, who had just performed in that city while on the Iceland Symphony Japan Tour, would be in the concert Hall to support his long-time piano teacher, a champion of Kapustin's music in Japan.

That didn't happen, and I was beginning to be concerned that Nobu is not keeping in touch with Professor Kawakami.

This latest blog post from Mo. Kawakami seems reassuring.

http://www.masahiro-kawakami.com/archives/952

... 2018年11月23日 09時56分 に kawakami が投稿

先日のカプースチンのピアノ協奏曲第5番を弾いたコンサートの余韻がまだ残っています。

先日大阪に滞在中に、ちょうどその数日前に大阪のフェスティバルホールでアシュケナージとコンチェルトの本番を終えたばかりのはずの辻井伸行君と大阪で会える可能性もあったのですが、彼と熱いメールの交換はしたものの（笑）、実際にはお互い忙しかったので会いはしませんでした。

辻井君も今回のツアー中にいくつかの公演でアンコールにカプースチンのエチュードを弾いたという噂も聴きました。それもけっこうお客さんが熱狂的に沸いたということなので、とても嬉しく思っています。今月11月は私にとってもカプースチンにとっても（特に日本において）重要な盛り上がりを見せたのではないかと思います。また昨日はマエストロ・カプースチンの81歳の誕生日でもあり、SNSなどでは世界中からお祝いの言葉が寄せられていました。 ...

Posted by [Masahiro] kawakami at 09:56 on November 23, 2018

There is still a lingering finish of the concert where the other day I played the 5th piano concerto No. 5 of Kapustin ...

While staying in Osaka [where the concert took place], there was also the possibility to meet there with Tsujii Nobuyuki who should have just finished a concerto performance with Mo. Ashkenazy at Festival Hall in Osaka just a few days ago. Although we exchanged enthusiastic emails (laugh), we actually did not get together because we were both so busy.

I also heard through the grapevines that Tsujii-san played Kapustin's etude for encore during the tour. That made me very happy because it the packed customers received it enthusiastically. I think this November there has been a significant amount of excitement for me and Mo. Kapustin (especially in Japan). Also yesterday was Mo. Kapustin 's 81st birthday, and words of celebration were sent from around the world ...

Shinobu-san was at Mo. Kawakami's concert, and she wrote that she did not see any flowers from Nobu on display in the lobby.

It would have been a nice gesture, but perhaps their relationship is above such niceties.

♪ November 16 Professor Kawakami made a successful performance of Kapustin Concerto No. 5

http://www.masahiro-kawakami.com/archives/946 (blog of 川上昌裕のブログ Professor Masahiro Kawakami, long-time piano teacher of Nobu)

2018年11月16日

カプースチン5番、日本初演、無事果たしました！

Kapustin No. 5, premiered in Japan, successful performance!

"Yesterday I played as the soloist of Kapustin 's Piano Concerto No. 5 at the 230th Regular Concert of the Century Symphony Orchestra." "The Japanese premiere of Kapustin 's Piano Concerto No. 5 was finished under the great success at the Symphony Hall in Osaka. Among the audience that are my acquaintances, there were people from Tokyo, and farther away from Hokkaido and Kyushu."

It makes me happy that Mr. Kawakai's own career is also flourishing.  I wonder if Nobu had time to attend the concert yesterday?

♪ Nov 15 Nobu debuts in Hong Kong April 2019

There is a concert scheduled for April 13 2019, preceded by a "Music in Words" presentation (in English) on April 12, featuring Nobu & Alexander Scheirle, executive Director of Orpheus, and moderated by Prof. Daniel Chu.

The announcement was found on the website of the University of Hong Kong, a venerated and prestigious in Hong Kong.

https://muse.hku.hk/programmes/tsujii_orpheus/

Interestingly, Nobu will perform Chopin Piano Concerto 2 at this performance, which he performed with the Orheus in the U.S. this past September , and NOT the new works (Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 & Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major) that he will perform with the orchestra In Japan next April (not long after this Hong Kong performance)

More at => Nobuyuki Tsujii debuts in Hong Kong April 2019

♪ November 16 Professor Kawakami made a successful performance of Kapustin Concerto No. 5

http://www.masahiro-kawakami.com/archives/946 (blog of 川上昌裕のブログ Professor Masahiro Kawakami, long-time piano teacher of Nobu)

2018年11月16日

カプースチン5番、日本初演、無事果たしました！

Kapustin No. 5, premiered in Japan, successful performance!

"Yesterday I played as the soloist of Kapustin 's Piano Concerto No. 5 at the 230th Regular Concert of the Century Symphony Orchestra." "The Japanese premiere of Kapustin 's Piano Concerto No. 5 was finished under the great success at the Symphony Hall in Osaka. Among the audience that were  my acquaintances, there were people from Tokyo, and farther away from Hokkaido and Kyushu."

It makes me happy that Mr. Kawakai's own career is also flourishing.  I wonder if Nobu had time to attend the concert yesterday?

♪ Nov 15 "Nobu Chopin 2 with Ashkenazy & 3 nocturnes" CD delivered by U.S. Amazon

Previously, U.S. Amazon informed that the CD won't be delivered until after mid-December. I was one of thosewho pre-ordered the CD and I promptly canceled my order and have since gotten (and listened to) the CD from Amazon Japan.

Today, U.S. Nobu fan Linda wrote that her pre-ordered CD has arrived. She is happy and thought the delay wasn't so bad after all. (The disc was released in Japan on October 31.)

I checked the U.S. Amazon CD page just now and although the CD title remains displayed as TBA (To Be Announced), it seems two-day delivery is now available - and there are even used copies now available. In any case, the disc is now available on U.S. Amazon but please check the delivery date before you click buy.

♪ Nov 13 家庭画報 Family Illustrated Magazine article

https://twitter.com/sunsoon16/status/1062338403990069249 sunsoon tweet

空腹でへろへろな状態で帰宅したら、こんな神々がおかえり～と待っててくれました(*´ω｀*)

My hunger was gone when I got home and found my copy of the "Family Illustrated" magazine, with article of Nobuyuki Tsujii; the gods are waiting for me.(* ´ ω)

♪ Nov 10 "Nobu Chopin 2 with Ashkenazy & 3 nocturnes" arrived!

Amazon Japan came through with my copy of the CD!

I would have gotten it a week earlier had I not tried to be ecological minded and pre-ordered from U.S. Amazon, which astonishingly won't deliver until after mid-December.

I am of course happily listening to it now -- I need it, too, during this exciting time of the Iceland Symphony Japan Tour, not to mention the turmoil in California and around the world.

The accompanying photo is marred by glare but it appears to be a framed artistic black-and-white rendering of Nobu playing a piano in Suntory Hall.

♪ Nov 7 "I was able to be filial"

https://twitter.com/mepiee2/status/1060003840693460994

親が行きたがってたピアニスト辻井伸行さんのチケットをなんとかゲト。人気なのか5分で売り切れた💦親孝行出来たかな☺️チケット手配はKぽイベントでだいぶスキル上がったな

I managed to get the ticket for [a concert of] pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii that my parents wanted to go. It was sold out in five minutes. 💦 I was able to be filial.

Besides giving testimony to Nobu's continued popularity in Japan, this posting from a male tweeter  illustrates the deeply ingrained concept of filial piety 親孝行("a virtue of respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors") in Japan.After he won the Cliburn in 2009, Nobu was quoted as saying to the press that out of filial piety, he wishes to get married soon to relieve his parents of the care for him ^_^

And I always admire how Nobu brings families together in Japan.

♪ November 1 ALERT U.S. Amazon won't deliver CHOPIN Piano Concerto no. 2 CD until after mid-December!

I am sorry. I previously mentioned on this site that Nobu's CHOPIN Piano Concerto no. 2 CD can be ordered from U.S. Amazon.

Today, I checked my order and noticed that the estimated delivery date is now AFTER mid-December.

This is UNACCEPTABLE. I myself have gone ahead to cancel the order and made one on Amazon Japan instead. This is very disappointing.

I had initially ordered from Amazon Japan and thought getting it from U.S. Amazon would be more ecological -- the price is about the same.

I have filed a complaint with Amazon about the seller.  Sorry if my previous recommendation causes you disappointment.