Nobuyuki Tsujii in England, May 2012, Part 2
(Continued from Nobuyuki Tsujii in England, May 2012, and there is a part 3 here: Nobuyuki Tsujii in England, May 2012 part 3)
May 26
◆Finally, a really positive review: http://www.seenandheard-international.com/2012/05/26/ashkenazy-conducts-russian-music/
"Seen and heard International"
Ashkenazy Conducts Russian Music
by Colin Clarke
May 26, 2012
United Kingdom Prokofiev, Shostakovich: Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano), Sergey Alexashkin (bass), Philharmonia Voices & Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy (Conductor), Royal Festival Hall, London, 24.5.2012 (CC)
Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 in C, Op. 26
Shostakovich Symphony No. 13 in B flat minor, Op. 113, “Babi Yar”
Nobuyuki Tsujii is a remarkable pianist. Blind since birth, he enjoyed success in the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, a win that effectively launched his international career. He is certainly not the first blind pianist (Bernard d’Ascoli springs to mind), but that hardly diminished his achievement. Ashkenazy was an attentive accompanist (there were a few tattered corners, it is true, particularly the semiquaver passage in the first movement before the return of the first allegro theme). A major Prokofiev interpreter – who has of course recorded this concerto what seems an age ago now – Ashkenazy ensured a remarkably sweet string sound for the opening Andante. Tsujii’s dry delivery and very idiomatic staccato was a joy, as was his simply gorgeous touch in pianissimo. Throughout, the pianist’s awareness of voice-leading was illuminating. The central movement (a Theme and Variations) found Tsujii playing with great character; his way with the acciaccaturas of the finale was also most attractive, as was his staccato music-box passage in the same movement. The audience loved him, and so they should. We even got a brief, but beautifully executed encore in the shape of Rachmaninov’s G sharp minor Prelude, Op. 32/13.
<acciaccatura: An ornament note that is one half step or one whole step below a principal note and is sounded at the same time as the principal note, adding dissonance to a harmony. I believe the reviewer is referring to the "double-note scale">
<pianissimo: soft playing>
◆Nobu's own web site posted recital reports for both the Brighton and London concerts.
Photo: Benjamin Ealovega
12年5月24日（イギリス）
ロンドン
フィルハーモニア管弦楽団が本拠地ロイヤル・フェスティヴァル・ホールで行う定期演奏会に、ウラディーミル・アシュケナージさんの指揮で、いよいよデビュー。
London
Finally, my debut (in London). The Philharmonia Orchestra performs regular concerts at the Royal Festival Hall home, under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy's.
第3楽章の最後の音が鳴り終えた瞬間に会場が歓声に包まれました。
アンコールはラフマニノフ：プレリュード嬰ト短調作品32の12
The venue was filled with cheers at the moment the sound of the last of the third movement has finished ringing.
Encore Rachmaninov: Prelude in C sharp 12 of 32 in G minor work
12年5月23日（イギリス）
ブライトン
イギリス南部の海辺の町ブライトンのフェスティヴァルは、イギリスでも有数の総合芸術祭で、様々なイベントが3週間余りにわたって繰り広げられます。その一環として行われたフィルハーモニア管弦楽団のコンサートに出演しました。
May 23, 12 (United Kingdom)
Brighton
Festival in the seaside town of Brighton in southern England, in one of the most comprehensive art festival, various events that unfolded over more than three weeks in the UK. Has appeared in a concert of the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy, as part of the festival.
会場のブライトンドームは200年余り前に乗馬学校としてつくられた建物で、今ではコンサートホールとして改装されています。
コンサートでは、前半に登場してプロコフィエフのピアノ協奏曲第3番を演奏。ウラディーミル・アシュケナージさんの指揮するフィルハーモニア管弦楽団の熱演もあって、第1楽章が終わった瞬間に拍手が沸きました。
アシュケナージさんにも促されて、アンコールにラフマニノフのプレリュード作品32の12を演奏
Brighton dome, where the music hall was located, was built as a riding school more than 200 years ago, but it has been renovated as a concert hall.
In concert, played Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 in the first half. c performance of the Philharmonia Orchestra under the direction of Mr. Vladimir Ashkenazy, There was enthusiastic applause after the performance, also at the end of the first movement.
Also played Rachmaninov's Prelude 12 of 32 work as encore, in honor of Mr. Ashkenazy.
◆A British female solicitor (attorney) blogged about the concert, and has some warm words for Nobu:
http://www.marilynstowe.co.uk/2012/05/26/glorious-london-and-a-birthday-to-remember/
"Yesterday evening’s concert was suitably international, both in performance and audience. Hosted by our very own fantastic Philharmonic Orchestra, 23-year-old blind Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy, played in the first half. The music, composed by Sergey Prokofiev, was a powerful and dramatic piece. A triumph with the audience, the pianist received a well-deserved standing ovation. He returned to the stage for an encore to play a complex piece he had composed himself. <Actually, the encore that Nobu played was not his own composition, but Prelude op.32 no.12 by Sergei Rachmaninov.>
This morning, I read some more about the amazingly talented Nobuyuki Tsujii. Born blind, the musician believes that “there are no barriers in the field of music”. He enjoys rock star status in Japan, and plays in concerts all over the world. The great Vladimir Ashkenazy clearly loved conducting him.
It was a brilliant concert in a world-class venue. A lady sitting near us had come from Switzerland to attend and another gentleman all the way from Sierra Leone. Everyone was marvelling at the array of talent on show. The second half was Babi Yar by Dmitry Shostakovich: Yevgeny Yevtushenko’s poetry set to music, with the words sung in Russian.
I was left amazed by the musicians I had seen and heard on stage. Their talent, their love of music and their ability to communicate with the audience was stunning. A young man whose life could have been so very different has had his gift of music harnessed and lives life to the fullest. Nobuyuki Tsujii is an inspiration to us all."
A review of the May 23 Brighton concert, by Jem Muharrem
"Violinist, Conductor, Composer, Teacher, Amateur chef, Classical Music Blogger for BrightonNoise, Journalist-in-training"
The part that has to do with Nobu says:
In the first half, Ashkenazy led on pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii in a slow, two-man conga line through the violin section of the Philharmonia. Blind since birth, 23-year-old Tsujii tossed off a jaw-dropping rendition of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.3 in C Major, one of the most virtuosic of piano concerti, with a smile on his face and – it appeared – with no exertion. Throughout the performance, he would stretch out both hands to the far reaches of the keyboard and bring them back to the centre to reset himself, like some wonderful musical typewriter in a tail coat.
Along with his effortless execution and exaggerated physical tics, he is one of the more memorable soloists. He rocked back and forth completely out of time with the music and was relentlessly turning his head from side to side like a wary meerkat throughout. His ebullience however, was infectious. The Philharmonia were completely locked-in to his mad, superhuman tempi throughout and the Finale took off like a rocket which I’m sure has yet to land
:-) :-)
◆ June 10, a Japanese blog post surfaced http://zerbinetta.exblog.jp/d2012-06-10/
The blogger, an artist, was at the London concert for the Shotstakovich symphony no. 13, but appears to have become impressed with Nobu even though she didn't know him well. However, she wrote mostly about his blindness, and wrote that Nobu's music did not have an ounce of romance in it. (But he was playing Prokofiev 3, not Chopin 1! So I left a comment to that effect.)
でも、世間的には辻井伸行さんのピアノなんですね。タコで舞い上がってるわたしには、彼のピアノは眼中になかったんだけど（なんて失礼な！）、でも、聴いたら、凄い！素晴らしい！彼、とっても人気みたいなんだけど有名な人だったのかしら。もちろん、日本では有名なのは分かるのだけど、こちらの人にも人気みたい。経歴を見ると、ヴァン・クライバーン・コンクールで優勝しているんですね。23歳、むちゃ若い。
辻井さんって目が見えない人だったんですね。アシュケナージさんのサポートでステージに出てきた彼は、小柄で丸顔。アシュケナージさんにピアノの位置を示してもらって着席。音楽が始まる瞬間ってドキドキしますね。特に初めて聴く若い音楽家さんだと。
But I was drawn into the world of Nobuyuki Tsujii's piano. I couldn't care less about the Shastokovich(! Rude I) when I listened to his amazing piano. I wonder if he was a famous person, but I knew that he is very popular in Japan, But he is also popular with the people here. Looking at the background, I saw that he won the Van Cliburn Competition. 23-year-old, Still very young.
Mr. Tsujii cannot see. He came out on stage supported by Mr. Ashkenazy, petite and round faced. Mr. Ashkenazy took him to the piano where he got seated .Then the music startedc pounding instantly. It was the first time that I listened to a young musician
辻井さんの音楽は、わぁびっくり！わたしの予想に反して、ロマンのひとかけらもない音楽。曖昧なもの、感覚的なものを一切排して、全ての音が物質的な質量を持って実存している。。。 My goodness, Tsujii's music surprised me! Contrary to my expectations, his music does not have even an ounce of romance. And no ambiguous, sensuous things; every note has a reason for its existence.
(Japanese Nobu fan MK looked at this entry and summarized it as follows:
this lady went to the concert because she loves Shostakovich and she didn't even know that Nobu is blind.
But it looks like she was very much impressed by Nobu's performance. She does say Nobu's music does not have romance, but she also says that every note in his music has reasons for its existence. She says Nobu probably has naturally sharpened senses that we are not aware of. She says her world is so shallow that her senses of music is far away from those of Nobu. She felt like she was being invited to some limitless unknown world and she wants to keep going into that world through Nobu's music. )
Next, Bristol, Nobuyuki Tsujii in England, May 2012 part 3