Nobuyuki Tsujii in Germany, March 2012, part 2

Nobuyuki Tsujii practicing at the Konzerthaus Berlin, Small Hall, where he performed a recital  on March 14, 2012

Photo source: Recital report, Nobuyuki Tsujii official website http://www.nobupiano1988.com/recitalreport/index.html

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After the UNESCO concert in Paris, Nobu returned to Germany for two consecutive recitals, in Dusseldorf on March 13, then Berlin on March 14

It means a lot to Nobu to do well in the homeland of Ludwig Von Beethoven, and he seems to be doing just that!  After the Dusseldorf recital, tweets came up in praise of it, and the director of TonHalle (the concert hall) made a nice blog post about it.

Tuesday

March 13

20:00

Wednesday March 14 20:00

Dusseldorf, Tonhalle -- small hall

Germany

Konzerthaus Berlin, Small Hall

Gendarmenmarkt, 10117 Berlin - Mitte

Germany

Recital report, Nobuyuki Tsujii official website http://www.nobupiano1988.com/recitalreport/index.html

with gorgeous photographs

12年3月13日（ドイツ）

デュッセルドルフ

ドイツ、デュッセルドルフでのリサイタル。

会場のトーンハレからは、道路をはさんでライン川がすぐそばに流れています。

ヨーロッパの中でも日本人が多く住んでいる町で、当日もお客様から熱烈な拍手を頂きました。

アンコールも大奮発して、ショパン：ノクターン第8番、リスト：リゴレット・パラフレーズ、

自作の「それでも、生きてゆく」、そしてベートーヴェン：ピアノ・ソナタ第21番「ワルトシュタイン」（全曲）。

March 13, 2012 (Germany)

Dusseldorf

Recital in Germany, in Düsseldorf.

From the Tonhalle of the venue, with the River Rhine flowing nearby, just across the road

In the town where there are many Japanese living in Europe, I received a rapturous applause from the audience.

Also a huge demand for encores: Chopin: Nocturne No. 8, list: Rigoletto-Paraphrase,

My own "Still, we alive" and, the entire Beethoven: "Waldstein" Piano Sonata No. 21 (complete)

12年3月14日（ドイツ）

ベルリン

旧東ドイツの音楽の殿堂、

コンツェルトハウス（シャウシュピールハウス）小ホールでのリサイタル。

歴史を感じさせるホールでのリサイタルは好評をいただき、

アンコールにショパン:ノクターン第8番、リスト：リゴレット・パラフレーズ、自作の「それでも、生きてゆく」を演奏しました。

March 14, 12 (Germany)

Berlin

(The photo shown on top of this page)

Music Hall of Fame of former East Germany,

Konzerthaus recital in Small Hall (Shaw cache Peel House).

in the historic Recital Hall and feel well received,

Encores: Chopin Nocturne No. 8, list: Rigoletto-Paraphrase, of your own. "Still, we alive"

blog of Director Michael Decker Tonhalle Dusseldorf

Nobuyuki Tsujii

Ein ganz ergreifender Abend im Hentrich-Saal. Nobu Tsujii vor ausverkauftem Haus. Fast ein Heimspiel vor einer starken Abordnung der japanischen Community. Nobu ist in Japan ein Star, weil er den Van Cliburn Wettbewerb gewonnen hat. Aus gutem Grund: Er ist ein ausgezeichneter Sänger, kann mit einer Mozart A-Dur genauso differenziert umgehen wie mit einem Rachmaninow 2. Seine Handhaltung ist ungewöhnlich flach und erinnert an Horowitz oder Lipatti. Ohne diese Handhaltung könnte er aber kaum spielen. Nobu Tsujii ist blind und braucht die Nähe zur Tastatur zur Orientierung. Es ist eine Mischung aus großer Disziplin und großem Verständnis für Musik. Und alles andere als relativ gut...

A very poignant evening in the Hentrich Hall. Nobu Tsujii drew a capacity crowd. Almost a home game against a strong delegation from the Japanese community. Nobu is a star in Japan, because he won the Van Cliburn competition. And for good reason: He is an excellent performer who can deal with  (the simplicity of) Mozart's Sonata in A-flat major as well  as the sophistcation of Rachmaninoff's 2nd. His hand position is unusually flat and reminiscent of Horowitz or Lipatti. Without this hand position, he could hardly play. Nobu Tsujii is blind and needs to be close to the keyboard as a guide. It's a great mix of discipline and the understanding of music. And far from  being relatively well...

Tweets:

芸術鑑賞なとぅでい。ピアニストの辻井伸行くんがデュッセルでコンサートだったので、いってきた。素晴らしかった。 Today an art appreciation. Because it was in the Dusseldorf concert pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii kun, I went. Was wonderful.

Replying to my tweet: It was totally amazing night. I (was)  really moved when he played his own number. Thank you for coming to Düsseldorf!!

辻井伸行ピアノリサイタルより帰宅。もう、「すごい」としか言えません。繊細ながらも力強い演奏に終始圧倒され、心が浄化されました。明日からも頑張ろう。 Home from Nobuyuki Tsujii piano recital. Nothing more to say , only "amazing". Overwhelmed by strong yet delicate play from beginning to end. The mind has been purified."

ドイツ徒然草～Essays in Idleness from Germany～: Tsujii's concert

A Japanese blog post from someone who has some complaints about the venue and the audience, and wrote that she felt that Nobu performed like a beloved child prodigy (strongly disagreed by me) - with photos http://dolcevitaingermany.blogspot.com/2012/03/tsujiis-concert.html rough English translation http://bit.ly/ACvFXc

And a lengthy blog showed up, in Japanese, about the concert: http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/hirame2707/diary/201203130000/

It is by someone  who is either studying music or performing music for living.

... One day, I saw a poster for his concert tour in Germany by chance, and ordered a ticket on the Internet that evening immediately.

In Japan his concert tickets are very difficult to obtain, but  in Europe he is still nearly unknown. It was a month before the performance, and it  still possible to buy tickets without any problems at all (and then, tickets for this concert  sold out).

Moreover, even with free seats, tickets are at a very affordable price at 23 euros. ... As soon as I heard him play, immediately drawn into his world of sound, was filled with a very happy mood.  ... What I'm most interested in is how he manages to have this rich and expressive power.

Anyway, the concert was a succession of surprise and excitement ... Mr. Tsujii was  like a child who was given a toy -- I think he truly loves the piano

By the time he finished the third encore it was well past 10PM.  The door guard came in looking surprised as if not expecting the concert to still be on.  It was funny that they thought it unbearable that the recital could go on for so long.  Ater the fourth ecnore, the lights came on ... If I had the means, I would like to listen to his concerto live.

http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/156656/blog/25769647/

Nobuyuki Tsujiiコンサート

火曜日、デュッセルのトーンハレというところでTsujiiさんのコンサートがありました。

トーンハレと言っても小さい方の会場でしたが、万席！

アンコールも多分５回やったと思います。（相方意見：３回）

自分はあまり知りませんでしたが、正に天才と言えるピアノの弾き方で、(;ﾟДﾟ)!

思わす涙もチョロリ。

世の中、本当に凄い方が居られます。

Nobuyuki Tsujii concert

Tuesday, there was a concert of Mr. Tsujii in a place called Tonhalle Düsseldorf.

It was the smaller venue. The main Tonhalle seats ten thousand!

I think probably also played fives encores. (: 3 according to my companion)

I don't know much about how to play the piano and can't say exactly that he is a genius,

Even shed tears.  It was wonderful.

http://nachrichten.rp-online.de/regional/ein-guter-pianist-1.2753670

"A GOOD PIANIST" is the title of a review of the Dusseldorf recital of Nobuyuki Tusjii that appeared on "RP online"

As the title suggested, it is not exactly a glowing review, but it is positive

Ein guter Pianist

last updated: 03/15/2012 - 02:30

Nobuyuki Tsujii, as we hear,  is a piano superstar in Asia, especially Japan, where he was born in 1988. He was born blind and was active on the piano. Here he became so successful that he even won the 2009 Van Cliburn Piano Competition in the U.S.. Not a bad recommendation!

In the Hall of Helmut Hentrich Tonhalle now the entire Japanese community in Düsseldorf, with their children, had come to witness the Düsseldorf debut of such an acclaimed pianist from  their homeland. Yes, Tsujii has something to say, that's for sure. In Mozart's A major Sonata and the "Tempest" Sonata of Beethoven, there were passages that were at best  underplayed routinely.   But there were also movements (parts of a piece of music) for which Tsujii had developed an exciting (style of / interpretation of) dynamics and phrasing. He enjoyed the contrasts. He enjoyed letting his fingers (literal translation: the motor function) run free, as for example in the last few pieces.

On the tour by Modest Mussorgsky's cycle "Pictures at an Exhibition" was internalized in the Japanese drama of the "Old Castle" While a sense of sound, but little internal coherence, the transition of Gewusels the "Hut of Baba Yaga" the monumental " Great Gate of Kiev was "casually. But again, the contrast and the sharp accented motifs carved with the Japanese energy into the Keys. He worked on musical logic - and vital characters, such as the ancient Jews disputing "Gold and Schmuyle", the "chicks in their egg shells," the crowd at the "Marketplace at Limoges".

A good pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii certainly is.  Perhaps he may not  become a superstar in this country .  But who can predict something like that? The round of wonderfully played music, relaxing encores, began with Chopin and Liszt. NORBERT LAUFER

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Original text

Ein guter Pianist

zuletzt aktualisiert: 15.03.2012 - 02:30

Nobuyuki Tsujii ist, wie man hört, in Asien ein Klavier-Superstar, insbesondere in Japan, wo er im Jahr 1988 geboren wurde. Er kam blind zur Welt und fand auf dem Klavier sein Betätigungsfeld. Hier wurde er so erfolgreich, dass er sogar 2009 den Van-Cliburn-Klavierwettbewerb in den USA gewann. Keine schlechte Empfehlung!

In den Helmut-Hentrich-Saal der Tonhalle war nun die gesamte japanische Gemeinde Düsseldorfs mit Kind und Kegel gekommen, um dem Düsseldorfer Debut des in ihrer Heimat so bejubelten Pianisten beizuwohnen. Ja, Tsujii hat etwas zu sagen, so viel ist sicher. In Mozarts A-Dur-Sonate sowie in der "Sturm"-Sonate Beethovens gab es zwar Passagen, die allenfalls routiniert heruntergespielt wurden. Aber wir hörten auch Sätze, bei denen Tsujii an Dynamik und Artikulation spannungsvoll gefeilt hatte. Gerne kostete er Kontraste aus, gerne ließ er auch der Motorik ihren freien Lauf, etwa in den Schlusssätzen.

Auf dem Rundgang durch Modest Mussorgskys Zyklus "Bilder einer Ausstellung" zeigte der Japaner bei der verinnerlichten Dramatik des "Alten Schlosses" zwar Sinn für Klang, doch wenig innere Schlüssigkeit; auch der Übergang des Gewusels der "Hütte der Baba-Jaga" ins monumentale "Große Tor von Kiew" geschah eher beiläufig. Aber es waren wieder die Kontraste und die scharfe akzentuierten Motive, die der Japaner mit Energie in die Tasten meißelte. So arbeitete er an musikalischer Logik – und an vitalen Charakteren, etwa bei den diskutierenden alten Juden "Goldenberg und Schmuyle", den "Küken in ihren Eierschalen", dem Gewimmel auf dem "Marktplatz von Limoges".

Ein guter Pianist ist Nobuyuki Tsujii gewiss. Ein Superstar wird er hierzulande wohl nicht werden. Aber wer vermag so etwas schon vorherzusagen? Der Reigen der herrlich entspannt musizierten Zugaben begann mit Chopin und Liszt. NORBERT LAUFER

http://nachrichten.rp-online.de/trackback/ping/2753670

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Wednesday March 14: Berlin

Nobuyuki Tsujii will perform a recital in Berlin, German - Mozart, Beethoven, Mussorgsky. http://www.zitty.de/nobu-tsujii-klavier.html

Nobu has been to Berlin before, the latest in winter 2010.  Berlin being the cultural center that it is in Germany, Nobu's performance hardly received any attention.  I don't expect it to be much better this time.  Of the three recitals that he is giving on this tour, this one has received that least notice - no tweets, very little web postings.  BUT Nobu is in Berlin also to record an album, according to one of his recent interviews, and that is something to look forward to.  I hope I am wrong and we will see some enthusiastic comments and reviews later today.

A visitor to the Nobu Tsujii fans facebook page left this on the wall:

昨日、ドイツのベルリンでのコンサート、感動した。Nobuyuki plays from the heart !

Yesterday, the concert in Berlin, Germany, was impressed. Nobuyuki plays from the heart!

And,

昨日、ドイツのベルリンでのコンサート、凄く感動しました。「Thank, you, Nobuyuki ! 」 これ、会って、言いたい。 a true inspiration.

And in response to the aforementioned Dusseldorf review:

" felt that too, that his dynamics were very strong, very individualistic - and his phrasing was unusual - in a good way. he made me pay attention by creating something new out of pieces i've heard played many times, but not like last night! amazing !!"

A blog post with photos  http://berkuma.blog90.fc2.com/blog-entry-984.html

It is not hard to image the considerable effort and practice that he goes through.

Still, I was surprised that there is no noticeable mistake in the 2 hours of  playing time. 

Was wondering what's going on is in his body, and came to appreciate why he is called a  "miracle pianist".

His sound is youthful, but also gentle?, a masculine sound that that makes one feel like one is sailing on a rough seas.

Voices from the audience flew, "Bravo ~" applause

3月14日、ベルリンのコンチェルトハウスでノブ君のリサイタルでした。一昨年の暮れのオットーブラウンホールに続く＠ベルリン第2回目です。メインの曲は同じ展覧会の絵でした。

このコンサートを聴くことができた人は、本当に幸運だったと思います。素晴らしい、歴史に残る名リサイタルでした。

March 14, there was a recital of Nobu in Konzerthaus in Berlin . It was the second recital since another one two years ago that was held in Brown Hall of Berlin. The main song is the same: Pictures at an Exhibition.

I was really fortunate to get to listen to  this concert. This will go down in history as a  recital by a great name.  -- blog post by a Japanese musician in Berlin.