2024 Suntory Hall ARK Classics

In recent years, Nobuyuki Tsujii and his violinist friend Fumiaki Mirua [Fumi] have headlined an event held during Japan's Autumn Arts season: Suntory Hall ARK Classics.  The festival, first initiated in year 2018, has become a highly anticipated event in Tokyo, during which marathon performances spanning many days are held at the prestigious Suntory Hall, including outdoor screening and pop-up outdoor appearance.  The festival is an outreach event, with performances aimed at attracting the general public to classical music.   Ticket prices are relatively inexpensive.

Nobu & Fumi serve as joint artistic leaders for the festival, with participating performers that include top musicians in Japan as well as a few artists from overseas.  The event is organized jointly by Avex Classics (record labels of Nobu & Fumi in Japan) & Suntory Hall.

This year's festival has been announced https://avex.jp/classics/arkclassics2024/ to take place September 27 through October 1 [5 days]. The 2024  ARK Classics website is now open at https://avex.jp/classics/arkclassics2024/news/news0430.html

This year's participating artists are listed at https://avex.jp/classics/arkclassics2024/artists/, which include a cast of Japan musicians, as well as two familiar figures from overseas: trumpet player Sergei Nakariakov& cellist Jonathan Roozeman, both of whom have appeared at previous editions of the festival.

This year's program, with 11 performances, is listed at https://avex.jp/classics/arkclassics2024/program/

The events in which Nobu appears can be found at the bottom of this page.

NEWS 

September 1

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PERFORMANCE 1 Opening Night (Friday September 27 [day 1] 19:00) Blue Rose [Suntory's Small Hall] : Nobu, Fumi & the full cast.  Program: RACHMANINOFF Vocalise; SCHUMANN 3 Romances,  Fantasy, Piano Quintet; FRANCK violin sonata (flue version)

PERFORMANCE 2  SEPT 28 [Day 2] noon - 1PM Suntory Hall Large Hall Nobuyuki Tsujii recital 'The charm of Franz Liszt'.  Program: Consoluation no. 2, Love Dream no. 2, a Sigh, Consolation no. 2, Rigoletto Paraphrase, Elsa's cathedral procession, Years of Pilgrimage no. 2 'Venice and Naples'.

PERFORMANCE 4 SEPT 28 [Day 2] 17:00 - 19:20
ARK Philharmonic Mozarty x Beethoven
Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano), Kazuon Shimzu (piano), Fumiaki Miura (conductor) & ARK Philhamonic.
Program MOZART piano concerto no. 21 [soloist Shimzu], BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto no. 3 [soloist Nobu], BEETHOVEN Symphony no 5 "Fate". 

PERFORMANCE 6 

Nobuyuki Tsujii "The charm of Frederic Chopin" recital. Program: nocturne no. 20 'posthumous', Berceus [lullaby], Scherzo no. 2, Nocturne no. 8, Ballade no 1, Andante Spinato & Grand Polonaise.

PERFORMANCE 8 September 29[Day 3] 17:00 - 19:00  Suntory hall Large Hall Mozart x Tchaikovsky x Brahms.  Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano), Ayako Takagi (flute), Naoko Yoshino (harp), Fumiaki Miura (conductor), ARK PHILHARMONIC.  Program: MOZART concerto for Flute & Harp, TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto no. 1, BRAHMS Symphony no 1

PERFORMANCE 9 SEPT 30 [day 4] noon to 1 pm Blue Rose ARK Lunchtime Concert.  Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano), Fumiaki Miura (violin), Sergei Nakaryakov (trumpet), Cho Jae Hyuk (piano), Janathan Roozeman (cello) Yuunsung (cello). Program: SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Trio No. 1; POPPER Hungarian Rhapsody; URBAN Variations on a them from Bellini's Norma; BEETHOVEN violin sonata no. 5 'Spring' first movement.

PERFORMANCE 10 ARK QUARTET Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano), Fumiaki Miura (violin), Kazuon Shimzu (piano), Ayako Takagi (flute), Jonathan Rooseman (cello) ... Program MOZART  Flute Quartet no. 1; MOZART piano quarter no. 1; MOZART String quarter no. 17 'The Hunt'; SCHUBERT Piano Quintet.  "Trout"

PERFORMANCE 11 October 1 [Day 5] 19:00 ARK Closing night, small hall

Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano), Fumiaki Miura (violin), Sergei Nakaryakov (trumpet), Jonathan Roosman (cello), etc.  Program: BARTOK Roman Folkd Dances; DEBUSSY cello Sonata in D Minor, Sonata for Flute & Viola and Harp; RAVELviolin Sonata in G major; SCHUBERT Violin Sonata (Sanatine) no. 3; MENDELSSOHN String Quartet. [It's not clear which of these pieces Nobu would participate in -- all are new to his repertoire.]

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The festival has an official instagram account at
https://www.instagram.com/ark_classics_official/