The following Nobuyuki Tsujii interview, in Japanese, was posted on December 14 2024 by Toyo Keizai (東洋経済新報社) "TOYOKEIZAI ONLINE, One of the largest websites for economics and business in Japan"

 https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/846317 

Below is an English translation, per Google -- 

CONTINUED FROM Toyo Keizai interviews Nobuyuki Tsujii -- Part 1

On November 29th, Nobuyuki Tsujii released a new recording of Beethoven's masterpiece "Hammerklavier" from Deutsche Grammophon. For this recording, his debut album from Gramophone, Tsujii chose Beethoven's song cycle "To the Distant Beloved" as the coupling song. Composed based on a medical student's poem, it is often discussed in conjunction with Beethoven's mysterious "Immortal Beloved." It is a masterpiece arranged for solo piano by Franz Liszt, but it is not often performed. Why did Tsujii choose this song? And what are his thoughts on his future musical activities? Part two of a long interview.
(Part one: World-renowned musician Nobuyuki Tsujii's passion for "memorable masterpieces" ) (An English translation of Part one can be found at Toyo Keizai interviews Nobuyuki Tsujii -- Part 1)

The piano is a difficult instrument to express singing voice

-- "To the Distant Beloved" was composed (1816) shortly before Piano Sonata No. 29 "Hammerklavier" was composed , but it is rare to see Liszt's arrangement performed.

Of course, I decided on the coupling in consultation with Gramophone, but this was my first attempt at a song. Since it's a song, I listened to the original a lot.

The piano is a very difficult instrument to express singing voice. With a voice, you can hold the sound for a long time, but with a piano, the sound decays as soon as you hit the keys. How can you express that as if you are singing?

The six songs are a song cycle, so I have to play all six songs at the same time with different character images without interrupting them. It was very difficult to express this, but it's a wonderful piece, so I hope that everyone will first feel calm with this song and then embark on the long journey of the Hammerklavier.

--The lyrics of the song stand out with colorful expressions such as "blue fog" and "bright red sunset." What kind of scenery was in your mind?

I love nature, so I played the piece with the image of being in nature in mind. The image of spring coming in May and feeling happy and excited, or sitting on a hill imagining a lover far away, but suffering because you can't meet them.

All six pieces have different characters, but there are also soothing and sparkling elements. Not many people have played Liszt's piano arrangement yet. It's a little-known piece, so I hope you'll take this opportunity to get to know it.

--It is said that Beethoven composed this piece while thinking of his "immortal beloved." Did you also imagine your own "immortal beloved" when you performed it, Mr. Tsujii?

That's not the case (laughs).

Many disabilities have little to do with music

-- Beethoven suffered greatly when he lost his hearing, but for you, who is visually impaired, what is the relationship between disability and music?

I think it must be really tough for a musician not to be able to hear. Beethoven composed music by feeling the vibrations of the sounds he played with his body, relying only on that. It's amazing that he was able to write such great works even in such a difficult situation.

However, while being deaf is difficult for musicians, many other disabilities are not so relevant in music. Music can be listened to by people all over the world, and you can perform with people from various countries. Sheet music is universal, transcending language. Various barriers are not relevant in music. Music is something that everyone can enjoy together, whether they have a disability or not, whether they play or listen.

-- As a world-class pianist, you are no longer called a "blind pianist." It doesn't matter whether you have a disability or not.

I'm really glad that I'm now recognized as a pianist. When I was a child, I was often called a blind pianist. I hated it, even though disabilities have nothing to do with music.

When I was in the first grade of elementary school, I won a competition for blind students. I didn't think about it at the time, but from about the fifth grade of elementary school, I started taking part in competitions for normal people and winning prizes, and I began to think more and more that music and disabilities have nothing to do with each other.

After achieving good results at the Van Cliburn, I always had the desire to "spread my wings and fly out into the world, and be recognized as a pianist." Little by little, that desire is becoming a reality, and I'm really glad about that.

-Recently , young classical musicians have been broadcasting various programs on YouTube, and orchestras have been formed with only young musicians or only women. What do you think about this new trend in the classical music world?

I also feel that classical music is becoming more widely known through YouTube and other media. However, I remember the words that pianist Van Cliburn himself said to me after I entered the Van Cliburn Music Competition. He said to me, "Become a pianist who can attract people who have never been interested in classical music to listen to your live performances."

It's great to be able to listen to music in various forms, but a live performance is a one-off, so it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There are things you can only encounter at that time. The impression of the same song can change depending on the acoustics of the hall, and the performance can also change depending on the atmosphere of the audience. I would love for people to experience the realism of a live performance.

We want people to enjoy "live music"

--What kind of activities do you yourself want to do in the future?

I've played a lot of Russian works in concertos, but I haven't played many of Rachmaninoff's or Prokofiev's large solo pieces yet. I'd like to play those pieces, and Beethoven is a very important composer to me. In the future, I'd like to make all 32 piano sonatas my repertoire and hold a concert of all of them. I also dream of recording the complete sonatas if possible.

Now I have the opportunity to play in various places in Japan and abroad, so I want to treasure each and every one and give a good performance. I want to become a pianist who can make people who are not yet that interested in classical music, even young people, enjoy my live performances. I want to challenge myself to play many composers that I have not yet played, and become a musician who will go down in history.

************ end of Part 2 of the interview *******