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/-/846316

 Below is an English translation, provided by GoogleChrome

Fifteen years have passed since he won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. No one calls Nobuyuki Tsujii the "blind pianist" anymore, as he is now one of the world's top pianists. However, Tsujii has now become the first Japanese pianist to sign an exclusive contract with the prestigious label Deutsche Grammophon, joining other world-famous pianists such as Martha Argerich and Maurizio Pollini. On November 29th, his first album will be released, featuring Beethoven's masterpiece piano sonata, "Hammerklavier." We bring you an interview with Tsujii, who is breaking new ground, in two parts.
(Part 2: Nobuyuki Tsujii "I want to become a musician who will go down in history" )

A historic CD that will be listened to around the world

--What does it mean to you to have an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon and record under that label?

We discussed making a historic CD that would be listened to not only in Japan but all over the world, and while there was of course a lot of pressure, I'm truly honored.

Since I was a child, I grew up listening to Gramophone CDs recorded by world-famous artists such as Argerich and Pollini. I never dreamed that I would be able to sign a contract with the same label as the pianists I admired.

--The main recording will be Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" (Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 ).

This is a memorable piece that I also performed at the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009 (Editor's note: I won together with China's Zhang Haochen).

When I played it at the competition, I was 20 years old, and there were many areas where my expressiveness was still immature. Now in my 30s, I wanted to face this piece anew, so I asked him to play it.

My interpretation today is of course different from the past, and I think that the tempo, the way I take notes, and the way I use the pedal have also changed from 15 years ago. There is also a change in my desire to do more. This Hammerklavier is a performance that I have tried and selected from various things and felt was "this."

--At the time of composing this piece, Beethoven made the most of the capabilities of the latest pianos, which had a wider range of tones, and in the fourth movement we can see a glimpse of his innocent side in his persistent emphasis on the bass notes.

Beethoven lived in a time when the piano was experiencing great development, and I think he was a composer who really brought out the potential of the piano.

Of his 32 piano sonatas, the 29th sonata, the Hammerklavier, is connected to the three great sonatas of his later period (30-32). If you listen to all of the sonatas from the early, middle, and late periods, you can really understand the development of the piano. This is especially true around the time the Hammerklavier was created.

Including the grand fugue in the fourth movement (a fugue in which melodies chase each other), Beethoven opened up many possibilities for the piano and did many things that no other composer had done before. I feel that Beethoven was a composer with a strong sense of curiosity.

Beethoven's suffering, conflict and sorrow

-What did you keep in mind when recording this time?

 The Hammerklavier is a particularly long piece, lasting about 50 minutes in total, and playing it well is a long, long battle with myself. When this piece was composed, Beethoven had lost his hearing. His pain, conflict and sadness are deeply engraved in the piece. I really struggled with how to express those feelings.

First of all, I think it is important for a classical musician to faithfully reproduce what the composer wrote in the score. Beethoven and Chopin, who are now deceased, left behind many things written in their scores. From there, I can read what the composer was thinking when he wrote the piece, and then express it with my own individuality. I think it is important to create my own music in this way.

--It seems that you had a hard time with the slow third movement in the Hammerklavier recording.

It's a long piece, lasting just under 20 minutes with only three movements, so playing it without losing concentration is a real mental battle. Since the slow tempo expresses pain and sadness, each and every note must be expressed with great care. I agonized and agonized, and it took a long time to play it to my satisfaction.

I wanted to make sure the flow of the music was not interrupted, so it couldn't be too fast or too slow. I had many discussions with Gramophone engineers and producers about the tempo, and after playing it over and over again, I chose the one that I thought was "the one."

Since I was releasing my first CD with Gramophone, I wanted to make a performance that I was satisfied with. Whether it was recording or editing, I played and listened to it over and over again, wondering if it was good enough. It took a lot of time and effort, but I felt a great sense of accomplishment when it was complete.

--This is a simple question, but how do you sight-read sheet music?

Most people can read music, but in my case, I have a teacher who reads the music for me record what is written on the score for each hand, and then I reproduce that. He explains everything that is written on the score, including the composer's instructions regarding expression.

I've never hated the piano

--The recording took place during a number of concerts both in Japan and abroad. How many hours a day do you spend at the piano?

I can't play when I'm traveling for concerts, but on days when I have no plans and am at home, I often practice from morning until night. Recently, when I have time during tours, I often rent a studio to practice.

I love playing the piano. I love performing in front of people, and I'm the type of person who works hard when I have a goal. Concerts are one of my biggest joys, and I love trying new songs. I'm the type of person who gets fired up when I try something new. So I've never once found practice a chore, or thought I hated playing the piano, no matter how hard it was.

--What do you do to unwind?

I'm busy these days so I don't get to go fishing very often, but when I go to a new place, I like to take a walk and eat delicious food. I love to eat. When I have a lot of free time, I also go fishing, do pottery, and go mountain climbing.

In my 20s, I was the type who would play with momentum.

--Are there any musicians you admire or look up to?

There are many pianists that I respect, but I especially admire Ms. Argerich and Vladimir Ashkenazy (Editor's note: pianist and conductor who announced his retirement in 2020).

I have had the opportunity to perform with Ashkenazy as a conductor on many occasions, and even though he performs as a conductor on tour, he never misses practicing the piano every day, even before and after a performance.

Seeing how even top-class pianists put in such effort and practice gave me the motivation to aim even higher. I'm sad to hear that he retired.

--How do you, Mr. Tsujii, perceive the individuality of your own piano playing?

I've never really thought about it, but I think my playing has changed since then. When I was in my 20s, I was the type who played with momentum. That was energetic and good, but there were also times when I thought, "I'm playing because I'm young." Now, I think I have a wider range and more variety of tones, and my expression has become deeper.

The reason why my sound changed was because of COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down concerts, and I was able to slowly face music. It was hard, but I thought about what I could do with all the restrictions.

I was able to expand my repertoire, practice to be able to express myself in various ways, and focus on things that I couldn't do before so that I could change my performance. I think that's when my performance started to change.

**********END OF PART 1 OF INTERVIEW********