April 16 2025
Yesterday, this sentence in an article that announces the new season of Cal Performances (UC Berkeley ) caught my eyes:
"The classical recital lineup includes leading pianists — Daniil Trifonov (Sept. 28), Nobuyuki Tsujii (Oct. 30), and Jeremy Denk (Nov. 14)."
LEADING PIANIST!
It is the first time that I read Nobu labeled as such outside of Japan.
Fact is, there is no official definition for that title -- it is just one writer's opinion, in this case.
But my mind flashed back to a 2010 TV show titled 'Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii', an episode from a long-running TV series in Japan, 'Soloman Ryu'りょう ソロモン流 [Soloman's Way, documentary episodes about people with wisdom].
Rummaging through my archive, I rediscovered this post I wrote about that show.
Nobuyuki Tsujii in "Soloman Ryu" 2010.
Not only that, I found -- much to my astonishment -- a video of that show, which I personally uploaded to the 'dailymotion' platform at the time -- 15 years ago.
The hour-long video can still be watched it its entirety, at this link
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x37biu0
In the final segment of the show, starting at about time mark 33:20, Nobu is reunited with maestro John Giordano in Corpus Christi, Texas, for a performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. Mr. Giordano was the chairman of the jury at the 2009 Cliburn Competition that awarded Nobu a gold medal, and he was also the conductor of the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra at the time. (Mo. Giordano received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.)
There is an endearing scene of the two embracing when
Nobu is led to the maestro, for their initial reading of the concerto. Mr. Giodano calls Nobu "one of his babies"
(A long-time supporter of the competition, Mr. Giordano considers all
Cliburn competitors his "babies"), and Nobu, upon hearing the word
"baby," laughed throatily.
In a subsequent scene, at 34:00 we see a startled Mr. Giordano, who has been looking down at a score sheet on top of the piano, turning quickly to watch Nobu, surprised by the beauty of the sound as Nobu begins to play the famous first cadenza. Nobu himself is, of course, completely unaware of that reaction.
At about time mark 34:40, Mr. Giordano is asked a question, "Do you think he [Nobu] can become a top pianist?". The answer: "I will be very surprised -- let's put it that way -- if he is not in the top few [pianists] in the world -- I think he has the potential of being at the very, very highest level."
I cringed when I first watch that scene, sorry that Mr. Giordano was confronted with such a direct question on camera, and a little embarrassed for Nobu. It is a question prompted by Nobu's blindness, and a question that only an oracle can answer.
But now, 15 years later, those wise words ring true. With his Deutsche Grammophon contract, his rising profile in overseas performances with top orchestras, and the enthusiastic reaction of his audience everywhere -- Nobu has indeed made good use of his potential.
The Nobu of now, at age 36, is a confident, polished performer, with an enviable rapport with audiences everywhere.
Image below: Mo. Giordano & Nobu in performance in Texas, 2010.
Image below: Mo. Giordino gave Nobu a heart-felt embrace after their 2010 co-performance in Texas.
Truth be told, it doesn't matter to me whether Nobu is considered a top pianist or not. For me, what is important is to see him enjoying every performance, and to see people coming away happy after his concerts. He may or may not yet be at the top -- it is just as well that Nobu takes his time to develop his musicality to the fullest.
Can he become a top pianist? Yes, he can!
******
If you have time, please do take a look at the video https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x37biu0, which includes scenes of Nobu's early days of touring after his Cliburn medal. In some of the priceless footage, you will see Nobu's parents and his former manager Mr. Nick Asano.
At the climax of the show, Nobu thrills the Texas audience with an electrifying performance of Tchai 1, followed by playing, as an encore, his own composition "A morning in Cortona." There is a popular YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTv1xHNOIeA of that footage
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