Nobuyuki Tsujii, pianist and blind: living treasure from Japan

The following article was accessed on the Internet on Dec 18 2018
https://informations.handicap.fr/a-nobuyuki-pianiste-aveugle-11401.php
It is posted by handicap.fr, in the wake of a recital by Nobuyuki Tsujii held on December 17 in Paris'
Below is an English translation.

Nobuyuki, pianiste et aveugle : Trésor vivant venu du Japon

[Nobuyuki Tsujii, pianist and blind: living treasure from Japan]

At 30, the Japanese Nobuyuki Tsujii plays in the big leagues. Blind by birth, he learns music only by ear. This outstanding pianist delighted the Champs-Élysées theater on December 17, 2018, with his grace and passion.

18 December 2018 • By Cassandre Rogeret - Handicap.fr
Themes:  personalities World Culture & Leisure Art  Similar items

Watch the video Nobuyuki Tsujii - Chopin - Nocturne in C minor, Op posth

His fingers gallop on the piano at high speed, his body sways with the rhythm of each note, his energy is contagious ... Nobuyuki Tsujii, Japanese genius pianist, has nothing to envy from the greatest, not even their eyes.  To be precise: he is blind. A minor detail, because his disability did not prevent him from becoming a virtuoso and tackling the most complex scores. An "extra-ordinary " talent that spectators could admire, on December 17, 2018, at the legendary Théâtre des Champs-Élysées *, in Paris.

An eternal passion

His is the greatest love story; he has been living with music since he was 2 years old. His mother sang songs to him and he reproduced them on the piano. He is not from a family of musicians and, blind from birth, has learned to play by ear. Braille scores? "Too slow" to his taste. His musical faculty has amazed his family long before he conquered Japan, France and the world. At 12, he performed at Suntory Hall in Tokyo and, in its wake, made his debut in the United States, Russia and France. 2009, year of grace. He won the Van Cliburn International Competition and dazzled the jury with his interpretation of Chopin's Etudes. He then performed a master stroke that won over Menahem Pressler, the dean of  pianists in practice: "God took his eyes but gave him physical and mental gifts that allow him to conquer the greatest works of the repertoire." Now 30 years old, Nobuyuki Tsujii performs with the biggest international orchestras around the world and enchants all those who have a chance to listen to him.

An almost invisible handicap

"Nobuyuki Tsujii is first and foremost a great pianist," says Michel Mollard, one of his producers, solemnly. "I think when you start to say that he's a blind pianist, you take the wrong direction right away. It's like saying that Beethoven was a deaf composer, it does not make sense." His handicap goes second, it matters little; ultimately, only his personality and talent count. His visual impairment only adds to the admiration that can be given to him. But how does he imagine a piano if he has never seen one? "This is a question that we are entitled to ask,"says Michel Mollard. Mystery ... Nobody really knows the answer. "Last year, in this same theater, he remained three minutes in silence, alone in front of his piano, to feel the room, the 'see'", said Jean-François Phelizon , his other producer, in an attempt to explain his "special sensitivity ".

Phenomenal sound control

Like any great artist, he has "a world of his own which he shares with others," but his particularity lies in his "fantastic imagination", "his exceptional musical culture" and his "phenomenal sound control. ""He also has a way of interacting with the orchestra of his own," admires Michel Mollard. Nobuyuki's strength: he does not hesitate to put himself in danger and "takes incredible risks ," according to his producers. "He has a very pure and very direct relationship to music, almost childish but in the good sense of the word: simple, wise, without wanting to prove anything". A touching and unfiltered pianist, who has a "powerful, almost carnal" relationship with his instrument. His energy is contagious. "When he starts, he does not stop! Ditto during the rehearsals ... He exhausts all those who are near him," said his producers."But he also has a very human and warm side. "

Happy to be on stage

On stage, his passion is matched only by his sweetness. He seems to rock with the sound of the piano and see each note as if it were the last. An uninhibited side probably accentuated by his blindness? One thing is certain," he is happy to be on stage and to share with the public and thus leaves little room for stress," say his producers."You have to know that normally it's unbearable to see the artists come on stage. Behind the scenes, there are some real dramas! Many people, paralyzed by stress, do not want to go anymore. And the more famous they are, the more you have to push them. But not Nobuyuki ... Moreover, at each performance, one wonders how he does it."  Also a composer, Nobuyuki Tsujii wrote a piece in tribute to the victims of the tsunami that struck  Japan in 2011. An exceptional sensitivity, a unique personality, an unconditional love for music ... In short, an extraordinary talent, a sacred "living treasure" in his country.

PHOTO ABOVE: Nobu on stage at the Dec 17 2018 recital

* The Champs-Elysées theater has been a member of the Accès culture network (site linked below) since 2010. As such, it offers audio-description performances for the blind public, as well as workshops dedicated to children with a visual impairment. 60 headsets of audio-description are available for the next two performances of A Carmen, star of the circus , 17 (10am) and 19 May (17h) 2019.
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I posted this comment to the article:
"Bravo to Cassandre Rogere!  I am writing from USA, and I have been one of the most ardent admirers of Nobuyuki Tsujii for a decade.  I consider myself something of an expert on Nobu, and, believe me, this is one of the best write-ups about him; the comments by the concert producers are spot-on.  I was at Nobu's recital in Paris last year (2017) but not there this year.  I am just over the moon on how he has been received especially this time =>  https://mlliu2006.blogspot.com/2018/04/paris-recital-december-17-2018.html
Merci beaucoup -- as one Japanese expat in Paris wrote: "Let's hope these recitals become an annual event this time of the year."
Merry Christmas!"
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I want to meet those concert producers!
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Paris Recital -- December 17 2018
Nobuyuki Tsujii interviews -- this article has now been added to the collection, even though it is, strictly speaking, not an interview.