Nobuyuki Tsujii made his debut in Hong Kong on April 13, in a concert where he performed Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
Hong Kong is my birthplace. I left it at an early age, when the place was still under British rule. After decades of living in the U.S., I have to admit that I remember very little of it. Then too, the place has undergone tremendous political and social changes in the interim. The last time I went back, several years ago, I was a stranger in my homeland.
It came as a surprise to me that Nobu is not an unknown in Hong Kong, judging from some of the web postings in the wake of Nobu's debut concert there, such as this blog post that showed up just now. It seems unreal to read an article about Nobu written in my first language. Ironically, I found it difficult to comprehend the text -- written in the Hong Kong dialect of Chinese, with which Google Translate is not at its best. Below is the fruit of my best effort of making a translation -- I think I got it mostly right.
The original article was accessed here
眾新聞
On April 13, Japanese superstar blind pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii made a single performance at Hong Kong University. Tickets had sold out quickly. After viewing him on youtube hundreds and thousands of times, this time he appeared right in front of my eyes.
All around me I heard Japanese; I estimate about one-fourth of the audience were Japanaese.
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Photo caption: Nobuyuki Tsujii plays Chopin encore at his Hong Kong University concert.
[The photo was taken from an audience's seat. The orchestra and Nobu are seen on stage, at the end of the Chopin 2 performance. Nobu has one hand on the piano, in the midst of his Japanese bowing, as the orchestra members look on.]
When I heard him play Chopin and Rachmaninoff for the first time, I was shocked. In the second concerto of Chopin, the second movement is super difficult. It is not easy for a sightless person to play early concertos such as Mozart's, and the Chopin Piano Concertos should be an impossible task.
This time the concerto is the second of Chopin. A few years back at the Chopin Piano Competition, most of the contestants were playing concerto no 1. In fact, the second concerto is more difficult to play.
The Orpheus, a chamber orchestra of more than 20 people, has no conductor. The volume is deep; the violin is especially good, comparable to a normal orchestra of 80 people. Haha [snicker], this would make it harder for conductors to make a living in the future. It is unimaginable how an undirected band, with a sightless pianist, can play Chopin with such beauty.
Tsujii has gotten very busy lately, and, after his stop in Hong Kong, he flew to Taipei, and then returned to Osaka. [Editorial: Nobu's home town is Tokyo, not Osaka.] You cannot see his Hong Kong version of Chopin II on Youtube. It's better to listen to his Rachmaninov 2 at the Proms Festival in the UK. It is his classic.
[A video of the BBC Proms performance is embedded with the article.]
And this makes it two -- It is music that all human beings must listen to!
Blog | Yi You 一悠
[Yu You, come here] I like to talk about ancient and modern, and often talk about stocks.Psychology, piano, stocks, education, cross-infection, exchange.Education: Bachelor of Arts, University of Hong Kong; Diploma of Education, Master of Science, University of New South Wales, Australia ...
Below is a screen grab showing the blog post as appears on the website of the Citizen News on April 29, 2019
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Nobuyuki Tsujii & Orpheus in Hong Kong & Taiwan, April 2019
A Hong Kong Writer tips his hat to the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Hong Kong is my birthplace. I left it at an early age, when the place was still under British rule. After decades of living in the U.S., I have to admit that I remember very little of it. Then too, the place has undergone tremendous political and social changes in the interim. The last time I went back, several years ago, I was a stranger in my homeland.
It came as a surprise to me that Nobu is not an unknown in Hong Kong, judging from some of the web postings in the wake of Nobu's debut concert there, such as this blog post that showed up just now. It seems unreal to read an article about Nobu written in my first language. Ironically, I found it difficult to comprehend the text -- written in the Hong Kong dialect of Chinese, with which Google Translate is not at its best. Below is the fruit of my best effort of making a translation -- I think I got it mostly right.
The original article was accessed here
眾新聞
日本鋼琴家辻井伸行教人震撼
撰文: 一悠 | 發佈日期: 21.04.19Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii -- Earth-shaking Teacher
Citizen News, April 21 2019On April 13, Japanese superstar blind pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii made a single performance at Hong Kong University. Tickets had sold out quickly. After viewing him on youtube hundreds and thousands of times, this time he appeared right in front of my eyes.
All around me I heard Japanese; I estimate about one-fourth of the audience were Japanaese.
Photo caption: Nobuyuki Tsujii plays Chopin encore at his Hong Kong University concert.
[The photo was taken from an audience's seat. The orchestra and Nobu are seen on stage, at the end of the Chopin 2 performance. Nobu has one hand on the piano, in the midst of his Japanese bowing, as the orchestra members look on.]
When I heard him play Chopin and Rachmaninoff for the first time, I was shocked. In the second concerto of Chopin, the second movement is super difficult. It is not easy for a sightless person to play early concertos such as Mozart's, and the Chopin Piano Concertos should be an impossible task.
This time the concerto is the second of Chopin. A few years back at the Chopin Piano Competition, most of the contestants were playing concerto no 1. In fact, the second concerto is more difficult to play.
The Orpheus, a chamber orchestra of more than 20 people, has no conductor. The volume is deep; the violin is especially good, comparable to a normal orchestra of 80 people. Haha [snicker], this would make it harder for conductors to make a living in the future. It is unimaginable how an undirected band, with a sightless pianist, can play Chopin with such beauty.
Tsujii has gotten very busy lately, and, after his stop in Hong Kong, he flew to Taipei, and then returned to Osaka. [Editorial: Nobu's home town is Tokyo, not Osaka.] You cannot see his Hong Kong version of Chopin II on Youtube. It's better to listen to his Rachmaninov 2 at the Proms Festival in the UK. It is his classic.
[A video of the BBC Proms performance is embedded with the article.]
And this makes it two -- It is music that all human beings must listen to!
Blog | Yi You 一悠
[Yu You, come here] I like to talk about ancient and modern, and often talk about stocks.Psychology, piano, stocks, education, cross-infection, exchange.Education: Bachelor of Arts, University of Hong Kong; Diploma of Education, Master of Science, University of New South Wales, Australia ...
Below is a screen grab showing the blog post as appears on the website of the Citizen News on April 29, 2019
RELATED ARTICLES
Nobuyuki Tsujii & Orpheus in Hong Kong & Taiwan, April 2019
A Hong Kong Writer tips his hat to the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra