Year 2019 marks the end of a decade that I have had the privilege of following the career of Nobuyuki Tsujii. I used to be able to name the performances of Nobu at the end of each year, off the top of my head. As the years pass, I can no longer manage to do that, so full has his schedule become.
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As I looked over my postings and photos collected over the year, I was astounded by just how much Nobu has accomplished in one year. So much took place that my live attendances of his recitals at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall (January) and the Carnegie Hall (May) already seemed from a distant past, although the memory of seeing him in October in the Hamburg Elbphiharmonie remains fresh.
Along with those 3 famous venues, Nobu also made his debuts at the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in Armenia in October, the George Enescu Festival in Romania in October, and the Concertgebouw in December. In his native Japan, Nobu continues to thrill his fans in sold-out concerts at great venues, including the renovated Suntory Hall and the brand new Fenice Sakai Concert Hall in Osaka.
The Carnegie Hall recital in May and the recital at the Concertgebouw in December were unplanned -- Nobu stepped in for pianist greats Murray Perahia and Nelson Freire respectively. Nobu -- ever fearless -- accepted the challenges of those last-minute invitations with aplomb, and gave his very best on stage every time.
In 2019, Nobu expanded his repertoire with these new concertos: Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 (at the Rostropovich Festival in Moscow in April); Shostakovich's Piano [and Trumpet] Concerto No. 1 (with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Patrick Hahn& Lucienne Renaudin Vary in August), and Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1, (with conductor Kent Nagano & the Hamburg Phil in October.) Nobu's concerts took him to these countries where he performed for the first time: Hong Kong SAR (April), Armenia (September), Romania (September) and the Netherlands (December).
In Japan, Nobu appeared in two special events that I hope speaks well for the fulfillment of his wish to perform at the ceremonies of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: playing for a group of world leaders at the G20 summit performance in Osaka in June, and performing at the National Festival to celebrate Emperor Naruhito’s coronation in Tokyo in November.
On top of this page is a collage of some 2019 images from my collection:
Top left to right White Nights Festival St. Petersburg; Carnegie Hall recital; ConcertGebouw Recital; Elbphiharmonie with conductor Kent Nagano & the Hamburg Phil.
Bottom left to to right: Season Opener for the Liverpool Phil & Mo. Vasily Petrenko; George Enescu Festival in Romania;G20 summit performance in Osaka; National Festival to celebrate Emperor Naruhito’s coronation.
Below is a list of Nobu's 2019 performances, most recent first (see Past Concerts)
Nobu got a rave review from Michael Church of the UK Independent: "An extraordinary performance by any standards"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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♪ April, Rostropovich Festival in Moscow.
Nobu and buddy Fumiaki Miura impersonating Kremlin guards, in pink fur hats
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♪ April On tour with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Hong Kong, Taiwan & Japan.
Nobu and mother Itsuko enjoying delicious dim sum at a Hong Kong restaurant.
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♪ May Cologne, Germany on tour with Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg
Nobu pays a surprise backstage visit to the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (who was performing the day before Nobu's concert) -- the orchestra reciprocated the next day.
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♪ June OEK Japan tour
Nobuyuki Tsujii the big brother, taking under his wings his younger co-performers: Patrick Hahn & Lucienne
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Nobu Performs a surprise duo encore of Brahms with conductor-pianist Patrick Hahn on the OEK, Nobu,
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♪ July A Summer Culinary Treat
In this Instagram photo posted by Mrs. Itsuko Tsujii: Nobu looks like he has a headache ^_^, but I imagine he enjoyed the 山料理 (Mountain Cuisine ) prepared by famous chef 野崎Nozaki of the わけとくやまwaketokuyama restaurant, renowned in Japan.
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Sadly, in another instagram posted by Mrs. Tsujii later that month, an accompanying photo shows her seated in a wheelchair, and Nobu pushing her chair. I believe Mrs. Tsujii has since completely recovered from her bad fall.
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♪ September recital in Yereva, Armenia, in the stunning Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall![]()
♪ September 10, 12, 14 George Enescu Festival in Romania
Reunion with two conductors: Michael Sanderling, with whom Nobu performed with the Romania Youth Orchestra, and Vladimir Jurowski, artistic Director of the festival.
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♪ October Ark Classics Concerts at Suntory HallNobu and violinist Fumiaki Miura, colleague and friends, strode off stage with arms around each other's shoulders. They aree "artistic directors" of the Ark Classics Concerts, held for the second year.
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♪ October Chamber music in Japan October 2019
Nobu and friends were scheduled for weekend performances at the Yatsugatake Lodge, a mountain resort Nagano, Japan. The two-day concerts were disrupted by a devastating typhoon, but the 6 artists (including Fumiaki Miura and cellist Jonathan Roozeman) stayed for the final performance so as not to disapoint the ticket holders.
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♪ December 14 A mini-concert at the Hotel Okura Amsterdam, day before Nobu'sRecital at the Concertgebouw
An Instagram comes with a clip of Nobu playing a Christmas medley. Please click here to see the video, if you wish
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And, after giving up a week of his year-end holiday for the Concertgebouw recital, Nobuyuki Tsujii is finally enjoying a much deserved break. This is how Nobu put it in his Concertgebouw report:
Indeed, happy holidays to Nobu and everyone! Thank you for reading my posts over the year, and please stay tuned for more thrills and excitements in Year 2020.
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Image source: https://www.alphatranscription.com/
RELATED ARTICLES
Nobuyuki Tsujii -- Past Concerts
Upcoming Concerts
As I looked over my postings and photos collected over the year, I was astounded by just how much Nobu has accomplished in one year. So much took place that my live attendances of his recitals at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall (January) and the Carnegie Hall (May) already seemed from a distant past, although the memory of seeing him in October in the Hamburg Elbphiharmonie remains fresh.
Along with those 3 famous venues, Nobu also made his debuts at the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in Armenia in October, the George Enescu Festival in Romania in October, and the Concertgebouw in December. In his native Japan, Nobu continues to thrill his fans in sold-out concerts at great venues, including the renovated Suntory Hall and the brand new Fenice Sakai Concert Hall in Osaka.
The Carnegie Hall recital in May and the recital at the Concertgebouw in December were unplanned -- Nobu stepped in for pianist greats Murray Perahia and Nelson Freire respectively. Nobu -- ever fearless -- accepted the challenges of those last-minute invitations with aplomb, and gave his very best on stage every time.
In 2019, Nobu expanded his repertoire with these new concertos: Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 (at the Rostropovich Festival in Moscow in April); Shostakovich's Piano [and Trumpet] Concerto No. 1 (with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Patrick Hahn& Lucienne Renaudin Vary in August), and Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1, (with conductor Kent Nagano & the Hamburg Phil in October.) Nobu's concerts took him to these countries where he performed for the first time: Hong Kong SAR (April), Armenia (September), Romania (September) and the Netherlands (December).
In Japan, Nobu appeared in two special events that I hope speaks well for the fulfillment of his wish to perform at the ceremonies of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: playing for a group of world leaders at the G20 summit performance in Osaka in June, and performing at the National Festival to celebrate Emperor Naruhito’s coronation in Tokyo in November.
On top of this page is a collage of some 2019 images from my collection:
Top left to right White Nights Festival St. Petersburg; Carnegie Hall recital; ConcertGebouw Recital; Elbphiharmonie with conductor Kent Nagano & the Hamburg Phil.
Bottom left to to right: Season Opener for the Liverpool Phil & Mo. Vasily Petrenko; George Enescu Festival in Romania;G20 summit performance in Osaka; National Festival to celebrate Emperor Naruhito’s coronation.
Below is a list of Nobu's 2019 performances, most recent first (see Past Concerts)
- Dec 15 Recital at the Concertgebouw
- Dec 7 Tchai 1 with the Mariinsky Orchestra and Valery Gergeiv, Tokyo Tchaikovsky Festival
- Nov 16 Nobuyuki Tsujii All Chopin concert for the Fenice Sakai Concert Hall, Osaka
- Nov 9 National Festival to celebrate Emperor Naruhito’s coronation, Tokyo
- October 31 - Nov 8 Japan tour with Kent Nagano & Hamburg Phil
- October 27&28 Elbphiharmonie with conductor Kent Nagano & the Hamburg Phil
- October 23 Hanover with the NDR Radio Philharmonie chief conductor Andrew Manze
- October 8-14Chamber music in Japan October 2019
- October 4 - 6Ark Classics Concerts at Suntory Hall
- September 19, 22 Season Openers for the Liverpool Phil & Mo. Vasily Petrenko
- September 10, 12, 14 George Enescu Festival in Romania
- September 6 recital in Yereva, Armenia
- July 17-28 OEK, Nobu, Patrick Hahn & Lucienne Japan tour
- June 28Nobuyuki Tsujii played for the G20 summit 2019 at Osaka, Germany
- June 11 - Aug 30 Nobuyuki Tsujii's Cliburn Competition 10 Year Anniversary Concerts
- May 29, 31White Nights Festival St. Petersburg
- May 23-27Nobu & the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg
- May 10Carnegie Hall recital
- May 5 & 6 Miyazaki Festival, Japan
- April 18-27Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Japan Tour
- April 12-16 Nobuyuki Tsujii & Orpheus in Hong Kong & Taiwan
- April 1the Rostropovich Festival in Moscow
- December 11 2018 - March 7 "Debussy-Ravel-Chopin" Japan Recital Tour
- FebruaryGermany tour (Munich, Regensburg, Berlin, Stuttgart, Fürth)
- January 30 recital at Queen E Hall, London
- January 12, 13, 14concerts at Bunkamura, Tokyo
Some extra special moments of the year --
♪ January recital at Queen E Hall, LondonNobu got a rave review from Michael Church of the UK Independent: "An extraordinary performance by any standards"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
♪ April, Rostropovich Festival in Moscow.
Nobu and buddy Fumiaki Miura impersonating Kremlin guards, in pink fur hats
♪ April On tour with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Hong Kong, Taiwan & Japan.
Nobu and mother Itsuko enjoying delicious dim sum at a Hong Kong restaurant.
♪ May Cologne, Germany on tour with Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg
Nobu pays a surprise backstage visit to the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (who was performing the day before Nobu's concert) -- the orchestra reciprocated the next day.
♪ June OEK Japan tour
Nobuyuki Tsujii the big brother, taking under his wings his younger co-performers: Patrick Hahn & Lucienne
Nobu Performs a surprise duo encore of Brahms with conductor-pianist Patrick Hahn on the OEK, Nobu,
♪ July A Summer Culinary Treat
In this Instagram photo posted by Mrs. Itsuko Tsujii: Nobu looks like he has a headache ^_^, but I imagine he enjoyed the 山料理 (Mountain Cuisine ) prepared by famous chef 野崎Nozaki of the わけとくやまwaketokuyama restaurant, renowned in Japan.
Sadly, in another instagram posted by Mrs. Tsujii later that month, an accompanying photo shows her seated in a wheelchair, and Nobu pushing her chair. I believe Mrs. Tsujii has since completely recovered from her bad fall.
♪ September 10, 12, 14 George Enescu Festival in Romania
Reunion with two conductors: Michael Sanderling, with whom Nobu performed with the Romania Youth Orchestra, and Vladimir Jurowski, artistic Director of the festival.
♪ October Ark Classics Concerts at Suntory HallNobu and violinist Fumiaki Miura, colleague and friends, strode off stage with arms around each other's shoulders. They aree "artistic directors" of the Ark Classics Concerts, held for the second year.
♪ October Chamber music in Japan October 2019
Nobu and friends were scheduled for weekend performances at the Yatsugatake Lodge, a mountain resort Nagano, Japan. The two-day concerts were disrupted by a devastating typhoon, but the 6 artists (including Fumiaki Miura and cellist Jonathan Roozeman) stayed for the final performance so as not to disapoint the ticket holders.
♪ December 14 A mini-concert at the Hotel Okura Amsterdam, day before Nobu'sRecital at the Concertgebouw
An Instagram comes with a clip of Nobu playing a Christmas medley. Please click here to see the video, if you wish
And, after giving up a week of his year-end holiday for the Concertgebouw recital, Nobuyuki Tsujii is finally enjoying a much deserved break. This is how Nobu put it in his Concertgebouw report:
この演奏会が今年の仕事納めとなりました。少し早いですが、皆様どうぞ良いクリスマスと良い年をお迎えください。来年も良い演奏をお届けできるよう、努力して参ります。
来年も宜しくお願い致します
[This concert concludes my work this year. It's a little early, but please have a good Christmas and a great New Year. I will do my best to deliver good performances next year.
Please accept my best regards for next year!]
来年も宜しくお願い致します
[This concert concludes my work this year. It's a little early, but please have a good Christmas and a great New Year. I will do my best to deliver good performances next year.
Please accept my best regards for next year!]
Indeed, happy holidays to Nobu and everyone! Thank you for reading my posts over the year, and please stay tuned for more thrills and excitements in Year 2020.
Image source: https://www.alphatranscription.com/
RELATED ARTICLES
Nobuyuki Tsujii -- Past Concerts
Upcoming Concerts