But it has not been a normal year. Carnegie Hall has been shuttered since the outbreak of COVID 19 pandemicin the U.S. around March. And Nobu's recital, along with so many other live performances in all over the U.S., has been rudely called off.
Don't get me wrong. I am keenly aware that the cancellation of a concert is infinitely trivial, compared to the profound human sufferings in the paths of destruction of the pandemic.
It will not be soon. But a day will come when the lights will shine again on the Perelman Stage. And when that happens, I hope the good people at the Carnegie Hall will remember that Nobuyuki Tsujii, as a last-minute substitute for eminent pianist Murray Perahia, gave a spellbinding recital in May 2019 that "earned a standing ovation and four encores" -- as mentioned in the hall's posting for the recital [image above]. I was at that compelling performance, and was thrilled that Nobu was invited back so soon to perform in the Keyboard Virtuoso series this year. Sadly, COVID intervened.
Let's hope that a day will come again when a Steinway grand will be wheeled out on stage in the Stern Auditorium, and Nobuyuki Tsujii -- his the nimble fingers dancing on the keyboard -- will thrill us again with his incomparable piano music.
Forget him not, Carnegie Hall.
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Image below: Carnegie Hall recital in May 2019. Nobuyuki Tsujii closes the piano lid to stop the show; after 4 encores the audience still want more.
Image below: I took this photo of a happy Nobuyuki Tsujii, backstage after the 2019 recital
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