Year 2021 -> 2022: The Good, the Bad, and the Worries
Image: Collage of 2021 photos 'borrowed' from various sources
The year of 2021 is coming to a merciful end. I know I am not the only one all too happy to usher its way out (see a piece by humorist Dave Barry, for example.)
Looking over the posts on this blog, I had to laugh when I came upon the one that I myself made a year ago "Still we are alive. Come, 2021!": I thought the scrooge of the COVID-19 virus would have waned by now, and life as we knew it would return. But, as I write (December 26 2021), the world is beset with a new round of the pandemic (the omicron variant ) and anti-virus restrictions are inflicting sufferings again. Concert halls and theaters are shutting down -- again -- with both audience and staff in short supply; and international touring for artists -- which was just beginning to revive -- has once again come to a trickle.
I no longer whine about not having been able to travel since January 2019. How dare I? The pandemic has wreaked irreversible damages to the lives and livelihoods of so many -- especially those in the hospitality industry and those in performing arts -- with no clear end in sight.
I have not entirely lost hope. I have a ticket to Nobu's recital in Seattle next April, which I hope to hold in my hand as I make my entry to the auditorium of the Benaroya Hall . But there is no getting around it: A huge quesion mark hangs in the air about the future of concerts, performances, traveling -- things that I consider fun!
As a Nobuyuki Tsujii fan who live outside of Japan, 2021 was another miserable year. Another year during which Nobu was hardly seen outside of his own country. But the year's end calls for a closure. Let's count our blessings and heart aches ...
THE GOOD
Thanks to his immense popularity, Nobu was among the lucky artists who was able to keep performing all year at mostly sold-out concerts in Japan, and for one fleeting week (Nov 4 -9), he was able to travel to Europe where he triumped in Milan and Paris .
Image: Nobuyuki Tsujii thrilled at his Paris Recital, November 4 2021
With reduced traveling, Nobu seems to have made use of the down time to expand his repertoire,to include Chopin's Op. 25 etudes, Pletnev's rendition of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, and Beethoven's Piano Concerto no. 4. He has also added to his encores, including the Liszt/Wagner 'Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral', which I hope to hear some day.
I am thankful that those delightful year-end Nobu video treats have continued after all these years. The annual BS-Fuji travel series promise to show us footage of Nobu at the Mt. Fuji piano festival held this past summer (instead of overseas journeys). New this year: Suntory Hall digital theatre streaming of ARK classics concerts (Dec 27 - 29) and [I assume] can be viewed on YouTube by us -- Thank you, Avex Classics & Suntory Hall!
( Nobu at the Mt. Fuji Kawaguchiko Piano Festival)
Sadly, it seems Asahi-TV might have quietly pulled the plug on their long running "Miracle Pianist" series -- a big loss. The last episode was aired on the last New Year Day, and no new episode has been announced for this year.
Image: The 2021 "Miracle Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii" episode aired on the last New Year Day
*****
THE BAD
Where do I begin?
Most excruciating of all was the sad turn of the Tokyo Olympics. Postponed from 2020, the long-awaited super event finally took place in summer, minus spectators. Despite advance PRs and false hopes of a plumb role in the opening ceremonies, Nobu's star turn never materialized -- a victim of circumstances and bad luck.. It must have been a bitter disappointment to Nobu. It was to me.
Image: Photos of Nobu in an article promoting the Tokyo Olympics.
I am also saddened that so little was heard about Nobu's CHOPIN Op. 25 etudes. Performed at this year's Premium Recital, I feared that they -- like his 2018 performance of Kapustin's etudes (also performed only at 'premium recitals in Japan) -- would never reach those of us outside of Japan.
Nobu did manage to travel to Paris and Milan in November, for one brief fleeting week. Successful as those concerts were, they hardly made up for the lost opportunities of the canceled Verbier Festival debut and performances with the Liverpool Philharmonics before the departure of their chief conductor Vasily Petrenko.
Meanwhile, Nobu's concert schedule for next year has filled up nicely, with recitals coming up in Vienna (March), Liverpool (March), Seattle (April), and at at least two summer festivals in Europe (Verbier in July, Riga Jurmala in August); orchestral performances with the Philharmonia & their new chief conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali in March, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in April, and Mo. Valery Gergiev and the Mariisky Orchestra in November.
THE WORRIES
With so much uncertainty in the air, it is hard to be sanguine about the new year. With the threats of new virus outbreaks and flight disruptions, I don't see myself traveling overseas anytime soon. Seattle is as far as I would go.
I hope that Nobu continues to enjoy his support in Japan, But even that cannot be taken for granted.
Beloved as he is -- and I know this is a harsh thing to say -- Nobu is now 'old news' in Japan, having been on the scene for over a decade since his Cliburn victory. There are droves of pianists in Japan that challenge his popularity, including the latest crop of winners at piano competitions (Chopin Competition,Tchaikovsky Competition, etc). Nobu has an unrivaled international presence among his Japanese peers; but not for long if he contineus to perform in Japan only.
This is another harsh thing to say, but I am also unhappy about his uninspired repertoire for the upcoming concerts: TheTchaikovsky Piano Concerto no. 1 with the Philharmonia and his Debussy/Liszt/Chopin recitals in Paris/Vienna/Liverpool/Verbier hardly stretch the imagination, to me. Perhaps the choices were made to play it safe when it is not even a sure thing whether these performances would actually take place, but I hope Nobu will offer his long-time fans (like me) something new to look forward to next year.
And, I am sorry to say this: it seems to me there are entirely too many co-performances with violinist F. Miura, good friends though they might be. It seems to me that tickets for their joint performances -- such as the upcoming "Ultimate Concerto Concerts", are not exactly flying off the shelf in spite of heavy promotions. With due respect, I would like to remind Nobu's management of the cautionay tale of 'the goose that laid the golden eggs'.
Image: Illustration of "The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs"from Aesop's Fables
Nobu has enjoyed continued loyal support in Japan since his Cliburn Competition triumph in 2009. Enjoying10+ years of popularity is quite an enviable feat. But Nobu cannot afford to sit on his laurels. There is heavy competition. Already, it seems his concert tickets are not the hot commodities that they used to be, and his YouTube videos are not chalking up huge number of views (partly because there has been very little new contents). No one should blame Nobu for sheltering in Japan during the pandemic, but the long absence from the world stages has not helped to advance his career, while other young pianists in Japan willing to venture out has advanced theirs.
*******
I apologize for this grumpy rant above. Leave it to Nobu's wise mother, Mrs. Itsuko Tsujii, to look on the bright side. This photo she shared on a Christmas day instagram, of Nobu dressed in a Christmas hat and a Beatles hoodie, cheered me up instantly. It has chalked up thousands of 'like's.
The goodness of Nobu will prevail. There may be eager-beaver pianists who sell more tickets in Japan, but they won't [likely] have a devoted [demented :-)] supporter like me!
Image: Christmas Day instagram from Mrs. Itsuko Tsujii
