The end of year 2022 is fast approaching.
Each year end, fans of Nobuyuki Tsujii have been treated to a TV special put on by Japan's BS-Fuji TV. (See https://www.bsfuji.tv/tsujii/)
Until the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020, we were treated to footage of some of Nobu's overseas travels. Since then, these shows have understandably turned to Nobu's domestic performances, due to travel restrictions imposed by the government of Japan.
Although Nobu has by now resumed his overseas performances, this year's BS-Fuji TV special will once again showcase the increasingly popular Mt. Fuji Piano Festival, at which Nobu is the resident pianist.
The home page for this year's show is at https://www.bsfuji.tv/tsujiifujisan/pub/002.html and the cover photo is a delightful one of Nobu playing on the same piano as Japan's jazz great Yosuke Yamashita.
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Below is an English translation of the text of the announcement
Tuesday, December 27, 2022 20:00-21:55
In September of this year, the piano festival ended with great success at the foot of Mt. Fuji. Mt.Fuji Kawaguchiko Piano Festival was held for the second time following last year. Nobuyuki Tsujii plays a central role as a pianist in residence, and it is a music festival centered on pianos that has never existed in Japan. You can enjoy the various charms of the piano, such as a free picnic concert, a premium recital limited to 100 people, and the main venue Stella Theater where you can see Mt. Fuji.
The highlight this time is the gorgeous appearance artists and performance contents. The centerpiece was Yosuke Yamashita, a jazz pianist who has been leading the Japanese jazz world for many years. Yamashita, who turned 80 this year, whose arrival was delayed due to a typhoon, excited the audience. Moreover, Yamashita jumped into the picnic concert held on the final day. Tsujii's call for a surprise improvisational duet will go down in music history.
And it is the local residents who lend support to this piano festival. In support of the festival, a local railway company runs a collaboration train with an illustration of Nobuyuki Tsujii as the head mark, saying, "We want to liven up the town together." In addition, local convenience stores put up posters of the festival all over the place, trying to boost the excitement. In addition, Tsujii, who learned about the feelings of local residents, held a music workshop for local elementary school students. About 200 children from three elementary schools in the city participated. Tsujii conveyed the joy of playing the piano by improvising with children who had never touched the piano before. He sent a cheer to the children, saying, "I'm happy if you find something you like."
In an interview with the program, Tsujii said, "The second year is important for establishing the Mt. Fuji Kawaguchiko Piano Festival as an annual event and for piano culture to take root."
A music documentary program closely following the challenges of pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii over four days. What kind of encounters and impressions await?
<performers>
Nobuyuki Tsujii
Yosuke Yamashita
Takashi Kako
Yoko Kikuchi
Tamaki Kawakubo
Mari Endo
Yurie Miura
Takeshi Oi conducting Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra
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