Christian Zimerman holds tour in Japan for the first time in two years

Christian Zimerman holds a tour in Japan for the first time in two years.

Christian Zimerman will tour Japan for the first time in two years, from November to December 2023.

In 2022, Christian Zimerman will record the works of Karol Szymanowski, a great composer of piano music he has studied extensively, at Riedenrose in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, to commemorate the 140th anniversary of Szymanowski's birth.

This was the second recording of Schubert's album in Japan, following the recording in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture in 2021.

In 2022, he won the 33rd Prince Takamatsu Memorial World Culture Award in the music category. For Zimerman, 2022 is a year in which he will further deepen his ties with Japan.

The Japanese performance has a special meaning for Zimerman. The program will be announced at a later date.

Christian Zimerman holds tour in Japan for the first time in two years

https://spice.eplus.jp/articles/320169

[National performance schedule]
Krystian Zimerman Piano Recital 2023 Japan performance

https://www.japanarts.co.jp/concert/p2051/

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Mitsuko Uchida/Kissin/Zimmerman - Thoughts on the three pianists

A)
1)
In the autumn of 2021, when the ferocity of the coronavirus had subsided somewhat, the Japanese piano world was in an unusually colourful mood. In particular, two Japanese won prizes at the Chopin International Piano Competition, which is held every five years.

One tied with Mitsuko Uchida for second place, the highest ever achieved by a Japanese pianist. Immediately afterwards, the nation began celebrating him as it did Olympic medallists.

2)
Various stories about their personalities, paths to the prize and prospects for the future were featured in numerous news reports, sparking further discussion, and the word "Chopin" continued to be bandied about in the media until the end of the year.

3)
Of course, I don't intend to shed any light on this. After all, I am about to write about Uchida, who achieved the same feat half a century ago, and Christian Zimmermann, who won the next competition (in 1975).

Coincidentally, two pianists who came to the world's attention through the Chopin Competition gave concerts in Japan this autumn and winter.

4)
In addition, Evgeny Kissin, who became a star after performing Chopin's Piano Concerto at 12 and still has fans worldwide, will be touring Japan to celebrate his 50th birthday.

It was a glorious year, with three players, Mitsuko Uchida, Evgeny Kissin and Christian Zimerman, all starting on the path to mastery through Chopin.

5)
However, although their careers began with the same composer, their musical temperament and directions are very different.

So, I can't make general comparisons between concerts, and I don't think it would make much sense.

However, all three of them have in common that they are at the height of their solitude, their music is unparalleled, and they can no longer compare themselves to others.

B)
6)
Uchida's timeless world

Uchida's performance (Kyoto Concert Hall) on 21 October focused on Beethoven's masterpiece "33 Variations on a Diabelli Waltz", with the first half including the first piece of Schubert's "Four Impromptu D. 935".

7)
Two songs were played. Her works, from the Classical to the early Romantic period, are precisely the repertoire she has concentrated on in recent years.

Schubert, in particular, was the theme of her recital when she came to Japan three years ago, and her author also listened to her in Hyogo.

8)
She immersed herself in a dialogue with her work, and at the time, I felt a little confused by her ascetic demeanour, which blocked the sympathy of her listeners, but she is an artist who creates such a "solitary stage".

9)
I felt how amazing she was as a person. In comparison, her upcoming performance had an intimacy that left room for us, others, to enter. But it brought the depth of that world closer to me.

10)
Even if the music of the time had a solid form and framework, in her hands, the form of a minute or a waltz is only an outer box, and it is clear that there is life in the world that expands inside.

In other words, the detailed historical style is pushed into the background, and a great universe that transcends time and space emerges. That doesn't mean that all types are the same.

11)
In Diabelli, for example, elements such as rhythm and melody are refined to bring out the character of each variation. Then, each variation is piled up, and a large structure has been built before you know it.

While some players may be forced to perform hard mental labour as they climb those long stairs, their steps, though rigorous, were somehow light and enjoyable.

C)
12)
Kissin's singing spirit

Unlike Uchida, who seems to have become more reflective over the years, Kissin's music is still open to the outside world. Even now that the former "prodigy" has become a "master", he remains faithful to the pathos that wells up from within and has not lost his childlike spirit.

13)
However, this yearning is only generated by the music and is by no means an expression of personal feelings and thoughts.

Above all, the forthcoming performance in Japan comes just after my "only" master, with whom I had studied since the age of 6, passed away in July, and the booklet was full of words reminiscent of those memories, but the performance itself was... I couldn't feel the slightest trace of moisture from the music.

14)
But like his lifelong mentor, the essence of his music has remained the same since childhood. (The writer heard the performance at The Symphony Hall in Osaka on 6 November).

15)
The first half is classical, with Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. While highlighting the stylistic differences of the period, Kissin also clarified the central axis running through these songs. In other words, there is the existence of "songs".

In Tausig's arrangement, Bach's Toccata is more colourful and has a solid romantic tone due to his intense performance. Before you know it, the quicksand of this gushing sound creates a great flow and sublimates itself into a solemn hymn praising the Absolute God.

16)
On the other hand, in "Fuga", as the motifs are woven together, they gradually build a grand cathedral of dazzling resonance.

The sound of the Kissin, which has an exceptionally high density and hardness, sparkles like a diamond, so it was reminiscent of an organ or chant echoing in a golden Russian Orthodox cathedral.

17)
In Mozart's Adagio, on the other hand, all ornamentation was stripped away, and the exposed series of sounds evoked the image of a primitive song.

In this way, the sounds full of love for God in Bach were abstracted in Mozart and flowed into Beethoven's 31st Sonata.

18)
The highlight is the back-and-forth between the "Lament" and the fugue in the Sonata's final movement. Kissin's fingers show no sense of inconsistency in transforming a melancholy melody into a playful motif.

He realised that although the outward forms of melody and rhythm were different, the fundamentals were the same, and through his performance, the true nature of the 'song' that was revealed as he progressed from Bach to Mozart became clear.

19)
In the second half, Chopin arranges seven mazurkas chronologically, ending with Andante Spianato and Magnificent Polonaise.

The former is drawn evenly from the early, middle and late periods, suggesting that the composer was confronted with this dance style throughout his life.

20)
Rather than emphasising the rhythm of the dance, Kissin brings out a vernacular sound by giving the impression of intervals such as dissonance and empty fifths.

Still, although these are just colours, they provide a sense of nationalist meaning. Not so strong.

21)
While retaining the scent of a salon where ladies and gentlemen gather, he freely manipulates the white and black keys and plays with the sounds they produce.

His virtuosity on the keyboard culminates in the Grand Polonaise. The shapes and colours of the melodies and chords spun here are indescribable.

22)
I could only witness the afterglow of aristocratic society shining brightly in the concert halls of 21st-century Japan.

Kissin's recitals always include many encores, and this time, as expected, he played four songs. Her appetite for music seems insatiable.

D)
23)
Zimerman has an exquisite sense of balance.

There is probably nothing that conveys more intelligence than Zimerman's playing.

It's not that he's overly intelligent, though, and I don't see any trace of it in his actions.

24)
Proof of this is the Dionysian sound he sometimes emits, which is also laden with a sense of danger and fragility, showing that it is unintentionally released out of passion.

25)
But while I was distracted by their skilful handiwork, I realised that the textiles that appeared before me were an exquisite combination of rationality and sensibility. From a bird's eye, I was always impressed by their compositional power.

26)
On this tour to Japan, they played Bach, Brahms and Chopin (I heard the performance at the Hyogo Arts Center on 9 December).

The first half is Bach's Partita No. 1 and Partita No. 2. Although there is a difference in primary/minor key, the former being in B flat major and the latter in C minor, Zimerman treated the two partitas in contrast.

27)
In other words, unlike the first stanza, which created a well-ordered texture, including rhythm and tempo, while highlighting the upper and bass voices, the second stanza does not shy away from the opening chords and is fast.

28)
It runs through the passage like a fever. At first glance, it seems to be dominated by emotion, but later, I realise that, like the first song, it is an elaborate feeling brought out ideally in keeping with the nature of the suite. It can be said that this is a performance unique to this player, who possesses both intelligence and sensitivity.

29)
The first of the second half was Brahms' "Three Intermezzos Op. 117".
Once again, Zimerman brilliantly differentiated the characteristics of the three songs.

In the first, for example, a gently swaying rhythm blends into the descending line, which seems to lull you into a gentle sleep.

30)
However, it has a beautiful sense of balance, stopping just short of becoming an honest lullaby and allowing you to enjoy the lyricism within the song.

On the other hand, in the third song, each note of the melody played in unison is slightly agitated, revealing a sense of emotional fluctuation and impatience. The subtle differences in nuance make each song intensely flavourful.

31)
In this way, the Bach and Brahms emphasised expression based on the style of the music, but in the final Chopin, Zimerman's passion came to the fore.

In particular, the theme of the third movement, in B major, is not drenched in sweetness but has a melancholy tone that conveys a sense of nostalgia.

32)
For this reason, the aftertaste I heard just before the final note was genuinely profound.

In the fourth movement, he unhesitatingly surrenders to the wave of passion that gradually rises with the theme's return. In showing such a passionate side without hesitation, I felt a different personality from Bach or Brahms and a new sense of empathy.

33)
The curtain call always brought him back to the stage. It was natural that there would be no encore after he had given his all.

Still, I felt I was again witnessing the rich facial expressions that had appeared earlier in Chopin, as he showed only his face from the stage's wings and acted playfully.

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Mitsuko Uchida Piano Recital 2021
2021/10/21 Kyoto Concert Hall Main Hall
〈Program〉
F. Schubert: Four Impromptus, D. 935, No. 1, 2
L. v. Beethoven: 33 Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli in C Major, Op. 120

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Evgeny Kissin Piano Recital Japan Tour 2021
2021/11/6 Osaka The Symphony Hall
〈Program〉
JS Bach/Tausig: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
WA Mozart: Adagio in B Minor, K. 540
Lv Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110
F. Chopin: Mazurkas Op. 7-1, Op. 24-1, Op. 24-2, Op. 30-1, Op. 30-2, Op. 33-3, Op. 33-4
F. Chopin: Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22

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Christian Zimerman Piano Recital Japan Tour 2021 Hyogo Performing Arts Center KOBELCO
Hall 1 in B-Flat Major BWV 825 JS Bach: Partita no. 2 in C Minor BWV 826 J. Brahms: 3 Intermezzi Op. 117 F. Chopin: Piano Sonata no. 3 in B Minor Op. 58