BBC broadcast of recent concerto performance of Nobuyuki Tsujii

[thalbergmad]

Please do something about you allergy :-)

The only allergy i have is an intolerance towards spammers, advertisers and promoters.

There are other boards and myriads of threads on this forum which you seem to have missed so far. You appear to be a one track pony.

Thal

[ubon2010]

The only allergy i have is an intolerance towards spammers, advertisers and promoters.

There are other boards and myriads of threads on this forum which you seem to have missed so far. You appear to be a one track pony.

Thal

There is really no need to get personal.  I have other interests that I pursue elsewhere; and I am not a spammer, advertiser or a promoter.   

[thalbergmad]

Nothing personal. I was making an observation.

Thal

[prongated]

First of all, I don't see why I should not take into account Nobu's blindness in appreciating his music.  No, it's not the only reason but it is a factor.  Secondly, even disregarding his blindness, Nobuyuki Tsujii's playing has a tone and a fluidity that I admire.  You may not hear them, just as I don't hear the fine qualities in your pet performers, but enough people hear them that I know it is discernible.

...so let's be honest; how much were you moved even before Tsujii began playing? But ah, never mind. What you express there makes more sense than simply saying an interpretation is fresh because it is performed by a blind person.

I am fully cognizant of how competitive the concert pianist business is.  But please do not make that a reason to resent the accomplishment of a particular pianist that you happen to take a disliking to.  You seem to imply that Nobuyuki's success has to do with self promotion and connections.  If you have solid proof of that, I would be curious to hear it.

Think of it from a concert presenter's point of view; Tsujii is absolutely one of the most marketable classical musician alive today. If I'm a quite well-established concert presenter, I'm confident I can give him at least a very high 4-digit paycheck to give a solo recital and make a nice profit out of it. Of course, whether he will do it is another matter entirely.

In other words, there is no need for me to prove anything - it's just how it works, just like 1 + 1 = 2. The proof is out there for you to see and/or work out. Same goes for so many other musicians - think also pop music. How famous any musician becomes depends rather heavily on the marketing effort put in.

Of course, as a classical musician you absolutely have to have the ability to perform on your chosen instrument, and I have absolutely no qualms in saying Tsujii has that in spades - and indeed I reiterate, it is in many ways inspirational what he is able to do, given his disability. At the same time, I call it as I see it - for me, there are others that deserve the 1st place more. And no, this is not resentment towards Tsujii. If anything, this is disappoinment for Bozhanov in particular.

[ongaku_oniko]

Off topic, but what do you think of Zhang Haochen?

[prongated]

I've only heard some of his 1st round performance. The Polonaise-Fantaisie was sounding nice. The Beethoven op. 110 was beautiful - which is quite a feat for anyone, let alone an 18-year-old! Very talented for sure. Ready for a solo concert career or something similar? We'll see I guess...

...the one thing I question about giving 18-year-old pianists the 1st prize (SIPCA 2004 - John Chen and Chopin - Yundi Li also comes to mind) is, were they given 1st prize because they are ready, or because they are considered to have a huge potential? If the latter, well, shouldn't the 1st prize ideally be awarded to the person that is most ready to go out there and have a career in music? Unless of course the aim is different. But, who am I to present the question to begin with

[ubon2010]

...so let's be honest; how much were you moved even before Tsujii began playing?

I am touched by the sight of Noubyuki being led on stage.  It is all part of the experience, but it would not have been enough for me to be so moved by his music.

But ah, never mind. What you express there makes more sense than simply saying an interpretation is fresh because it is performed by a blind person.

I never said that the "interpretation is fresh because it is performed by a blind person", even though it is the case that I think Nobu does provide a new perspective for me to listen to the Tchai 1 or Rach 2 to experience how that well-known work is interpreted by someone who does not have sight.  It is a new perspective for me, as a listener.

Think of it from a concert presenter's point of view; Tsujii is absolutely one of the most marketable classical musician alive today. If I'm a quite well-established concert presenter, I'm confident I can give him at least a very high 4-digit paycheck to give a solo recital and make a nice profit out of it. Of course, whether he will do it is another matter entirely.

It is a free world and you are entitled to your speculations.  Let me just point out that in April Nobuyuki Tsujii will be giving two recitals, one in New York and one in Pennsylvania, that you can attend FREE OF CHARGE.  I personally appreciate that he is doing his part to attract new audience to classical music.

[prongated]

I never said that the "interpretation is fresh because it is performed by a blind person", even though it is the case that I think Nobu does provide a new perspective for me to listen to the Tchai 1 or Rach 2 to experience how that well-known work is interpreted by someone who does not have sight.

Okay, I will tell you what's fresh about this performance - it is played by someone who has been blind from birth and yet has found a way to  master "fortissimo 10-fingered chords, double octaves in contrary motion, and sixty-fourth notes runs for both hands"; and the music is beautiful to my ears, which thankfully have not been as burdened as others.  By the way, Tsujii managed to be perfectly in sync with the orchestra without seeing, and he learned and memorized every note of a 45-minute work without sight.

In other words. So, good day to you

[cmg]

Wow!  This thread is still perking since January.  I'm afraid I missed the Tchai, but I revisited Youtube to listen to Tsujii's Chopin Opus 10.  Maybe because I'm reworking the first four Etudes and finding Opus 10 No 1 to be relentlessly impossible for me to get fully up to tempo, BUT Tsujii's live performance of these works strikes me as transcendental.  Blind or sighted, I think the young man is a brilliant talent.  I am baffled by the negative opinions of him. 

[retrouvailles]

I am baffled by the negative opinions of him.

People are not giving him negative opinions because he is blind. That is beside the point. If you forget he is blind for a second and then judge him, then you will not be blind to the fact that he is not a great pianist. He has talent, but so do thousands of unrecognized pianists who toil in conservatories nationwide. His difference is exposure, like I said.

[ubon2010]

Wow!  This thread is still perking since January.  I'm afraid I missed the Tchai,

This thread has not been active since January; I restarted it on March 21, when BBC3 broadcast another performance of Nobuyuki Tsujii with the BBC Philharmonic; it is still available through the 27th at https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00zm2rn/Performance_on_3_BBC_Philharmonic_Mendelssohn_Rachmaninov_Berlioz/

but I revisited Youtube to listen to Tsujii's Chopin Opus 10.  Maybe because I'm reworking the first four Etudes and finding Opus 10 No 1 to be relentlessly impossible for me to get fully up to tempo, BUT Tsujii's live performance of these works strikes me as transcendental.  Blind or sighted, I think the young man is a brilliant talent.  I am baffled by the negative opinions of him.  

Let's be clear that there are no more than 6 people on this thread who speak disparagingly of Tsujii, out of some resentments beyond his control.  As you can see on youTube, there are hundreds others who think otherwise.  And I can offer you published quotes from many professionals in the music business who agree with you (thanks!) and me that Nobuyuki Tsujii is a brilliant talent.   Some minds cannot be changed; it was not my intention to do so when I started this thread.

[thalbergmad]

Some minds cannot be changed; it was not my intention to do so when I started this thread.

What was your intention when you started this thread then??

Thal

[ongaku_oniko]

Clearly it was to show to the few people who may enjoy Tsuji's playing some places where they can hear him play.

Look, if you don't like udon promoting tsuji, okay.

If you don't like Tsuji, okay.

But it doesn't make Nobuyuki Tsuji any better or worse. Who cares whether udon is tsuji's promoter or not? If you like Tsuji's music, enjoy it. if not, don't. What does it have to do with udon?

[cmg]

People are not giving him negative opinions because he is blind. That is beside the point. If you forget he is blind for a second and then judge him, then you will not be blind to the fact that he is not a great pianist. He has talent, but so do thousands of unrecognized pianists who toil in conservatories nationwide. His difference is exposure, like I said.

No, no I don't think for a second that anyone is criticizing him "because he is blind," but it appears you think his blindness, as a "novelty," has given him the competitive edge over sighted pianists.  I went to school with two blind pianists and knew one as a child studying, so the novelty of blindness has receded for me a long time ago.  Watching and listening to him perform Opus 10 No. 1 on Youtube reminded me of his very refined virtuosity.  It's an extraordinary live performance in Texas of a piece that is terrifying to pull off.  Frankly, I've never heard it played better, or more musically.  The remaining Etudes are of the same electrifying quality.

I have to disagree with you about the suggestion that his success is undeserved.  Yes, there are thousands of virtuosi everywhere, but he is one who can calm his nerves in live performance and deliver beautifully.  No easy task!  Is he the greatest on earth?  No!  No one really deserves that status since this is such a subjective valuation.  I personally find his playing to be world-class.  I ain't Yoda.  You may certainly disagree. 

[ubon2010]

Clearly it was to show to the few people who may enjoy Tsuji's playing some places where they can hear him play.

Look, if you don't like udon promoting tsuji, okay.

If you don't like Tsuji, okay.

But it doesn't make Nobuyuki Tsuji any better or worse. Who cares whether udon is tsuji's promoter or not? If you like Tsuji's music, enjoy it. if not, don't. What does it have to do with udon?

Thank you for answering so nicely the question of "What was your intention when you started this thread then??"  By the way, "ubon" is Nobu spelled backward, and I am not Nobuyuki Tsujii - for sure. :-)
Yes, when I started the thread, I was hoping for some thoughtful discourse about Nobuyuki Tsujii's performance.  I am finally getting some, thanks!

[thalbergmad]

I am finally getting some, thanks!

If you hang around long enough, then this is going to happen.

Thal

[orangesodaking]

Time for my 2 cents.

Nobuyuki Tsujii is a fine pianist. I am happy that he is able to do what he loves even though he is blind. And if he truly likes Tchaikovsky's first concerto, then I support his like for the piece and his playing it. But I wonder if the conductor/orchestra or somebody else picked the piece instead of Tsujii, or if Tsujii picked it only because it is so popular.

Personally, I do not like the Tchaikovsky 1 that much, and a surprising amount of pianists don't like it as much as one would maybe think. Furthermore, it is NOT quite as difficult as it's made out to be. I was learning it for a time and was breezing right through it before I quit to learn the Brahms 1 instead, which I enjoy much more, I feel is objectively a better concerto, and also is objectively harder than the Tchaikovsky 1 (not that I care if it is or not).

Even if I don't like a piece of music, I can sit through a performance of the person playing it if they have mastered it to a high caliber and if they are truly playing sincerely and from the heart.

Also, on a more general level, pianism today is often about competitions, marketing, and publicity. Even though I don't like it and don't want to base my focus only on those, I do recognize that others do and that's just a part of it. But I'm going to do what I want to do! As long as I have enough money to get by and am doing what I love, I will be satisfied! As my good friend said to me just earlier today: "I don't give a d*** about 'success.'" I am successful when I am doing what I love and when I am satisfied in that.

Sorry for the rant. Please continue.