Tokyo-born pianist Mao Fujita, acclaimed for his Mozart interpretations and cyclic performances of piano sonatas, has quickly become a sought-after performer after winning prizes at renowned competitions like the Clara Haskil and Tchaikovsky. His Cologne solo debut will also feature music from his Japanese homeland.
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»Mao Fujita is a miracle of articulation,« says NDR Kultur. And it’s true: although the 25-year-old Japanese pianist is anything but a virtuoso, he has taken the piano world by storm over the last five years. Competition win after competition win, appearances at renowned festivals were not long in coming and with Fujita’s recording of Mozart’s complete piano sonatas, he has definitively positioned himself as a subtle interpreter of demanding scores. »We pianists have to look at the details. The technical aspects and all the virtuosity in the music play a subordinate role,« says Mao Fujita, revealing his secret as to why even the most virtuoso works sound transparent and elegant to him. Tchaikovsky’s passionate piano concerto can be experienced in a completely new way!
At the age of just 24, Mao Fujita is already at home on the world’s top concert platforms and at the side of major orchestras such as the Munich Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. In his hometown, he studied at the Tokyo College of Music, and he is currently refining his playing as a student of Kirill Gerstein’s in Berlin. He has also received a lot of praise for his recording of the complete Mozart sonatas: »You can hear how much pleasure he takes in the many, often witty little details,« commented the NDR reviewer. It’s with Mozart that Fujita opens his first solo recital at the Elbphilharmonie. The varied foray into the worlds of Classical and Romantic music continues with a Chopin Barcarolle, with the »Kreisleriana« that Schumann dedicated to Chopin, and then Prokofiev’s impressive F-minor Sonata. In addition, an interesting rarity in the shape of the dreamy and playful »Les fêtes« by French impressionist Déodat de Séverac is on the programme.
Im Stadttheater Gießen gastiert das hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt traditionell in jeder Saison – diesmal unter Leitung der jungen finnischen Dirigentin Dalia Stasevska und mit einem besonders attraktiven, klangsinnlichen Programm. Als Hauptwerk bringt sie die populärste Sinfonie ihres Landsmanns Jean Sibelius mit. Schwäne, die über einen See fliegen, haben ihn zu einer seiner intensivsten und erhebendsten sinfonischen Momente inspiriert, zu erleben im Finalsatz seiner 5. Sinfonie. Von Schwedin Andrea Tarrodi gesellt sich eine Hymne auf die Cinque Terre an der ligurischen Mittelmeer-Küste hinzu. »Liguria« sei ein klingender Spaziergang durch diese fünf kleinen Dörfer, so die Komponistin. Außerdem wird man den jungen japanischen Pianisten Mao Fujita erleben in dem wohl entspanntesten und formvollendetsten aller Mozart-Konzerte.
Schwäne, die über einen See fliegen, haben Jean Sibelius zu einer seiner intensivsten und erhebendsten sinfonischen Momente inspiriert, zu erleben im Finalsatz seiner 5. Sinfonie. Die Schwedin Andrea Tarrodi dagegen schrieb eine Hymne auf die Cinque Terre an der ligurischen Mittelmeer-Küste. »Liguria« sei ein klingender Spaziergang durch diese fünf kleinen Dörfer, sagt die Komponistin: Riomaggiore mit seinen hohen Wellen; Manarola mit seinem Uhrenturm; Monterosso, wo die Sonnenanbeter agieren wie in einem Fellini-Film. Ganz eigene Bilder findet auch Mao Fujita in Mozarts Werken, der japanische Pianist fällt gerade hier mit singulärem Esprit und Entdeckergeist auf. Und mit Mut und Fantasie, etwa was Verzierungen und Freiheiten angeht. Auch Mozart, so Mao Fujita, habe »nicht immer gespielt, was in den Noten steht. Er hat improvisiert, einzelne Phrasen und Noten hinzugefügt. Spiele ich Mozart nur so, wie er notiert hat, ist das ziemlich langweilig. Dabei können wir doch etwas Besonderes daraus machen.« Konzertdauer: ca. 110 Minuten – inklusive Pause
Schwäne, die über einen See fliegen, haben Jean Sibelius zu einer seiner intensivsten und erhebendsten sinfonischen Momente inspiriert, zu erleben im Finalsatz seiner 5. Sinfonie. Die Schwedin Andrea Tarrodi dagegen schrieb eine Hymne auf die Cinque Terre an der ligurischen Mittelmeer-Küste. »Liguria« sei ein klingender Spaziergang durch diese fünf kleinen Dörfer, sagt die Komponistin: Riomaggiore mit seinen hohen Wellen; Manarola mit seinem Uhrenturm; Monterosso, wo die Sonnenanbeter agieren wie in einem Fellini-Film. Ganz eigene Bilder findet auch Mao Fujita in Mozarts Werken, der japanische Pianist fällt gerade hier mit singulärem Esprit und Entdeckergeist auf. Und mit Mut und Fantasie, etwa was Verzierungen und Freiheiten angeht. Auch Mozart, so Mao Fujita, habe »nicht immer gespielt, was in den Noten steht. Er hat improvisiert, einzelne Phrasen und Noten hinzugefügt. Spiele ich Mozart nur so, wie er notiert hat, ist das ziemlich langweilig. Dabei können wir doch etwas Besonderes daraus machen.« Konzertdauer: ca. 110 Minuten – inklusive Pause
In 2021, Japanese pianist Mao Fujita caused a sensation at the Verbier Festival with his acclaimed performance of all Mozart piano sonatas. A year later, at the age of twenty-three, he released the cycle on CD. Critics praised the pianist’s “miraculous articulation.” Mao Fujita will now make his debut with the BRSO by performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor, whose somber and resigned tone already points towards the Romantic era. Schubert’s “Great” C major Symphony is equally groundbreaking. Its epic, large-scale structure, the richness and variety of phrasing, and its expansive pace led Robert Schumann to enthusiastically exclaim: “This heavenly length, like a monumental novel in four volumes.” After a long break, Semyon Bychkov will return to conduct the BRSO for this concert. The former principal conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester has led the Czech Philharmonic since 2018, and is a sought-after guest conductor of the world’s leading orchestras.
In 2021, Japanese pianist Mao Fujita caused a sensation at the Verbier Festival with his acclaimed performance of all Mozart piano sonatas. A year later, at the age of twenty-three, he released the cycle on CD. Critics praised the pianist’s “miraculous articulation.” Mao Fujita will now make his debut with the BRSO by performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor, whose somber and resigned tone already points towards the Romantic era. Schubert’s “Great” C major Symphony is equally groundbreaking. Its epic, large-scale structure, the richness and variety of phrasing, and its expansive pace led Robert Schumann to enthusiastically exclaim: “This heavenly length, like a monumental novel in four volumes.” After a long break, Semyon Bychkov will return to conduct the BRSO for this concert. The former principal conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester has led the Czech Philharmonic since 2018, and is a sought-after guest conductor of the world’s leading orchestras.
In 2021, Japanese pianist Mao Fujita caused a sensation at the Verbier Festival with his acclaimed performance of all Mozart piano sonatas. A year later, at the age of twenty-three, he released the cycle on CD. Critics praised the pianist’s “miraculous articulation.” Mao Fujita will now make his debut with the BRSO by performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor, whose somber and resigned tone already points towards the Romantic era. Schubert’s “Great” C major Symphony is equally groundbreaking. Its epic, large-scale structure, the richness and variety of phrasing, and its expansive pace led Robert Schumann to enthusiastically exclaim: “This heavenly length, like a monumental novel in four volumes.” After a long break, Semyon Bychkov will return to conduct the BRSO for this concert. The former principal conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester has led the Czech Philharmonic since 2018, and is a sought-after guest conductor of the world’s leading orchestras.
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