First performance of Chopin Piano Concerto no. 1. Aimi resplendent with the Chopin Festival Orchestra in Tokyo conducted by Michal Dworzynski

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Mixed recital/orchestral concert with the Chopin Festival Orchestra in Tokyo conducted by Michal Dworzynski at the Suntory Hall (Main Hall), Tokyo, 15th May 2010 *

Program (all Chopin)

First half

Scherzo no. 1 in B minor, Op. 20

Etude Op.10 no. 3, “Tristesse”

Etude Op.10 no. 4

Etude Op.10 no. 5, “Black keys”

Waltz no. 14 in E minor (Op. posth.)

Mazurka no. 41 in C sharp minor Op. 63 no. 3

Ballade no. 1 in G minor Op. 23

Second half

Piano Concerto no. 1 in E minor Op. 11

Encore: Chopin Nocturne in C sharp minor no. 20 Op. posth.

* From a note that appeared on Aimi’s EMI pages around the time of the concert it appears that this event was arranged at rather short notice to supplement the CD debut recital in December. From other sources one gathers that the piano concerto no. 1 was requested by the promoters (EMI Japan?) and that Aimi may have had as little as a month to prepare it (although I am now told that Aimi was playing it as early as August 2009). Her hands are relatively small, and previously there had been no plans for her to perform it as it needs a bigger stretch than the concerto no. 2 she plays regularly.

Aimi’s Annus Mirabilis ends in a blaze of glory

Annus mirabilis? I start this from her appearance in Poland in August 2009, after which she went to Brazil in November, and then burst on to the scene in Japan with her CD debut in December to mark her contract with EMI Japan. Since then she has hardly been out of the public eye.

First, a couple of Twitterings posted in english soon after the concert:

“Today, I went to Suntory Hall. I listened to the play of Kobayashi Aimi. She is only 14-year-old pianist, but her play is excellent!” — Nisihata Saya, Twitter 15 May

“Aimi Kobayashi, 14, played Chopin Scherzo 1 Mazurka 41 concerto 1 etc Suntory hall May 15. Definitely genious. May become comparable to Argerich” — Ken Sausalito, Japanese journalist, Twitter 16 May.

Then there is a blow-by-blow account by a blogger, Desktop Piano, who was also there. This is in Japanese and we may have a translation one day. But thanks to this person we now have the complete program, which is listed above.

However the most serious account is that of Keiichi Nomura, who is a classical musician and composer. His review is posted in his blog entry of 15 May. A request for a translation drew a blank, so my invaluable helper mimiporu went to work and provided the version below. As usual we can’t guarantee that it is absolutely accurate, but it probably gives a good idea.

It is interesting in basing an assessment of Aimi on just four pieces — the three études and the nocturne encore. We are told almost nothing about how she performed in her new concerto. Perhaps this is not surprising as Aimi was under huge pressure to get this ready in time for the concert. With a just one month to learn it more or less from scratch, the fact that she played it without a score (see the photo) is testament in itself to her abilities.

Here is Keiichi Nomura’s description of the concert. In the first 30 lines the author writes about other matters, so the translation starts about line 31.

Chopin recital by 14-year-old Aimi Kobayashi on May 15

“ . . . Today I am writing about 14-year-old Aimi Kobayashi’s Chopin recital [at Suntory Hall].

“In a word, we are seeing the second Mitsuko Uchida. 90 percent of her keyboard touch was pianissimo. The separation of each voice was clear. So, except for the main tones, all tones sounded with the gentle brightness of a pearl in the background. It was amazing pianism. I had the impression that Aimi played pianissimo with her full power [literally “pianissimo sound like the best play blasting”]. Moreover, there was no wasteful tempo rubato in her performance. She expressed everything with predictable agogik [Look it up!]. Three pieces (nos 3, 4, and 5) from the Etudes Op. 10 were played so deliciously. All were unrivalled — fine performances that put Maurizio Pollini’s “Chopin Etudes” in the shade. The Mazurka Op.63-3 and Waltz Op. posth. in E minor were wonderful, but it was the three études that really shone. To end the first half [of the concert] Aimi played the Ballade no. 1. This was also a tour de force — but in another way, for although she forgot to play about 10 bars [at one point], she continued to play without being put out. Perhaps those in the audience hearing the Ballade for the first time did not notice the mistake as, ignoring the mishap, she finished playing magnificently without letting herself be put out.

“In the second half Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 1 was performed. The orchestra was the Chopin Festival Orchestra in Tokyo, whose members were probably assembled [especially] for this concert. Nevertheless, they played very finely. I really feel that the musical level of Japanese orchestras is very high. By chance, my seat was the same as when I heard the performance of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. My seat was in P block, which is behind the orchestra and in front of the bell of the 4th horn. This orchestra was in no way inferior to the Rotterdam PO — [in fact] the ensemble might be superior to Rotterdam’s. The conductor was Michal Dworzynski, a 31-year-old Pole. He conducted the orchestra in a moderate way, allowing Aimi to take the leading role. I hadn’t heard of him before, but my impression is that he will be a renowned conductor.

“As an encore Aimi played the Nocturne no. 20 Op. posth. I have to take my hat off to the beauty of her pianissimo trill. Mr Koichi Nakayama (the piano tuner), who sat next to me, said that he felt he was listening to an instrument he hadn’t heard before. A very true remark. It may be said that Aimi rediscovered the piano. The sound we heard at her concert can never be heard on CD or on YouTube.

“Although the applause continued, that was the only encore. This was a good decision.

“Aimi already has the air of a great pianist. It has to be said that we are lucky to live in the same age as she does.

“It looks as though the world of music will be changed by the appearance of pianist Aimi Kobayashi.”

Well! In fact I was struck most of all by the piano tuner’s remark, as exactly the same remark has been made by another person who is familiar with a particular concert piano, which they own, and these two people could not possibly know each other. We must assume of course that the tuner Keiichi Nomura sat next to is the person who looks after the Suntory Hall pianos and that he knows their individual sounds in performance intimately.

Japanese customs don't allow me to reveal the identity of this other person, but my information is first-hand. What this person said after hearing Aimi performing on their fine concert instrument was that they had never before heard it sound the way she made it sound. In fact they found themselves glued to the stage door because the experience was so fascinating.

You see, with Aimi one cannot avoid one leading question. She is so compelling to watch, so bewitching in her total immersion in what she plays, that one has to wonder whether this “unique” sound isn’t some psychological effect. In other words that what’s really happening is that she forces you, for the first time, to really listen, and you just hear more.

Partly, maybe, but that would be to do Aimi’s abilities an injustice.

On to the next Twitter review. The writer has organized this into five “impressions”:

<< Before I forget my impressions, I will twitter about Aimi Kobayashi’s debut concert at Suntory Hall last night.

Impression 1

She has a lot of experience of performing on the stage, but she is still just a14-year-old girl. So I wondered what kind of performance she would give in the most prestigious hall in Tokyo. Contrary to my worries, it was a brilliant performance.

Impression 2

First, her concentration is terrific. She appeared on the stage, sat on the stool and closed her eyes for tens of seconds to raise her concentration. The hall filled with nervous tension. Just when the strain reached the limit, she started to play with a firm touch.

Impression 3

The way she takes her time before beginning to play is reminiscent of a maestro. She has a lot of stage courage, so she didn’t seem to be 14 years old. She played as if the floodgates had broken open. When she began to perform, the tempos came quickly, one after another. But her tempos were pleasant, and not excessive.

Impression 4

Ms Aimi seems to like Chopin very much. She played his beautiful melodies as if she were singing them. I imagined that she likes singing karaoke like other 14-year-olds because while she played she was [so] absorbed in Chopin’s song.

Impression 5

In the second half [we heard] Chopin piano concerto no. 1. It seems that the orchestra was [specially] put together for this concerto. Her playing was well balanced with that of the orchestra [literally, “was not defeated by the orchestra”, meaning, we think, that it didn’t drown her out, as Mr Nomura also says]. Although she didn’t display the acrobatic technique of a child prodigy, this concerto made me feel her pianistic personality. >>

The account is by Manabu Yoshihara, aka Prince_1977, and is in 6 separate twitters dated 16 May: Intro; then Impressions 1; 2; 3; 4; 5. mimiporu did the translation.

Finally, a little bird has whispered in my ear that Aimi’s teacher considers the new piano concerto to have gone well. Let’s hope that someone will post an excerpt on the internet.

A comment from the conductor, Michal Dworzynski

Highly-regarded Polish conductor Michal Dworzynski was kind enough to send in his impressions of Aimi’s performance in response to an enquiry from fellow Pole Tom Wierzbicki. Here is what he wrote:

Aimi . . . I was genuinely impressed. Although I’d been given her CD and DVD beforehand, there is nothing like direct experience. One thing that was missing was volume, but one could not expect a 14-year-old to have a loud sound. This will come with time. Her interaction with the orchestra was almost flawless . . .

In summary I congratulate Aimi on her success and hope to see her career growing.

We are grateful to Michal for permission to reproduce his comments here. They were written July 2, 2010, and the translation is by Tom.

Aimi on TV Tokyo “100 Japanese Who Change the World”, broadcast on 16 July 2010. Click on the strip for a larger version.

Towards the end of her 8-minute slot as a Japanese who is changing the world, Aimi is shown in that dress, it seems relaxing in an artist’s room after her recital at Suntory Hall two months earlier. She is heard saying: “I did my best. . . . In the future I’d like to play with the Berlin Philharmonic and perform in Wien [Vienna]. . . . My dream is too large, isn’t it?” — whereupon she bursts into gales of laughter.

Aimi is extraordinary. It’s difficult to convey how she looks at once small, vulnerable and childlike and yet fills the room with her presence, like a queen holding court.

The program is interesting for some other comments. Eric Dingman, chief of EMI Classics, is interviewed saying: “Even if we looked all over the world for the last few years, we would be not able to find such a wonderful pianist as Aimi. So we gave her a contract. I believe that it is our mission to make her a worldwide star.”

And Mrs Ninomiya, her teacher, is shown demonstrating how as a child Aimi, after listening to a CD, would say that “she liked this part of the performance and wanted to play it like that and played it recklessly [Ninomiya waves her arms] even if her hands couldn’t reach the keys.” I find this interesting as Aimi is always shown playing with such precision.

Aimi’s father is asked if he thinks she is a genius. His face breaking into a mystified — if clearly flattered — grin, he says: “I’m no judge. I don’t care whether she’s a genius or not!” Aimi’s very like her dad, who is a handsome fella with quick reactions, and in all film of the family at home she’s always shown at his side at the dinner table. Mum, it would seem, declines to be filmed.

We must leave the last word to the extraordinary girl herself. Asked how she prepares for concerts, she replies: “I eat chocolate and sleep before the performance. I sleep and wake up 30 minutes before the opening curtain. Then I heighten my concentration and face the performance. It’s what I’ve done since I was a 3rd grader.”

This business about napping before concerts is quite true and has been reported from, for example, Poland. But Aimi is not without other eccentricities related to sleep. I am told that she will wake at unearthly hours and insist on the whole family doing exercises (she is . . er, a little overweight at times) and eating berries. Penance for the chocolate and sticky buns, no doubt, but she makes sure no one is left out of the suffering.

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