When one speaks of Hakuju—the milestone of turning 99—it is an age at which simply living each day in good health is remarkable in itself. While everyone has their own way of enjoying their later years, I traveled to Akashi City (to the ”Ours Hall” Akashi City Community Large Hall to attend a tenor recital given by Mr. Tsutomu Ando—an acquaintance from my corporate days who has now reached this extraordinary age. What first astonished me was the turnout: despite the venue bei

Chapter 18: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750; Died at age 65) Eisenach is a small yet culturally rich city situated at the northwestern edge of the Thuringian Forest; it was here that Bach was born as the eighth child of his father, Johann Ambrosius Bach. Bach stands as the greatest musician of the Bach family—a lineage that produced musicians for two centuries, whose members were, generation after generation, devout Protestants. After losing his mother at the age of nine and

Amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life, music becomes an indispensable presence for us music lovers. Classical music in particular—even as the number of active performers is said to be declining—possesses a profound artistry and emotional depth that nourish the soul and stir our most delicate feelings. But the allure of music extends beyond stimulating individual sensibilities. It also has the power to foster friendships. I myself have met many friends and deepened my bon

私が以前働いていた会社の同窓会には、今年99歳の誕生日を迎える安藤 勉さんという紳士がいらっしゃいます。彼は趣味として数年ごとにソロリサイタルを開催しています。そして、最近、彼の99歳の誕生日を祝うコンサートの招待状を受け取りました。こうしたエネルギッシュな高齢者がいることに、私は再び驚かされています。 安藤さんとの思い出 私がハンブルクやニューヨークで働いていた時、異なる部署に所属していましたが、彼を何度かサポートする機会がありました。安藤さんは絵画にも親しんでおり、非常に才能豊かな方です。彼との出会いは、私にとって貴重な経験でした。 彼のリサイタルは、これまで500〜600人収容の中規模ホールで行われていました。しかし、昨年10月に同窓会でお会いした際、今回は1,300人収容の大ホールを借りる予定だとおっしゃっていました。彼の挑戦的な姿勢には、いつも感心させられます。 特別なコンサートの準備 安藤さんは通常、マイクなしで歌うことが多いのですが、今回はどのようにされるのか気になります。彼の年齢を考えると、その活力は本当に驚異的です。音楽は彼にと

Chapter 17, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770～1827, died at 56 ) Beethoven's grandfather, a renowned bass singer from what is now Belgium, moved to Bonn and rose from singer to conductor at the Elector of Cologne’s court chapel. His father, also a court singer, subjected him to rigorous piano training from an early age, hoping to shape him into a great musician. At 16, he visited Vienna and met Mozart. During his subsequent years in Bonn, he was favored by the Breuning family and b

In recent years, I’ve lost close friends and acquaintances, and at 87 years old I find myself worrying when I don’t hear from the people I exchange emails with. So I’m posting some of my photos and my saxophone performances online to let them know how I’m doing. I’m still playing the saxophone, even if my progress has been slow. In August, I performed “Memory” from Cats at my piano teacher’s Summer Concert — my first time playing in a recital in quite a while, https://youtu.b

On March 14th (Friday), the 7th APA International Chamber Music Festival was held in its small hall at the Musashino Civic Cultural...

Chapter 16: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (No. 2) ( 1756～1791 , died at age 35) Opera: 1. "The Marriage of Figaro" : Carlo Maria Giulini...

Chapter 16: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ( 1756～1791 , died at age 35) Salzburg, Wolfgang Mozart's birthplace, was a small Roman-style city...

Chapter 15: Johannes Brahms (1833-1897, died at age 63) Brahms was born in Hamburg, Germany, and learned to play the piano well from an...

In this occasion I played Brahms Piano Trio op114 with Kazuyuki Torii (piano) and Dr. Steffen Luitz (cello). Steffen was visiting Japan...

Chapter 14 Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 ～ 1809, died at 77) Haydn was Born in Rohrau, Austria. His father was a wheelwright who loved...

Chapter 13 Edvard Hagerup Grieg (1843～1907, died at 64) Grieg’s grandfather immigrated to Norway from Scotland. Grieg studied at the...

Chapter 12 Jean Sibelius (1865～1957, died at 91) After studying law at the University of Helsinki, Jean Sibelius later turned to music,...

Chapter 11 Gabriel Urbain Fauré (1846 ～1924, died at 79) Born in Pamiers in the southwestern part of France, Fauré studied under Camille...

Performed Brahms piano trio op.114 with Ms. Motoko Koizumi (Piano) and Mr. Hajime Saito (Cello) at Musashino City Hall in Musashino,...

Chapter 10 Sergey Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff (Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов) (1873～1943, died at 69) Sergey Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff (Сергей...

On January 23rd, I had the opportunity to go to Akira Fuse's live tour concert held in Chofu City. As soon as my wife found it, I made a...

When I catch a glimpse of recent music programs, I often get special interests in pianist Kyohei Sorita’s* (28 years old) point of views...

Drama/Music Rated: R for language and brief nudity Stars: Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, Noémie Merlant, Sophie Kauer Director: Todd Field...