Wishing the world a Happy New Year!
Please forgive me to be a bit selfish but I really do hope that Japan will have a really good year.
2011 was a terrible year for us as a country and we still very much feel the damage from all the events. I hope that we will be able to find joy and happiness in this New Year which will help us overcome all that has happened.
Only a few days now till my recital on the 10th.
I've been pushing myself for the past few weeks and it's really been hard work. Although it's very satisfying and rewarding with new discoveries everyday, it's still a very lonely process.
Just found out though,that someone whom I had met in June when I did some volunteer work in the earthquake/tsunami hit area in the north had lost his girlfriend by the tsunami.
It just put things into perspective. I should be so grateful for what I am doing and to be able to do it.I definitely will be giving it my all and trying my best!
The past few weeks have been totally dedicated to getting myself ready for this recital on the 10th of this month. Japan has been really hot so it's been a struggle practicing the Appassionata and Dante Sonata in the heat! It's a relief that it's cooled down a bit. At last I'm not constantly worried about being heat stricken!
I did a small recital on the 23rd of September in a place called Chigasaki. It came about when I was talking whether it would be possible to do a charity concert to contribute to the tsunami affected areas. I found out that someone whom I've known for many years ,Mr.K, has been going to a particular area in the north called Natari,which he just found on the map and thought might be cut off from any relief efforts coming in. He's kept in close contact with the mayor of Natari, and goes there regularly - about once a month - loading his car with things that might be necessary and things that are difficult to get hold of. In the beginning apparently it was mostly food - fresh vegetables,fruit,flour,pasta,ham,sausages, - then eventually toys for kids,clothes,summer blankets,etc. I think he even took a washing machine at some point! He's an amazing person!
Anyway,they organized this concert for me,and with the cooperation of the International Soroptimist of Samukawa we were able to raise money to help this area called "Natari".
I am really happy that I was able to contribute in some small way.
As for my performance...
I think I had been working too hard and had lost my way in the process.
Someone gave me some really good comments and advice though,so I'm back on track and I feel like I'm heading in the right direction. My aim for the 10th is to actually enjoy the music myself. It seems like an obvious thing,but that's never been my aim in a performance! Now that I feel that this might be possible,I'm suddenly thinking," What have I been doing all these years! " I totally missed the plot!
Can't believe that 10 years has passed since 9/11. I still remember the day vividly though...
It's also exactly 6 months since the earthquake and tsunami which hit Japan in March.So many lives lost and so many people's lives shattered.....
May there be peace to all those who passed away and all those who have lost so much.
So,food.
I love good food and wine and have always enjoyed it,but my experience in France was a whole new ball game.
There were so many things that I had tasted and just couldn't believe how delicious they were. And it's not just the tastebuds which are involved! It's actually a feeling that you get from it - which I've never experienced with food before.
And it wasn't even food specially prepared in fancy restaurants! It could be simply the fresh croissants /baguettes in the morning ,the pates from the butcher or the fruit from the market. My stomach would never give me the signal that I was full as it seemed that the pleasure I'd be getting from my tastebuds would totally overtake my brain! A very dangerous situation to be in! That's why I now understand why gluttony can become a sin!
There are so many delicious things that I remember from this trip. The chicken and lemon terrine from the butchers,eggs poached in red wine, the pear tart that I had on my birthday,the salmon mousse appetizer (which had a poached egg in it) from Fauchon, the super thin and light gallette at a tiny restaurant in Paris and of course all the beautiful wines to go with it!
There are two things that I will never forget though,because of the feeling that I had got from them.
One was a "rose and raspberry meringue gateau" which I had at the cafe of the Musee Jacquemart-Andres in Paris. The beautiful surroundings played a big part too but there was something so exquisite about the taste that it just felt like it had taken over all my senses. It was the perfect combination of the perfume of the rose, the tartness of the rasberries,the richness of the cream and the sweetness and texture of the meringue. Pure heaven!!
The other one reminds me of a scene in the film "Ratatouille". In the film this really mean restaurant critic asks for the speciality of this French restaurant and the chef brings out,what seems to be an arrangement of a simple wholesome "ratatouille" . The critic takes a bite and it immediately takes him back to his childhood and fills him with the warmth of his mother's love and his heart just melts.
This happened to me on the first night that I had arrived in Morgon. The owners of the Chateau, James&Sarah,had prepared us a wonderful dinner with the beautiful wines that they make,and at the end of it,they presented us with a cheese board. It was one of these cheeses that had blew me away. I really can't describe why it was so special. It was just a creamy,not so salty cheese,but for some reason it reminded me of my mother. Not of my mother's cooking but of my mother! It was just a really gentle but soothing taste.
So,I'm hooked. This trip has been a real eye opener in so many ways!
I am so glad that I don't live in France though. If I did,I would be in big trouble as I would become so big that I don't think I'd fit in front of the piano anymore!
I've been working really hard for this concert in October and have been busy getting the administrational side of it done but I think it's now under control and feel that I can now sit down for a moment and write a bit about my summer.
I came back feeling totally refreshed and inspired after my trip to England and France. It is always so nice seeing old friends and enjoying London and absorbing the cultural vibe there. This year though, there was an added dimension to my trip where I was given the opportunity to play the Elgar Piano Quintet with the Bridge Quartet in a Chateau in the Beaujolais region - a place called Morgon - in France. My whole stay there can be described in one word - BEAUTIFUL. Everything about it was absolutely beautiful - the scenery,the sky,the food,the Chateau,the people and the music. I felt so lucky to have been given the chance to play the Elgar and I was so excited about playing it even when practicing it on my own in Japan. 
It was such a treat then to play it with the Bridge Quartet and I thoroughly thoroughly enjoyed it. It is such a beautiful piece. The piano - an Erard - was also perfect for the solo Liszt pieces that I had played and I was truly inspired not only by the sound but also by the surroundings. The atmosphere was so warm and welcoming and it just seemed like the perfect evening.
The time that I had spent in Morgon really has given me a lift. I think the affects of the earthquake and tsunami which happened here in Japan in March really has taken a grip on everyone and I have been finding it hard to separate myself from it. Not that I want to or will forget about it,but I feel that my experience in Morgan has given me a chance to start on a clean slate and start again afresh.
I'll have to write about the FOOD in France in a separate blog . I never knew food could bring so much pleasure. I now totally understand why gluttony is a sin!
I had a wonderful summer in Europe and hope to eventually write about it,but before that,I thought I should let everyone know about my concerts in the autumn.
I've updated my "information page" so please check it out for future concerts.
Please come if you're in the area!
I've also (at last!) have posted two clips on Youtube of a performance from 2 years ago!
Sorry it's taken so long to get it sorted!
Scarlatti Sonata in C K.159
Scarlatti Sonata in d-minor K.9
(Both from a Recital in Tokyo,November 14th,2009)
I've just come back from a tense riot-ridden Britain to a solemn and saddened Japan commemorating 5 months after the earthquake and tsunami. It's amazing how you can move from one country to another and feel totally different. Reality can be so different depending on where you actually are.
It's been three months since the enormous earthquake hit Japan.
Since then,the Libyan war has started,Osama bin Laden has been killed,there was the huge earthquake in Spain,floods in America,the uprise in Syria,and it seems as though the world has moved on.
But Japan still has a long way to go to recover from this disaster.
In the newspaper everyday there is a small section which shows the number of those killed,missing and whom have lost their homes and have become refugees. It's a constant reminder that there are still so many working out there to look for those still missing.
There was another prayer ceremony held at the big shrine near where I live. It was another joint one with priests invited from one of the most important temples in Japan-Nara's Todai-ji.
The ceremony was nearly two hours with both shintoh and buddhism prayers. It was very moving as the buddhist priest actually became very emotional whilst delivering his prayers and was sobbing through it at one point.I've never seen a buddhist priest become emotional before. He represented what everyone feels.
