Cliburn 2009 Nobuyuki Tsujii Semifinal Recital

[lourak]

Blind pianists have distinct advantages over the sighted. Their musical concentration is much more focused, as their are no visual distractions that dissipate ones cognitive processes. Of course, the physical difficulties of playing blind are there, as are the difficulties of learning a score - secondary matters.

[chobeethaninov]

Some people are born to play the piano. His genius is remarkable and I think beyond most people's comprehension.

[KlavierEum]

12 poeple are blind. Musically blind. It is understandable that this fugue is hard to understand.

[wlchambers]

i think he turns his head so he can hear certain tones more clearly, this man is awesome. a true

[theusermail]

the soul is not blind but him is

[Quaigaman]

yes he is blind. It's soooo amazing how he can play like this!!!

Please vote up!!

[elputasenmate]

is this gyu Blind?

[jeankim90]

@elputasenmate yeah, he is.

[playdomHera]

@elputasenmate

he just feels the passion flowing through him.

[goodguysdoll]

This is awesome. He totally cremated everyone. I'm sure when the other pianists heard this guy they KNEW it was over. And it's not because he was blind either. It's because he's playing the shit out that piano and making music, and honoring the composer, not himself. Too bad for the other pianists, because they won't be getting too many medals with this guy around.

[goodguysdoll]

it's a shame the sound didnt load right. can't hear this.

[brozors]

oh my God he's blind and he can play the 106 with such clarity and precision???

[mlliu2006]

Nobuyuki Tsujii will be on tour in U.S. in spring (April 2011), and included in his recital program is Beethoven's “Tempest” Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31, No. 2.

Check out his upcoming concert schedule on my site: google 'nobufans' - one word.

[mlliu2006]

It is Nov. 24, 2010. If you hurry and search "nobuyuki tsujii morning in cortona" you will find a youTube video showing Nobu performing yet another new composition: Morning in Cortona - it is breathtaking. Hurry - the video may not last! Nobuyuki Tsujii is a real genius - far beyond a gold medal.

[radiokid2]

Some of our greatest music masters and communicators are/were blind....Art Tatum, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, George Shearing, etc.....

[theblackcomp111]

hes autistic

[wccira]

The fact that this guy is blind is unreal.

[bachkwt]

this is really amazing and great

I mean ........ this is a blind pianist playing a deaf composer's master piece and it sound just amazing

[mlliu2006]

John Giordano, who was jury chairman for the 2009 Cliburn competition, said "Nobu played the most difficult hour-long Beethoven piece (Hammerklavier, Sonata no. 29) flawlessly. For anyone, it’s extraordinary. But for someone blind who learns by ear, it’s mind-boggling.” -- from an article in the Corpus Christi Caller Times on Oct. 7, 2010. In a couple of hours from now, Nobu will be performing Tchaikovsky's Concerto No 1 with Maestro Giordano and the Corpus Christi.Symphony Orchestra.

[kaisersweeta]

I can't hear from an another speaker.... What a shame

[quents]

@kaisersweeta is it in mono? no sound from my left earphone as well.

[Joetheman73]

This is the Greatest musician I have ever had the pleasure of hearing.

He is truly gifted and we are blessed to hear his talents.

[Doc10Nemo]

Phenomenal talent! Although there have been other famous blind pianists like Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles, I'm not aware of any famous classical pianists. I'm glad he won the 2009 Cliburn Competition; it will be an inspiration for all. Finally, like Helen Keller, his teachers should be recognized for this shared accomplishment.

[airjunsu]

what the fuck...he played piano with his eyes close....Dammmm

[extremelyfatchicken]

@airjunsu he's blind

[MyRach31]

The Hammerklavier is too long of a piece for a crowd. Horowitz felt that it loses the audiences' interest because of how long it is. Incidentally, I do not want to sound cruel, but are we going to give medals to any type of pianist these days regardless of talent.

[Torpaland]

@MyRach31

You listened to that and made those comments? Some kind of nut!

[BranSheanew]

This way of playing Beethoven for the first time really makes me like Beethoven. It sounds so much more alive!  What an amazing human being this boy is.

[hotbebimauz]

this is sooooo stunning, i have no words for this pianist....it brings tears into my eyes..his playing is different from other pianists..so moving..he brings out a feeling that i cant describe!

[radiokid2]

Amazing...a blind pianist playing music written by a deaf composer! Stunning!

[MrFerguson12]

@radiokid2 LOL

[radiokid2]

ANYBODY who plays this well doesn't have a "self"...they're gone into the music, as Beethoven was.

Listen to his version of the Nikolai Kapustin concert etude...he's into THAT too...he is an authentic genius...99% of players with good hands just use them to play badly faster!

[fdaltrey]

I don't know if this can be verified, but because he's blind, and most likely doesn't care/know about how he projects himself visually, he doesn't have the exaggerated, arms-flying-in-the-air-motions to show off. I assume any gratuitous movement would probably be fatal to his grasp of keyboard geography once he starts playing. It's refreshing to see such a young virtuoso that doesn't turn into a circus act.

[koffmaninoff]

I'm only gettting a very low volume coming from the Right speaker/headphone and nothing at all from the Left speaker/headphone... Nobu's other recordings in here are outstanding... is there a problem with this particular upload? thanks very much for sharing all of these great videos! :)

[yenhoho]

amazing music and amazing playing....composed by a deaf man and now played by a blind man....amazing...

[SRonaldSetiawan]

I just cannot imagine how difficult to learn such a complex piece without looking at a score.

[BoomOutch]

Wtf mono?

[MarinosFilms]

Sorry, this is just a free sample thus the mono sound.

[TheAspenTom]

You can find longer high-quality vids of complete recitals at the Van cliburn website.

[mumps59]

The thing that makes ME mad is he plays like his even with the excess tension that causes his right pinky to curl up. I worked long and hard to get rid of that and still ended up a computer programmer! Not fair! Geez, this guy is amazing.

[fdaltrey]

No wonder Stephen Beus couldn't win the competition. Tsujii's Hammerklavier is much more impressive than Beus' version. The latter wouldn't stand a chance.

[mikecaffey]

The Hammarkalvier was written when B. was past his prime.

[kuriline]

あまりにもすばらしい演奏でほんとうに心が打たれます。ありがと­うございます。まるでBeethovenをまさに正面に聴いてい­るような音です。音量がステレオになっておらず本当に無念です！­しかしそれでも、それなのにこのような胸を強く打つ音と音楽が聞­こえるという事は辻井さんの心から我々に訴えるちからが大きいか­らでしょう。

[arturon111]

The Fugue of the hammerkalvier Sonata is among the most difficult pieces to perform at any age, technically, musically and spiritually speaking,... The accomplishment of Mr. Tsujii is beyond words,.. how he learned the piece withouyt being able to read a a normal score, and played the piece with such a security in spite of the jumps and technical difficulties is unbelievable,...The best recording of this piece is Arrau, but he played it 40 years before he recorded it. This young man is only 20!

[slesar1117]

He is an exellent musician! Great sound, technic, and there is main thing in music - soul.))) But he is limited in repertuar, I think... and such a hard work - to learn compositions only with listening... Great man.

[quents]

@slesar1117 and YOU, sighted as you are, are limited by SPELLING. it's REPERTOIRE, not repertuar.

[chobeethaninov]

@slesar1117 There's also braille sheet music. 

[Nickylizzle]

Hes like Ray Charles, his blindness allows him to see only the music and nothing that would detract from it.

[JakWho92]

i think the piano keys arent that much of a detraction : D

I just begin to imagine how much work it is to be a musician but if you would be blind... unbelieveable

[fuchion15]

He has a special touch that I've never heard from any other pianist before.

[Grigor99]

I think that aliens dropped this guy off and left him just to make the rest of us look really stupid. He's obviously from another planet!

[stephenjoeagi]

Superb.

[bosselini]

ことを思 い出した

[pianomusickris]

Great!

[simsa21]

ベートーベンは耳が聞こえなかったのにこの曲を作曲したことを思­い出した。

[UncleNathan]

This is a thrilling performance of the "Hammerklavier"...it made me instantly sit up and take notice. The effect was rather like being run over by an 18-wheeler. I recall a backstage conversation with Andre Watts, who, when the "Hammerklavier" was mentioned, said, "Oh, I'm not ready for THAT one yet!" ...he was then in his 40th year. Be sure to listen to Tsujii's entire performance on the Van Cliburn competition website!

[PhillipLWilcher]

You bring to the Hammerklavier everything Beethoven himself was perhaps striving for in composing it - the integration and complete unity of sometimes opposing ideas and in so doing you give them a very real living presence and form. Wonderful, really wonderful!

Bravo!

[dazzlingtime]

amazing!

[fururu06]

他の演奏者の音はステレオサラウンドなのに、辻井さんだけ左のス­ピーカーからしか音が流れてないですよね。だから音が小さく聴こ­えるし、物足らなくもなってすまう。どうして辻井さんの音だけス­テレオになってないの？

[iwantamocha]

unbelievable. just unbelievable. he totally deserved 1st with that amazing talent! :D

[doradorapon]

音量小さすぎませんか？

[misericordiamihi]

What is Cliburn?

please reply.

[deandusk]

a piano contest

[PhillipLWilcher]

Van Cliburn - American pianist.

Wonderful!

[fortissimo25]

i still cannot believe a blind musician won this competition!!! not that he's blind, i just wonder how he learned all the notes, cuz listening to recordings just won't cut it for van cliburn competition

[chiaraparis]

there's a system of music notation in Braille. You have to buy your partitions from associations or transcriptors (people who "translate" the sheet in Braille). You might need more time to learn a piece, especially when you're not used to this writing, but it works :)

[chosakukenomamorou]

すごく上手なのにこの動画は音がよくないから魅力があまりわから­なくて残念。

[maddpianist]

At first I thought the opening was rushed, but when comparing with Schnabels I realized they were nearly the same tempo. Yet, somehow Schnabel's still feels more expansive. Solomon's more still. Everything here is perfectly in time, yet with Schnabel and Solomon I detect the rhythm more clearly. I feel it all comes down to the function of each and every note within the phrase, which can often be so subtle that the difference is mostly in the thought of the performer.

[tomatopiza12]

楽譜は無くても、曲がすべて頭に入っているのもすごいです。演奏­も神業ですね。優しくて力強い音。素晴らしいです。感動を与えて­くれてありがとうございます。

[fung05167]

他真的令我很感動...也使我明白到天生我才必有用的道理!!!­!

[Asahibeerlover]

he won the gold, no 1 , in the recital. what does that say? he did great! he is amazing!

[lilasianboy193]

It may be that way, but there is also a problem in the recording of the audio in this video. In many of these recordings, there is always some type of problem in them. The video and audio are not in sync as well. Therefore you cannot criticize him unless you see him in person.

[alexggable]

Close your eyes and play. I'd like to hear...

There's something with us human beings that can't admit other's success and become jealous.

That's how our mind works.

Precisesly is his vitality his virtuoscism his gift what let him play the way he does.

Did you ask him about vitality and your statement is what he answered back?

[alexggable]

"the playing of the notes is virtuosic without vitality. In most performances of this movement"

Does it look coherent to you?

What did you mean by vitality? First define vitality, and then with my poor english we coudld discuss the issue.

You are not precisely an example to follow regarding "writing style", nor to take your statement as a serious one.

Rejoice my man and take this guy as a positive example to improve your playing and your sensibility as a human being.

[panthercitymom]

I saw him play on Sunday at the finals. It was such an emotional performance from him and for everyone in the audience. Incredible!

[UncleNathan]

A truly thrilling excerpt from the "Hammerklavier." Tsujii-san is absolutely breathtaking in this music. In my experience, only one other pianist, the Hugarian Istvan Nadas, has shown that same kind of inner light in Op. 106. Congratulations Nobuyuki Tsujii and best wishes for a brilliant future!

[s3066961]

感動 !

[ghikows400810]

Congratulations,Nobuyuki Tsujii !!

[ShingoYoshimura]

amazing!!

[kuronekomasako]

すばらしいです！おめでとうございました！

[kuronekomasako]

素晴らしい演奏でした！感動しました！

[hananonakama]

Congratulations!

[hananonakama]

Congratulations!!!

[mapp2tube]

CONGRATULATIONS, NOBUYUKI !!

[3cplantin]

He won the Gold Medal (tied along with Zhang). A true inspiration. His op. 106 is brilliant -- and he's only 20 years old.

[m33zt33k]

who is genius? him or steve wonder

[momozalu]

Hi m33zr33k, Stevie Wonder is not a classical music pianist. However they are genius any way.

[klingsor93]

If we can, let's forget his blindness. I think he has a very good chance of winning this competition.

A second or third prize would be a disappointment.

[sissichopin91]

I support him, Mariangela Vacatello and Haochen Zhang

[skraisorn]

I'd like to see him winning so much

[Alpinika]

Amazing!

[pookiehohn]

Amazing!

Is he blind?

[reaperman2004]

Blind since birth