Aimi's tea party, Nagoya, Japan, Oct 2009

June 2011: The Polonaise played in the opening of this video is now available on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eItTRN6Zawo

Some fun clips from Aimi's recital at Nagoya in autumn of 2009. Aimi proved hugely popular with her audience, charming them both with her playing and afterwards by signing autographs and chatting over cucumber sandwiches and tea. The pieces you hear her playing are all Chopin: parts of the Polonaise Héroïque, the mazurka in C sharp min op 63 no 3, and waltz no 14 in E min op posth.

The concert was arranged by my cousin Paul Lewis of M&P's Tea, Nagoya, with myself and Tom Wierzbicki as co-sponsors. Patrick Tabet (aka Aimiklingsor93) contributed a special birthday gift for the occasion, which Paul presented to Aimi on his behalf. We are grateful to Yuko Ninomiya, Aimi and her parents for agreeing to the recital and for giving us every cooperation in holding this delightful event. I believe it was the first solo recital Aimi had given since the AADGT event Passion of Music in New York in June 2008, so we were very keen to see how she was playing!

We hope to be able to post some more of this recital one day, but the clips will be on another channel -- I'll put a link here when that happens. Thank you for the kind comments so far -- it was wonderful to have Aimi play for us.

Jan 2011: Heroique is finished but awaiting approval. You can now see a preliminary version of the mazurka and waltz here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcTuJbp7f9Q

For anyone who hasn't found her Nagoya Waldstein yet, it starts here (1st mvt):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoTdKWOVGVs

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Aimi
• Kobayashi
• 小林
• 愛実
• Nagoya
• Japan
• 2009
• Chopin
• Polonaise
• Heroique
• Mazurka
• 63-3
• Waltz
• no
• 14
• op
• posth

[wammer2000]

Dear Aimi,

I wanted to tell you that you have inspired me a lot. I am 9 years old and I play the piano. I recently performced the Chopin impromptu that I have watched you play here on youtube many times. Thank you for posting it, it was really helpful for me when I

[romillyh]

@wammer2000 Thanks for your nice comment, but I must make it clear that this clip was not posted by Aimi. It's from a recital that I helped to arrange for her in Japan. We are all looking forward to the day when Aimi posts her own clips on YouTube!

[nomang3996]

heroique is really great!!!!! I have never heard that passionate dynamic heroique before. really really good. and waltz no.14...fantastic!!! I can't believe really really she played this?? it is the greatest rendition of this piece i think....better than any other famous adult pianist really!!!!! please whole heroique video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!she is the best

[romillyh]

@nomang3996 -- whole héroique video? It'll happen one day, but I'm so busy! It'll be on another YT channel. It was Aimi's first and so far only public performance of this piece, and it does have some . . . imperfections. But certainly it was a spirited and brave performance. The waltz and mazurka were very good, period.

Thank you for your encouraging comments.

[Lalitamusic]

As always Aimi was brilliant with her performance, but it was really wonderful to see her interacting with her audience and eating '''Cucumber????''' sandwiches. I have never tried that but will do so now.

Love

Lalita

[romillyh]

Absolutely right, Lalita, because it was a traditional English Afternoon Tea (with caps). BUT she ate the cucumber sandwich **after** playing, so I don't know . . maybe that's the secret. Apparently Aimi isn't allowed to eat much before a concert, which is why she had to be fed all those cakes afterwards!

[hal2202]

It has been so much fun watching Aimi grow both physically and musically through her videos. This tea party video is like icing on the cake---the first opportunity to see her in a real social situation. What a charming, delightful young woman she has become at 14!

Now if we in California only could have the opportunity to hear her in person!

[hiroshimayaki1]

@ytilibalaiava With all due respect - criticizing is one of the easiest things to do in the world. I would like to see a video of you playing piano as good as Ms. Kobayashi.

[chobeethaninov]

@BabyCherry323 She'd just turned 14 here. Now she is 16.

[youngjannpu]

日本全体で支えていきたい才能だと思う。

[FeeTurbule]

what a temper, I like that! She has everything! Thank you and congratulations!

[chobeethaninov]

I've always wondered what Aimi's hand size is. I would probably guess she can reach a little over a 9th...

[ytilibalaiava]

just completely pretentious and fake! She is like a processed robot that is trained to move, not authentic soul at all!!

[vanizorc]

81 people are jealous they aren't as talented as Aimi Kobayashi.

[dzeljpiano]

I want to learn Japanese to meet her one day in my life...a big dream

[BabyCherry323]

how olld is she ?

[TeresaWii]

80 persons hate piano.