Q&A with Nobuyuki Tsujii: World-renowned pianist shares his thoughts on art of piano performance

His hands flying from left to right, fingers constantly moving, Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii won the gold medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition with his performances of Chopin and Rachmaninoff. The only difference between him and the other contestants was that he couldn’t see the keys.

Though he was only 20 years old at the time and born blind, Tsujii tied for first place with Haochen Zhang of China and was awarded a $20,000 cash prize and three years’ worth of managed concert tours across the world, valued at $1 million. On Sunday, he will be performing with the Takács Quartet at Royce Hall. He spoke with Daily Bruin’s Andrew Froug via Japanese translator in anticipation of the event.

Daily Bruin: How did you originally begin playing piano?
Nobuyuki Tsujii: I started when I was 4 years old, but since I was about 2 years old, I would play on a toy piano that my mom bought me. She would play music, and I would imitate her on my piano.

DB: How is performing with others different from performing by yourself?
NT: When I’m alone, I can play as I please, but when I play along with the quartet, I play along with them by listening to their rhythm. I can’t see them, so I do it all by ear. But they are pretty talented, so I just try to match them, and it generally goes pretty well.

DB: I’ve heard that you make connections with audiences, and each feels different based on the audience. How would you describe this feeling, and how does it change from place to place?
NT: Right when I come out on the stage, I can feel the difference in the attitude of the audience with their first applause. I can feel what their energy level is. Also, when I’m playing, I feel like I can hear the audience’s mood. I want the audience to enjoy my music, so I listen for enjoyment from them.

DB: What has been your favorite performance that you have done?
NT: There have been good experiences all over the world … and it’s hard to say where my favorite performance took place, but America is particularly loud when they applaud for me.

DB: So how would these audiences compare around the world?
NT: Japan’s clap is a very warm clap, happy for me. European audiences tend to have people that are very knowledgeable about music, and I can feel them thinking, “What kind of performance is this going to be?” and that they are looking at me with a more strict eye than other parts of the world.

DB: How do you learn a new piece?
NT: Well, there are many different types of music scores that I look at and read carefully. I split up the scores in small parts and have them recorded by my teacher. Then I listen to them individually and learn them part-by-part.

DB: Japan just experienced a great tragedy with the recent earthquake and tsunami. How has this affected you?
NT: My family is fortunately OK. There are a lot of suffering people in Japan right now. I want to play my music for people and do my part in my own way and bring a smile back to the Japanese people.

DB: You’ve experienced great success at a young age. What message do you have for students at UCLA who are working toward their own successes?
NT: Well, there are a lot of students that are probably wondering and worrying about what they should do with their life. Find what you love. Then you should follow that thing that you love. Make a plan of how you can make that thing you love a reality, and then go for it.

Email Froug at [email protected].