Natsuko Hara en Nana Hizumi: Schubert, Brahms en Japanse pianocomposities

24 november 2013 | 16.45 uur | ,

Duo pianoconcert door Natsuko Hara en Nana Hizumi

Programma:

J. Brahms

12 Waltzes Op.39

F. P. Schubert

Fantasy f-minor D940

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Japanese traditional / H. Taihou

Cherry Blossoms さくらさくら 

Y. Nakata / H. Taihou

Who found a little autumn? ちいさい秋みつけた 

K. Yamada / H. Taihou

Hunting in the Forest 待ちぼうけ 

Sounds by Japanese film, Kiki’s Delivery Service　J. Hisaishi　「魔女の宅急便」より

Mother’s broom かあさんのホウキ／Street in the new town ナンパ通り

　

P.I. Tchaikovsky / E. Langer

The Nutcracker Suite Op.71a

– Miniature Overture

– Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

– Russian Dance,Trepak

– Dance of the Reed Flutes

– Waltz of the Flowers

Natsuko Hara writes a ‘Note on the Program of 27 November’: 

Brahms Waltzes Op. 39

These are a collection of 16 waltzes, each waltz is short in duration and each has its own unique character, with one waltz moving comfortably into the next. The waltzes have an almost innocent melody, with Hungarian folk themes woven through the music to give it a dance like quality, reminiscent of a Nocturne or Lullaby.

I will play 12 out of 16 waltzes but the last waltz is easily the most recognizable.  Enjoy the warmth of Brahms’ music.

 

Schubert Fantasy in f-minor D.940

What does Schubert mean by Fantasy?

It may be helpful to note that music is created through the free spirited imagination of a composer. J.S. Bach’s Fugues and Chromatic Fantasy, Mozart’s fantastic operas, Chopin’s fantasy for solo piano, Schubert’s ‘Wanderer Fantasy’ for solo piano, are all examples of imaginative composing.

In this fantasy, the theme overlaps from one player to the hands of the other undergoing a gradual transformation while broadening the music, like reaching the summit of a mountain. Once over the mountain, we are welcomed by a sprawling landscape in the countryside while men and women dance to music. A strict fugue form dominates the later half of the piece but returning resoundingly in the end is the opening theme. It is truly a free progression of music, and requires two free minds as well as mutual understanding to tell this story together.

Japanese Music

This beautiful nursery rhyme represents the four seasons and is still sung in Japan today. We are filled with warmth upon hearing this music even as we mature from children to adults.

We will play two songs from the film ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ from director, Hayao Miyazaki. In fact, the sheet music we are playing from today is the same music I bought for the first time as child with money I had saved up. It has been hidden away for all these years until now!

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Op. 71a

This melody comes from one of Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballets, ‘The Nutcracker’. Tchaikovsky was commissioned to write a new work by March of 1892 but could not complete it in time. Luckily he was in the process of finishing his ballet, ‘The Nutcracker’ from where he ‘stole’ 8 songs to be arranged as orchestral suites instead of his new work.

This is one of the three major pieces for ballet, along with ‘Swan Lake’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’. It is said that Tchaikovsky was attracted to fairy tales because of their universal message of good vs evil.  Enjoy the orchestral sound of the piano!

 

De Pianisten: Natsuko Hara en Nana Hizumi

My name is Natsuko Hara and I give piano lessons. I started to play piano when I was 5 years old. During (junior) high school I followed classes with T. Kuroda. After finishing my high school degree I was accepted to study classical piano at the Musashino Academia Musicae Tokyo, Japan. After the first year was among the few to be awarded a scholarship by the Naoaki Fukui foundation. My study there was a great experience and after several years I completed both my bachelor and master degree. Over the years at the Musashino Academia Musicae I followed courses with several teacher, most notably S. Koch Nakamura and E. Ashkenazy. After finish the Master degree at the Musashino Academia Musicae I decided to continue studying in Europe.

As a student I was always very interested in European composers and I believed that my understanding of their works would be enriched by continuing my study in Europe. My teacher in Japan advised me to go to Amsterdam to study with Naum Grubert who is a teacher at the Conservatorium of Amsterdam. Once I arrived in Amsterdam I could start in the third year of the bachelor degree classical piano. During my study I applied for a scholarship by Jacques Vonk Foundation, after having been awarded the scholarship I continued with a master degree. Europe was a great experience and a good opportunity to meet other musicians. The Conservatorium of Amsterdam also had a large Japanese society which helped me to integrate into the European culture.

In 2011 I finished my master at the Conservatorium of Amsterdam. After studying classical piano for many years I could finally pursue my dream to start a small music school. In 2012 I started Natsuko Hara Music School. During my bachelor in Japan I attended several courses on the subject of teaching and I obtained a license to teach music. The skills I learned there, together with the experiences that I have gained over the years put me in a good position to teach other people. In addition to teaching I enjoy performing; therefore I actively pursue opportunities to perform.

 

Nana Hizumi

Nana Hizumi was born in Japan and is now based in Amsterdam. Hizumi graduated at Sapporo Otani University, Japan with the Special President Award as an honour for achieving the highest marks of the academic year in 2000. She moved to Amsterdam to study at Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Willem Brons and Dido Keuning. During her studies, she discovered her extraordinary talent as an accompanist for singers. She then continued her studies with the support of the Jack Fonk Scholarship at the same conservatoire and obtained a Master of Music in 2008. Hizumi has also received guidance from many eminent accompanists such as Rudolf Jansen, Roger Vignoles, Julius Drake, Peter Feuchtwanger, Paula de Wit, Udo Reinemann.

In recent years, Hizumi has specialised in accompaniment and has received high acclaim while working with numerous singers such as Martijn Cornet, Aleksandra Anisimowizc, Nienke Otten, Yun Park, Petra Stoute. Her wide-ranging repertoire covers from core German Lieder to less known composers such as Kunihiko Hashimoto, Jan Mul. Recently, she has appeared at festivals in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Bloemendaal, Heemstede, Utrecht and Melbourne and has also given numerous lieder concerts.

Hizumi’s engagements include concerts with Yukari Uekawa Hiroshima in December 2012.