Fuzjko Hemming: “No matter what happens, I’ll be fine” and why she plays the miracle piano

“The new Covid-19 infection is very serious. I’ve been staying inside my house, not going outside. But compared to the terrible war, I am still okay. It’s nothing. Don’t lose heart, everyone.

Last year, when the new Covid-19 virus hit Japan and the world was still dark and depressed without a vaccine, there was an artist who sent out this message. It was the pianist Fuzjko Hemming.

Due to the Covid-19 scare, her performances in Japan as well as overseas were cancelled and she was unable to go out. Many of her fans were encouraged by her words. Over the next year or so, depending on the number of infected people, she would gradually resume her activities and then cancel them again.

Then, on October 22, the Tokyo concert, which had been postponed due to the Covid-19 disaster, was held for the first time in half a year.

“Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming.

After finishing her first piece, Schubert’s “Impromptu No. 3 in G-flat major, Op. 90-3,” Fuzjko Hemming greeted the audience from the stage of the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Main Hall.

“I’ve played four times. PCR I’ve had four PCR tests. I’ve had four PCR tests, and now I’m deaf. I don’t know what the performance will be like today, but I didn’t cancel.

The packed audience responded with loud applause. After enduring the postponement of the performance, we waited for this night. The audience that had filled the large hall was filled with emotion.

Perhaps because the show started so early, a few people who entered the hall at the end of the first song were in the back of the hall.

“There were a few people at the back of the hall who entered the venue at the end of the first song. If you’re late, please take your seats.

There was a Steinway grand piano on the large stage. Although Fuzjko was the only other person on stage, it was already filled with a dense atmosphere.

Fuzjko Hemming is the most popular pianist in Japan, and her first album, “Miracle Campanella,” released in 1999, became a million-seller. Her first album, “Miracle Campanella,” was a million-seller in 1999 and has sold more than two million copies, an unprecedented sales record for classical music.

“Fuzjko’s piano has a special kind of magic. When I listen to it, I feel encouraged” (a fan who visited the concert). (Fan who visited the performance)

Ms. Fuzjko, who will celebrate her 89th birthday in December, still performs 60 stages a year in Japan and abroad. However, due to the spread of a new type of Covid-19 since last spring, she has been forced to cancel or postpone her performances.

“Why is he called the “Miracle Pianist?

Fuzjko Hemming. She was born in Berlin in 1932 to a Japanese pianist mother and a painter/architect father. 5 years old, her family returned to Japan, but the Pacific War started and her father was sent back to Sweden. Since then, he has been raised by his mother in Tokyo.

“When I was a child, I was shivering in an air-raid shelter. The war was horrible. I didn’t know anything wonderful in this world yet, and I hadn’t seen anything beautiful, but I thought, ‘I’m going to die here. Compared to that horror, an infection is nothing.

Fuzjko’s body really shook as she said this.

After graduating from the Tokyo University of the Arts, Fuzjko went to Germany to study piano. After graduating from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, she went to Germany to study, and just as she was getting off to a brilliant start as a pianist based in Vienna, she was struck by ear problems.

There were times when he had no opportunities to perform. However, he continued to perform throughout Europe while working as a music teacher.

In 1999, a TV program drew her attention as a “miracle pianist,” and she made her CD debut in her late 60s. In 1999, a television program drew her attention as a “miracle pianist,” and she made her CD debut in her late 60s.

“He made his CD debut in his late 60s, and has been at the forefront of Japan’s most popular pianist for the past 20 years. “There are so many pianists out there, but I’m glad you came to hear me play.

The second piece of the evening was Chopin. The second piece of the evening was Chopin’s “Turkish March,” which he played in excellent rhythm to end the first half of the performance. With the help of a staff member, she picked up her cane and went backstage.

The performance was powerful and wonderful,” she said, “I’m glad to see Fuzjko in good health. Her performance was powerful and wonderful.

The performance was powerful and wonderful,” the audience said, smiling in the lobby during the intermission. No one spoke too loudly, but I guess that’s what “quiet enthusiasm” means. I could tell that everyone was in high spirits for their first concert in a long time. The audience ranged from women in their 20s to 80s. I even saw a couple of young men in the audience.

The second half of the concert was thrillingly composed, starting with “Moonlight” by Dovisie and ending with “La Campanella” one after another.

“Thank you very much for your applause. It wasn’t a great performance, but I can’t help it. I’m deaf. I’m deaf. I’ve had this happen often, so I’m fine.

Fuzjko said, and the audience gave her a really big applause. The hall was filled with the joy of experiencing a live performance.

Hideo Nakajima, a photographer who has been taking pictures of Fuzjko Hemming’s stage performances for almost 20 years, testified, “Fuzjko was very sincere.

“Fuzjko is very serious. She practiced hard every day. She couldn’t go out for the Covid-19 disaster, and her legs seem to have weakened a little, but she is still able to pedal the piano.

Pianists are not machines.

Fuzjko also devotes herself to charity. When the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, she was quick to respond. She is also passionate about animal welfare.

She said, “Right now, we have I have 12 cats. I have 12 cats. They are all stray cats or shelter cats, so they hide when people come around. They can’t be touched, and they don’t trust people. But they are cute. I’ve lived with a lot of animals in my life, and many of them have gone to heaven. I’m sure they’re listening to some great music over there right now.

Surrounded by cats, Fuzjko plays the piano. Surrounded by cats and playing the piano, Fuzjko seems to have a special kind of time flowing around her.

“I can’t play the same way I used to. I make a lot of mistakes. But, you know, pianists are not machines, so they make mistakes. It’s natural. In fact, people who make mistakes are more sensitive and win people’s hearts.

A person who can play well in any case is not a big deal (laughs).

(laughs) It’s okay if something isn’t going well right now. Is there such a thing as a life without mistakes?　Everyone makes mistakes. So just live your life without worrying about it.

Fuzjko smiles in her casual clothes, wearing a colorful arm cover that she found and bought in Paris.

I haven’t been playing the piano much lately because I’m deaf and it makes me sick,” she said, laughing. But I’m fine. This has happened to me many times before. I’ll keep playing because I have fans who say they are moved and encouraged by my piano.

There is something special about the piano of Fuzjko Hemming. There is something special about the power of Fuzjko Hemming’s piano. Even though there are things I can’t do, even though there are things I can’t reach, there is value in being me. It makes me feel that it’s okay to be me.

Such is the magic of the performances of 88-year-old active pianist Fuzjko Hemming.

Fuzjko HEMMING: Released “COLERS”, a best-of album selected by herself from her performances from 1973 to 2021, at Musashino Civic Cultural Hall on November 11, Kanagawa Kenmin Hall on November 16, Fuchu no Mori Art Theater on December 10, Kobe International Conference Hall on December 13, etc. http://concertdoors.com/# 18 concerts are scheduled for this year.