Pianist Fujiko’s Anti-War Thoughts in Berlin

Russia is attacking. The war has begun.”

On the morning of February 24, pianist Fujiko Hemming said this at her home in the suburbs of Berlin. She did not take her eyes off the TV screen for a while. It showed invading tanks and soldiers. The German TV had been showing news of the war all day. It was a week ago now.

‘The war was… … It’s useless. I don’t know why I let this happen.

Putin is in the crosshairs saying he’s a Christian, but that’s outrageous. I feel sorry for the people of Ukraine. I really wish the war would stop.”

For her performances throughout Europe, Fujiko will be in Berlin from mid-February and will tour Prague, Bratislava, Vienna, Budapest, and Paris.

I’m not going this time, but I’ve performed many times in Ukraine,” she said. Kiev has wonderful halls and music. It’s beautiful, Kiev. I have invited the Kiev National Philharmonic to give concerts in Tokyo. I love this beautiful city. I am worried about what will happen to it. I really don’t understand why this is happening. … “

The TV has been showing only news all morning, with no commercials. The local situation, the governments of European countries and the United States, and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida appeared on the screen for a brief moment. This is how war “started” in the world of the 21st century.

A few years ago, I was on the border between Ukraine and Russia. I went to the Ukrainian-Russian border a few years ago, and all the houses around there were empty. Three or four years ago, I think. As I walked along, a number of cats and dogs came to me. I fed them with my food. There was this little kitten.

War, he says, not only causes great harm to people, but also sacrifices smaller and weaker ones, which is sad.

Japan, too, had a terrible war.

Fujiko, 89, experienced the war in Tokyo.

She said, “‘I’m going to put my hoo-hoo on behalf of Tengi. ～I used to sing “I’m a little girl, I’m a little girl, I’m a little girl, I’m a little girl, I’m a little girl. I was singing, “Shoot injustice on behalf of the heavens. By “injustice,” I mean the people of the enemy country. Japan also experienced terrible things during the war. I sang that song as a child, silly me.

Fujiko, the most popular pianist in Japan, however, is not “Japanese.

My mother, who was born in Osaka, went to Germany to study music, married my father in Berlin, and I was born. My father was a Swedish architect.

He returned to Japan when I was very young. I was in an air-raid shelter during an air raid, and I still remember the feeling of my body shaking. And I thought. Oh, I haven’t seen anything beautiful in this world yet, and I’m going to die like this.

When I left art college to study in Europe, I realized that I was stateless. I went to Germany to study as a “refugee,” and Sweden accepted me.

That is why Fujiko’s passport still belongs to Sweden. Now, there is a movement in Japan to accept refugees from Ukraine.

Europe is a landlocked region.

Berlin, Paris, Vienna. … I have lived, studied music, and performed in various European cities. I have friends in Russia and Ukraine. I hope those people are safe now. … “

Because Europe is a landlocked region, Fujiko travels by train. Here, people seem to cross borders with ease. Both people and music are mixed together beyond national borders. His partner in this European tour, conductor Mario Kosik, is from Slovakia.

Slovakia is a neighboring country of Ukraine. On March 1, there was a performance at the Bratislava Opera House in the capital city of Bratislava. Before the performance, there was a chorus of the “National Anthem of Ukraine. The audience was on their feet.

There were also big demonstrations in Berlin and Prague. So many people gathered to show that they are with Ukraine. I am sure this will reach the hearts of the Ukrainian people,” said Mario.

And Fujiko also says

No one wants to go to war. Even the Russians don’t want war. This is not Russia’s war, but Putin’s war.

It is wrong to put your life on the line for a war. People have to live out the life that God has given them. I hope the war will end soon.”

They will tour Europe until the end of March, and then begin a domestic tour in April. Upon her return, Fujiko says she will hold a concert for Ukraine. Having experienced that war in Japan, her words, “War is futile,” are very close to her heart.

*The May 11 concert with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra (Tokyo Bunka Kaikan) will be held as a “Charity for Ukraine Support. Inquiries: 03-3544-4577 (Concert Doors)