Hiromi Gave Her Only Concert in Moscow on October 4!

Interview with jazz pianist Hiromi

Hiromi Uehara — a virtuoso musician and internationally acclaimed jazz pianist who has travelled the world — gave her only Moscow concert the previous evening. She embodies Japan’s openness to global influences and its ability to transform them into something tangible and meaningful. Like her older compatriot Keiko Matsui, who gradually moved from her love of Rachmaninoff and Sibelius to jazz standards, Hiromi chose jazz while retaining her love of the classical heritage.

She believes that all music is beautiful. She composes music in which different styles and genres unexpectedly resonate with one another and even form harmonious combinations. She is incredibly technically accomplished, and her high-speed playing — which she often employs — has inspired journalists and critics to give her nicknames such as “the machine gun of the piano.” But it was not her speed that made her famous. Rather, it was what is known as a sense of harmony: the ability to combine different musical styles while improvising freely yet precisely.

“She has exceptionally even, precise and incredibly fast fingers. Her sound attack is extremely accurate, her tone is beautiful, and her technique is refined and delicate,” specialists say of Hiromi. The audience, meanwhile, needs no such descriptions — they are simply grateful for the opportunity to experience a whole range of emotions and moods during a single hour-and-a-half concert.

The concert took place at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, where we also spoke with her.

Original article and video: link