Classical pianist Fujiko Hemming shares a photo with the cameraman. Photo by Brett Homenick.
It is no exaggeration to say that Fujiko Hemming is one of Japan's most famous classical musicians. Whenever I meet an actor, director, or anybody from show biz, and the subject of Ulf Otsuki comes up, the person may not know Ulf, but if you explain that he is the brother of pianist Fujiko Hemming, he or she will certainly know who that is. I've never met a person in Japan who wasn't familiar with Fujiko Hemming when her name was mentioned.
Tonight, I had the privilege of attending Fujiko Hemming's concert at the Sumida Triphony Hall. The concert hall holds some 1,800 seats, and nearly all of them were filled this evening. The concert consisted solely of Fujiko Hemming's playing the piano. That's all she needs to give the performance her fans enjoy. It was quite interesting to see how many avid fans she has, and how young many of them are.
Given that I was invited by Ulf to join the concert, I didn't have a ticket, but Ulf invited me to sit on the stage next to him during the concert. Suffice it to say, it was a unique way to see the show! Of course, Fujiko Hemming's performance was perfect, and I enjoyed hearing many familiar classical tunes.
I got to meet and speak with Fujiko Hemming backstage after the concert, and after that, I went to dinner with Ulf, his family, and a couple of friends. A great time was had by all. What an evening!
No comments:
Post a Comment