News
14th Dec 2019
Review has just come out
on Japanese leading music magazine 'Ongaku Gendai' January 2020 (translated
from original Japanese)
Megumi
Fujita Recital in London
Since the controversial Brexit referendum, won by a tiny
margin, the remainers are still going strong and the future
of the UK has been hanging in a balance for three years.
The leavers and the remainers continues their battle right outside
the Houses of Parliament. Once you turn a corner in front of
the Houses of Parliament, the hustle and bustle suddenly becomes
silent, and the mighty white St John’s Smith Square appears.
This is the venue for Megumi Fujita’s recital.
The church was built around 300 years ago in a Baroque style,
but was completely destroyed in the Second World War. It was
rebuilt 30 years ago while keeping the original exterior, and
was reborn as one of the main London concert halls. With its
notable acoustics, the hall is also used for BBC music programmes.
Megumi Fujita gave a Complete Chopin Etudes recital here on
27th October.
She sat at the piano with a quiet smile and strong inner determination,
and commenced the first Etude in C major like a roaring great
cascading waterfall. It drew us in one continuous streak, without
an interval, right through to the last Etude ‘Ocean’ of scrolling
continuous arpeggio with both hands, she expressed Chopin’s
multitude of characters by being sweet, sometimes severe, and
refreshing at times, she treated us to ‘Megumi’s World’ incorporated
with her adoration to Chopin.
Tasmin Little, the famous British violinist and Megumi’s former
school friend from the Menuhin school was in the audience, and
was keenly listening to the performance.
Yoko
Kaku
27th July 2019
The Complete
24 Chopin Etudes Recital
Megumi
Fujita (piano)
Chopin
Complete 24 Etudes Recital
12 Etudes Op.10, 12 Etudes
Op.25
Sunday 27th October 2019 at 3pm
St
John's Smith Square, London
More details
here!:
15th June 2019
A 2 page colour
spread article on Chopin 24 Etudes Concert & Masterclass in Sendai
(Apr 2019) has appeared (with photos!) on July issue of Japanese Ongaku
Gendai Magazine!
English Translation:
nnn
“Ongaku Gendai” Magazine
July,2019
Chopin by Megumi Fujita
Complete 24 Chopin Etude
Recital
and ‘Chopin Etudes for everyone’ Masterclass
(at Kawai Sendai, Concert Salon “Verde” on 21st April, 2019)
Megumi Fujita
was born in New Zealand and spent most of her life in various countries
because her father was a diplomat. She started learning the piano
from her mother at the age of five and entered the piano world. She
studied under Louis Philip Kentner (1905-1987), Vlado Perlemuter (1904-2002)
at the Yehudi Menuhin School in the United Kingdom, and Irina Zaritskaya
(1939-2001) as a post-graduate student at Tel Aviv University in Israel.
And when Zaritskaya
moved to the Royal College of Music in the United Kingdom, Fujita
continued her post-graduate studies at the Royal College of Music
to follow her professor Zaritskaya. Madame Zaritskaya was also a very
famous "Chopinist'' who was known in the piano world. She took
second place after Maurizio Pollini (1942-) in the sixth Chopin competition
in Warsaw in 1960 and was recognized for her exceptional talent. Zaritskaya
went on to continue to higher musical studies at Moscow Conservatory
in Russia.
In other words
Fujita received extensive guidance until Zaritskaya's death. For example
Kentner learnt from Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967) who was a composer,
philosopher, folklorist and linguist. While Perlemuter learned from
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) and from Alfred Cortot (1877-1962 ) and
he was active worldwide. So it can be said that Fujita's piano genealogy
reaches the most important pianists in world music history.
Fujita was
active overseas with her sisters ; Honoka on cello and Arisa on violin
known as the "Fujita sisters". Recently Fujita is a soloist
focusing on concerts and teaching piano in Japan. It is because of
her pure heart that she wants to convey to the Japanese piano performers
her musical arts and heritage from her professors.
Fujita's
recent CD from Intim Musik Sweden is all Chopin études. This is an
album that reproduces the sound of Chopin inherited from Madame Zaritskaya.
I was deeply impressed when I listened to her live performance, Fujita
was particular about Chopin's ideal fingering techniques, and in her
performance I could hear the trained independence of ten fingers.
She plays Chopin's etudes as a work of art in which Chopin incorporate
artistic creativity, skill and music.
Etude Op.
10-6 in E flat minor in the style of nocturnal combines the precise
touch and volume of the left -hand part further enhancing the artistry
of this etude. "The ascending arpeggio" in No.11 in E flat
major is undisturbed, and even when playing the left and right hands,
her "tempo rubato" would even enchant Clara Schumann, who
had criticized Chopin's performance. Op. 25-10 "the octave jumping''
in B minor was very refreshing with careful consideration not to make
any unwanted noise with the pedal Etude No. 11 "Etude of the
tree wilt' ' and No. 12 are exactly "pictures of sound ".
The wind that blows the leaves off the trees and the scene of people
raising their collars and pining for their warm homes. The final Etude,
Op. 25-12 "Ocean Etude" increases the heart at of the listener
in the parallel arpeggio of both hands.
Throughout
her whole concert Fujita's awareness is that the sound is not muddy
at all by the control of the damper pedal like that which Pollini
inherited from legendary pianist Michelangeli. In a similar environment
to Argerich whose father was a diplomat, Fujita's performance level
of Chopin was outstanding compared to other pianists.
Finally,
I want to say that Megumi Fujita will hold an all Chopin Etude concert
at St. John's Smith Square Hall in London on 27th of October this
autumn. It is my hope that many Japanese will go to the United Kingdom
to hear the performance. As was Kawai concert salon "Verde"
fair day on April 21 in Sendai Japan.
Yours Sincerely,
Dr. Tsunenori Nitobe
23rd Feb 2019
An
2 page spread article on Chopin 24 Etudes Concert & Masterclass
(Dec, 2018) has appeared (with photos!) on March issue of Japanese Ongaku
Gendai Magazine!
18th Nov 2018
Megumi's
interview on her upcoming Chopin
Etudes Concert/Masterclasses in Tokyo and Osaka has been published
on leading Japanese music magazines Music
Gendai and Chopin!
16th
September 2017
Honoka and Megumi gave a lecture recital
on Rachmaninoff at Kyoto's Horikawa Music High School on 1st September.
Along
with Vocalise, 5 Preludes (nos 1, 2, 6, 23, 24) and the Cello Sonata,
we played the beginning of the 2nd Piano Concerto and the famous 18th
Variation from Var on the theme by Paganini with Honoka's cello accompaniment!
7th
September 2017
From the programme of Megumi Fujita's Chopin
Complete 24 Etudes Recital today at Kawai Omotesando Pause Hall,
Tokyo:
My
journey to Chopin Etudes
Thank you for coming to
hear my Chopin Etudes tonight.
I was one of those typical
‘model student’ in my younger years, as I can immediately play whatever
my teachers’ instructed. When I found out the possibility to study with
Irina Zaritzkaya at Tel Aviv University, with great difficulty, I somehow
managed to get my parents - who were more inclined towards me studying
in the US - to let me study in what was a war torn Israel.
I think I was getting a twice weekly lessons then. I noticed my playing
improving magically at an amazing pace. What I could only imagine -
the breathtaking moments, tearful sorrow, deep emerging uncontainable
anger – I was capable to expressing it with my playing. The lessons
for me then, were like a dream from another world.
I was mimicking everything
my teacher said with perfection. Really with amazing detail. I wrote
down everything through to a minute detail into my music. I participated
in many competitions, so I played the same pieces to her over and over,
and wrote in even more detail. Every twice weekly lessons were spent
intensively, so one can imagine how much I have improved. However, deep
within me, I was insecure, and lacked confidence. I was studiously trying
to copy everything my teacher said, but never even thought about applying
the idea in other pieces. I did have a level of uncertainty, but as
long as I can have lessons with my teacher, wherever she is, I will
be set forever.
Irina Zaritskaya died
suddenly in 2001, when I was in my mid–thirties.
I was abruptly left alone
to learn new pieces from scratch. I was fine performing music that I
was taught, but new pieces are different. I can do what was printed,
but emotions did not synchronise with what I was playing. Even if I
literally prayed while performing passages that needed to sound like
a prayer, the sound never came out as I wished.
Something was missing
from what is definitely a beautiful music.
I had a lot of concerts
scheduled at the time, so I went to my late teacher’s daughter Alexandra
Andrievsky, who was of similar age to me, in London, and when she moved
to Canada, I went to Canada to have lessons. Alexandra Andrievsky, printed
at the end of my biography is my late teacher, Irina Zaritskaya’s daughter.
I had by then, completely given up making music by myself.
In one of the lessons
in Canada, I asked ‘how shall I play this phrase?’. Alexandra went silent
for a moment and then told me what to do. Now that I think back, perhaps
she didn’t go silent to think, but were listening out for a doorbell
or a phone, but to me, a person desperate for the answer, the silence
felt like a lightening bolt. ‘Should I think deeper!!?’
At that moment I decided
to to use my head and search for answers.
After that, I stopped
going for lessons, and limited listening to other performers in concerts
and CDs to a bare minimum. I have only listened to a handful of recordings
of the pieces I am performing for the past decades.
I have finally started
to think deeper and deeper in my own mind.
At first, the new pieces
which I learned by myself lacked something. I read widely, and went
to museums. I tried pouring all my emotions, literally to the point
of crying, but the results were not quite there. But I really wanted
to find the answers by myself.
After few years a revelation
presented itself: Pianistic tone colour varies by the weight transmitted
from the arm to the keyboard. Simple, but this was the most important
discovery.
Next revelation came when
I found that there are perfect sound for final chords. It was as surprising
as a baby finding out that mummy has a name too!
After that, small discoveries
followed almost everyday, and eventually mounted enough that audiences
began to notice and compliment. I am still discovering something new
everyday. I have finally gained confidence to make my own unique performance.
What I hope you are about
to hear is a true representation of the music I hear in my mind.
Even though this is named
‘Etude’, it was composed by Chopin, a composer of many heart rendering
music. I hope to recreate what I think Chopin himself imagined.
I realise this may differ
from all the wonderful recordings from the past, and some of you will
find it disconcerting. My performance is what I envisage Chopin felt
and I have recorded it on a CD and will perform to you tonight.
I will be most delighted
if you could enjoy with me my performance of what I think Chopin himself
imagined.
Megumi
Fujita
2nd
August 2017
Review from our St John's Smith Square,
London concert on 23rd July:
The
final part of the concert featured the Fujita sisters Arisa, Honoka
and Megumi, who together make up the Fujita Piano Trio.
Initially,
Megumi gave a solo performance of three of Chopin’s most popular Etudes
(Black Keys, Thirds and Revolutionary) in which she balanced power and
richness of sound with a wonderful delicacy of touch.
Joined
by her sisters, the trio performed Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in c minor,
entirely from memory, which made for an intensely musical and impressively
concentrated performance, and thrilling close to a most enjoyable concert
and a wonderful musical birthday tribute to Neil Chaffey.
(Frances
Wilson, The
Cross-eyed Pianist)
2nd
June 2017
A review of Megumi's Chopin 24 Etudes CD:
The greatest piano
studies of all time.
As Frédéric Chopin was
also a pianist, he studied the piano extensively. Unlike his friend
Liszt, he, as a concert pianist, disliked large venues and big audiences.
He preferred performing at intimate surroundings.One will recognize
such differences when listening to the newly released CD (Intim Musik
label) of Chopin's etudes op.10 and 25 performed by Megumi Fujita, widely
known around the world as a chamber musician in a piano trio with her
two sisters.
What I mean is, that these
pieces are usually a showcase for how technically brilliant, strong,
fast and skilled a young pianists can execute the Chopin's etudes. Fujita
has totally different attitude to this, as shown from the very first
Etude, op. 10 No. 1, in C major.
She has all the technique
required of a modern pianist to play at any speed, but she refrains
from getting praise this way. With wonderful touch and remarkably controlled
dynamics, and perfect mix of the classical and romanticism born out
of Chopin's heart (Chopin loved Mozart’s music!), she takes the tempo
at a slightly slower pace, with tenderness and butterfly's touch, thus
drawing the music away from the earth shattering fast-paced virtuosi.
With the risk of misunderstanding,
I would like to call Fujita's interpretation feminine in the very best
meaning of that word.I cannot pick "best tracks" in this collection.
Everything is so good. A personal musical favourite among them is Etude
Op.25 No.1 in A flat major. Do listen to the CD in the record shop –
and I am sure you will love Megumi Fujita's way of playing and her interpretation
of Chopin.
Recording quality is of the highest standard as well as the photos,
the booklet and the elegant notes for the music as usual from Intim
Musik, is pleasure to the eye and contributes to the overall experience
in the most favourable way.
P-G Bergfors
Translated from original Swedish
20th March 2016
A review of our concert on 8th March at Cockermouth, Cumbria
is here.
'The Fujita
Piano Trio have played for Cockermouth Music Society before, but never
to greater effect than in their recent concert in the town.
This can only be described
as a stunning performance by three Japanese sisters who play from memory
which in itself is a feat, but it comes completely naturally from these
three great musicians. The empathy which flows between them and their
innate musicianship is woven together to produce a performance of the
highest standard. Megumi Fujita is a formidable pianist whose power
is quite extraordinary, but she can also play softly and with great
sensitivity.
The Haydn Trio in C sparkled
and sang-joy personified in music. Then followed a memorable performance
of Ravel’s great A minor Trio, with some tremendous moments of power
contrasted with moving beauty. Arisa Fujita’s violin sang out with great
clarity whenever needed, beautifully complemented by Honoka Fujita on
the cello and always backed by Megumi’s incredible piano playing. A
rarely heard but very fine Beethoven Trio Op 70, No 2 in E flat completed
the evening, with a deeply satisfying performance in every sense from
a world class trio who we were so lucky to hear at the height of their
powers.'
23rd May
2015
Our
interview on Tchaikovsky Piano Trio (along with other Trios and experts)
has been printed on June issue of the American 'Strings' Magazine!
Strings Magazine is available to purchase online (worldwide)
from:
https://store.allthingsstrings.com/collections/back-issues/products/no-242-june-2015
7th October
2014
Review of our concert at South Holland Centre (Spalding, Lincs)
on Spalding
Guardian!
29th July 2014
Some photos from our concert at Tokyo Wangan Rehabilitation
Hospital!
22nd April
2014
Our new Mendelssohn Piano Trios CDs has arrived!
19th March
2014
Here is some photos from Megumi and Honoka's concert at Tokyo
Wangan Rehabilitation Hospital on 22nd Feb:
9th January
2014
Happy New Year 2014
Welcome to our new look website!
27th August
2013
Our spring Swedish tour video below!
26th October
2011
Some reviews from our recent concerts has come out.
Trio concert in Rochdale,
Megumi's Horsham
recital and a blog in the Guardian
Newspaper from our Newcastle Trio concert.
25th April 2011
We have donated our CD sales profit (and donations from the
organizers) of JPY 33,240 from our concert in Sweden to the Japan
Disaster fund. Thank you Sweden!
26th March 2011
Megumi will be performing two Rachmaninov Preludes
for the Japan Crisis Appeal concert on Thursday 14th April (7:30pm)
at the St
John's Smith Square.
4th
Novembeer 2010
Megumi's second disc is out now!
Listen at
Classiconline
22nd
December 2008
New Dvorak 'Dumky' Piano Trio/Smetana
Piano Trio CD is coming out soon!
5th
March 2008
Uploaded photos from the Kyoto Barocksaal prize giving
ceremony on Photos
page!
7th
February 2008
CONCERT
REVIEW from
THE HERALD (Plymouth)
Fujita Piano Trio
Sherwell Centre, Plymouth 02/02/08
Magical sisters play from memory
Plymouth
Chamber Music has been bringing most of the top international artists
to the city for a long time. Whilst the occasional artist has possibly
been the equal of the Fujita Piano Trio in terms of technique alone,
there is one thing which simply puts this all-sister ensemble in an
unassailable class of its own: the whole programme is played from memory!
It's almost
impossible to appreciate what this means in performance. The solo pianist
who suffers a memory lapse can usually regroup, and for the concerto
soloist, the orchestral players at least have their own parts to follow.
But for a trio the potential for disaster is virtually unimaginable.
However,
this in itself creates a unique listening experience. There is no barrier
which the use of music, with its constantly disruptive page-turning,
otherwise imparts, and moreover there is always that necessary sense
of risk which ensures that every performance has that special added
frisson.
Arisa, Honoka
and Megumi are, of course, absolutely superb solo artists in their own
right, and psychologists would no doubt be able to account for this
uncanny display of sororal memory. But their magnificent performance
of this taxing programme of trios by Mendelssohn, Takemitsu, Shostakovich
and Schubert, was second to none, and must surely rank as one of the
most memorable musical experiences heard in the city for many years
to come.
PHILIP
R BUTTALL
27th
January 2008
Our
6th CD (4th Trio CD) Two
Schubert Piano Trios has come out!
5
out of 5 by P-G Bergfors of Goteborgsposten (Swedish daily newspaper)
CELESTIAL
SCHUBERT
"Such
riches, such a gift! The two Schubert Piano Trios for the first time
on the same maxed out CD, in a luminous, well balanced recording. And
the way these three Japanese sisters are playing! Their skillful phrasing,
their sensitivity to the Schubert intimacies, their natural choice of
tempi, their obvious dexterities in the musical details without loosing
any sense of spontaneity (which I suppose comes from the fact that they
play concerts and record from memory, i.e. without sheet music in front
of them)
The feel
of this recording is as it was a live recording by Schubert in two of
his most blissful chamber music works. The interpretation of the slow
movements is better than any recording I can remember. And their frisky
playing in the concluding movements of both trios is uplifting."
P-G.
Bergfors (Goteborgsposten 18/12 2007)
25th
January 2008
Fujita Piano Trio has won the Aoyama Barocksaal Prize 2007!
Details (in Japanese) here: Kyoto
Aoyama Memorial Hall
22nd
May 2007
Ravel Trio 1st & 2nd movement live from the 19th
May concert is on Podcast from Dartmouth
Festival Website!
3rd
February 2007
Uploaded photos from Hyogo Performing Arts Centre (Japan) concert
in Nov 2006 on our Photos
page!
4th
January 2007
Happy New Year!
Our latest CD of Shostakovich Trios No.1 & 2 and Ravel Trio is coming
out very soon.
Details on our CD
page!
2nd
December 2006
Megumi's review of her Wigmore Hall recital came out!
"The most striking feature of Megumi Fujita's playing in the Wigmore
Hall on 1 October was the sheer beauty of sound she drew from the piano,
always brilliantly singing yet subtly varied according to which masterpiece
she performed....this was among the best recitals I've heard this year
to mark the 150th Anniversary of Schumann's death"
Musical
Opinion Nov/Dec 2006 Max Harrison
28th
March 2006
Megumi's review of her Rachmaninov CD came out!
"Ms Fujita plays it exquisitely...Fujita has a perceptive ear
for the poetic virtues of this music as well as having all the virtuosity
needed to capture the stormy atmosphere in some of the preludes. "
Goteborg Posten 2006
31st
October 2005
All three of us have been featured in the Musical Opinion Magazine!
Megumi (May/June 2005), Arisa (July/Aug 2005), Honoka (Sept/Oct 2005)
2th
October 2005
Megumi's review of the June Wigmore Hall recital came out!
"...solid technique and beautiful touch. The most magical aspect
of her playing was the endless variety and nuance of colour which she
searched for and extracted out of her instrument....bewitching tonal
palette..." (Musical Opinion Sept/Oct 2005)
8th
April 2005
Arisa's new CD, Ysaye Six Sonatas for Solo Violin is out on
Swedish label, Intim Musik!
1st
February 2004
Found the review of our
Beethoven Triple concerto concert (Oct '03 at St John's) in Musical
Opinion magazine!
8th
September 2003
Arisa and Megumi's Wigmore review is out! Check reviews page!
"...remarkably impressive recital..."
26th
August 2003
We have updated the CD page. Now you can
sample some tracks from our latest Tchaikovsky / Rubinstein CD!
28th
July 2003
Our Tchiakovsky CD is OUT!