Yuko Kawai

Yuko Kawai
Yuko Kawai plays Pleyel
Background information
Birth name	Yuko Kawai
Born	20 October (2016-10-20) Nagoya, Japan
Genres	Classical
Occupation(s)	Pianist
Instruments	Piano

Yuko Kawai (河合優子, Kawai Yūko, born in Nagoya, 20 October) is a Japanese classical pianist. She gave the world premiere of Chopin Piano Concertos in E minor Op.11 and F minor Op.21 in the version for one piano as published in the National Edition.^[1]

Education

After graduating from Nagoya Municipal Kikuzato High School Music Department, she studied piano, organ, conducting and chamber music under prof. Atsuko Ohori, prof. Both Lehel and Yuzo Toyama at Aichi Prefectural University of Arts and Music. During her postgraduate studies in Aichi, her talent was spotted by prof. Jan Ekier, during his visit to Japan. They met in Nagoya and prof.Ekier invited her to Warsaw. She studied at Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw (Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw) and gained her diploma in 1994.^[1]

First encounter with prof.Jan Ekier

Prof.Jan Ekier (born August 29, 1913), pianist, composer and the 20th century's world's greatest Chopin scholar - has visited Japan five times. His last visit was early in spring in 1990. From Hokkaido to Kyushu, "changing hotels 13 times, meeting very talented young pianists", he gave Chopin lectures and masterclasses all over Japan. In 1990 Kawai was studying at Aichi Prefectural University of Arts and Music and had his lesson in Nagoya. She played Chopin's Sonata in B minor Op.58. After the lesson prof.Ekier immediately told Kawai to come to Poland, to his class at Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw. During the Japan tour prof.Ekier had lessons with over 60 talented pianists, mainly Chopin Competition participants in October 1990, but only Kawai was invited as his pupil. At that time prof.Ekier told the masterclass interpreter about Kawai: "She has great potential. And she has very good hands as a pianist." ^[2]

The 13th International Chopin Piano Competition

After receiving the 3rd prize at The International Chopin Piano Competition in Marienbad in July 1995, Kawai took part The 13th International Chopin Piano Competition in October 1995 in Warsaw. The Competition changed her life despite not receiving any prize. TVP, Polish Radio, "Wiadomości Kulturalne" magazine - the media gave Kawai a lot of attention. A Polish leading music critic Janusz Ekiert wrote about her in his article: "She can't go to the next round - this is the capital error." "She is the elite of the 13th Chopin Competition but can't perform at the Competition any longer. Experienced pianists who have performed worldwide, can't understand why."

Polish Radio Program I (Pierwszy Program Polskiego Radia) made a 30-minute special radio reportage, featuring her performing and life. After the airing of Polish Radio Program I in November 1995, suddenly Kawai received a lot of offers and did a 14-recitals concert tour of Poland in February and March in 1996.

Performances

Kawai has performed throughout Europe and Japan. She is especially known for playing Chopin, according to National Edition. Since 2001 ^[3] she has given recitals of Chopin's entire output on the basis of the National Edition - 'Yuko Kawai Chopinissimo Series'.

Chopin: Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor Op.11 version for one piano by Chopin, according to National Edition

• world premiere: 17 June 2002, Chiryu, Japan^[4]
• Italy premiere: 25 September 2010, Auditorium del Massimo, Rome
• Austria premiere: 6 May 2011, Schönberg Centre, Vienna

Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor Op.21 version for one piano by Chopin, according to National Edition

• world premiere: 11 August 2004, Chiryu, Japan^[4]

F.Kalkbrenner Piano Concerto No.4 in A-flat major Op.127

• Japan premiere: 17 February 2009, Shirakawa Hall, Nagoya, (Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra, Ichiro Saito, conductor)^[5]

In January 2008, she gave her final performance of the complete Mozart piano sonata cycle in Nagoya and Anjo, Japan.^[6]

Yuko Kawai & Chopin National Edition

Kawai met Jan Ekier's Chopin Urtext Edition when she was a junior high school student - Wiener Urtext Edition Chopin Nocturnes. Since she came to Poland to study with prof.Ekier in 1991, she has used Chopin National Edition. Also, in 1991 Kawai found prof.Ekier's thick book "Introduction to the National Edition" at the music shop on Nowy Świat street in Warsaw, bought and began to read.

In 2010 Kawai had her own TV programme series 'Yuko Kawai talks about Chopin National Edition' on CLASSICA JAPAN TV (vol.1-13, July–September 2010). In 2011 the programme won prestigious JSBA (Japan Satellite Broadcasting Association) Original Programming Awards. ^[7]

Chopinissimo Series

In 2001 Kawai started her long-term historic project "Yuko Kawai Chopinissimo Series".

Playing with historical pianos

Kawai loves to play Chopin with 19th Century's pianos. She has had a lot of experience to perform and record with historical instruments, e.g. Pleyel 1830, Pleyel 1846, Erard 1852, Erard 1855 and Pleyel 1869. In 2010 Kawai recorded Chopin's 24 Preludes Op.28 and other pieces at Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments with Pleyel 1830.

Recordings

Kawai has recorded 12 CDs with the BeArTon, PLATZ and IMAGINE label.

Chopin: Lento con gran espressione - the National Edition Series A ( BeArTon ) 1999 - 'One of best discs of Sonata Op.58' - CHOPIN magazine 1999^[8]

• Lento con gran espressione in C-sharp minor WN37 ( version of the later autograph )
• Ballade No.1 in G minor Op.23
• Nocturne No.2 in E-flat major Op.9 No.2 version with Chopin's variants
• Etude in C major Op.10 No.1
• Etude in E major Op.10 No.3
• Etude in C minor Op.25 No.12
• Waltz in C-sharp minor Op.64 No.2
• Mazurka in F minor WN65
• Sonata in B minor Op.58
• Lento con gran espressione in C-sharp minor WN37 ( earlier version )

Chopin: Ballades and Impromptus - National Edition ( PLATZ ) 2004

• Ballade No.1 in G minor Op.23
• Ballade No.2 in F major Op.38
• Ballade No.3 in A-flat major Op.47
• Ballade No.4 in F minor Op.52
• Impromptu No.1 in A-flat major Op.29
• Impromptu No.2 in F-sharp major Op.36
• Impromptu No.3 in G-flat major Op.51

Chopinissimo I - National Edition ( Imagine ) 2006

• Cantabile in B-flat major WN43
• Sostenuto in E-flat major WN53
• Lento con gran espressione in C-sharp minor WN37
• Allegretto in F-sharp major WN36
• 5 Mazurkas Op.6
  • No.1 F-sharp minor
  • No.2 C-sharp minor
  • No.3 E major
  • No.4 E-flat minor
  • No.5 C major
• Sixth Variation from 'Hexameron' in E major
• Variations brillantes B-flat major Op.12
• Nocturne E minor WN23
• Funeral March in C minor WN11
• Sonata in B-flat minor Op.35
• Nocturne in E-flat major Op.9 No.2 version with Chopin's variants

Chopinissimo II - National Edition ( Imagine ) 2007

• Nocturne No.1 in B-flat minor Op.9 No.1
• Nocturne No.2 in E-flat major Op.9 No.2 ( simple version )
• Nocturne No.2 in E-flat major Op.9 No.2 ( version with variants )
• Nocturne No.3 in B major Op.9 No.3
• Contredanse in G-flat major WN29
• Lento con gran espressione in C-sharp minor WN37 ( version of the later autograph )
• 4 Mazurkas Op.7
  • No.1 B-flat major
  • No.2 A minor
  • No.3 F minor
  • No.4 A-flat major
• 3 Ecossaises WN27
  • No.1 G major
  • No.2 D-flat major
  • No.3 D major
• Fantaisie in F minor Op.49

Chopinissimo III - National Edition ( Imagine ) 2007

• R.Schumann: 'Träumerei' ( Scene from Childhood Op.15 )
• F.Chopin: Nocturne No.4 in F major Op.15 No.1
• Nocturne No.5 in F-sharp major Op.15 No.2
• Nocturne No.6 in G minor Op.15 No.3
• 4 Mazurkas Op.17
  • No.1 B-flat major
  • No.2 E minor
  • No.3 A-flat major
  • No.4 A minor
• 12 Etudes Op.10
  • No.1 C major
  • No.2 A minor
  • No.3 E major
  • No.4 C-sharp minor
  • No.5 G-flat major
  • No.6 E-flat minor
  • No.7 C major
  • No.8 F major
  • No.9 F minor
  • No.10 A-flat major
  • No.11 E-flat major
  • No.12 C minor

Chopinissimo IV - National Edition ( Imagine ) 2007

• Moderato in E major WN56
• Galop Marquis in A-flat major WN59
• Impromptu in C-sharp minor WN46
• Ballade No.1 in G minor Op.23
• Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor Op.11 (version for one piano/original by Chopin)
  • Allegro maestoso
  • ROMANCE Larghetto
  • RONDO Viviane

Various Compositions - The National Edition Series B ( BeArTon ) 2007

• Marche Funebre in C minor WN9
• 3 Ecossaises WN13
  • No.1 G major
  • No.2 D-flat major
  • No.3 D major
• [Variants] /Souvenir de Paganini/ WN16
• Nocturne in E minor WN23
• Contredanse in G-flat major WN27
• [Allegretto] in F-sharp major WN36
• [Lento con gran espressione] /Nocturne in C-sharp minor/ WN37 earlier version
• [Lento con gran espressione] /Nocturne in C-sharp minor/ WN37 later version
• Cantabile in B-flat major WN43
• Presto con leggierezza /Prelude in A-flat major/ WN44
• Impromptu in C-sharp minor WN46 /Fantaisie-Impromptu/
• 'Spring' WN52a
• Sostenuto in E-flat major WN53 /Waltz in E-flat major/
• Moderato in E major WN56 /Feuille d'Album/
• Galop Marquis in A-flat major WN59
• Nocturne in C minor WN62

Chopinissimo V - National Edition ( Imagine ) 2008

• 4 Mazurkas Op.24
  • No.1 G minor
  • No.2 C major
  • No.3 A-flat major
  • No.4 B-flat major
• Polonaise E-flat major Op.22 preceded with Andante spianato for piano and orchestra version for one piano
• 12 Etudes Op.25
  • No.1 A-flat major
  • No.2 F minor
  • No.3 F major
  • No.4 A minor
  • No.5 E minor
  • No.6 G-sharp minor
  • No.7 C-sharp minor
  • No.8 D-flat major
  • No.9 G-flat major
  • No.10 B minor
  • No.11 A minor
  • No.12 C minor
• Prelude in E minor Op.28 No.4

Chopinissimo VI - National Edition ( Imagine ) 2008

• Nocturne in C-sharp minor Op.27 No.1
• Nocturne in D-flat major Op.27 No.2
• 4 Mazurkas Op.30
  • No.1 C minor
  • No.2 B minor
  • No.3 D-flat major
  • No.4 C-sharp minor
• 24 Preludes Op.28
  • No.1 C major
  • No.2 A minor
  • No.3 G major
  • No.4 E minor
  • No.5 D major
  • No.6 B minor
  • No.7 A major
  • No.8 F-sharp minor
  • No.9 E major
  • No.10 C-sharp minor
  • No.11 B major
  • No.12 G-sharp minor
  • No.13 F-sharp major
  • No.14 E-flat minor
  • No.15 D-flat major
  • No.16 B-flat minor
  • No.17 A-flat major
  • No.18 F minor
  • No.19 E-flat major
  • No.20 C minor
  • No.21 B-flat major
  • No.22 G minor
  • No.23 F major
  • No.24 D minor

Chopinissimo VII - National Edition ( Imagine ) 2009

• J.S.Bach: Invention No.14 in B-flat major BWV785
• F.Chopin: Polonaise in B-flat major WN1
• Polonaise in G minor WN2
• Polonaise in A-flat major WN3
• Rondo No.3 in E-flat major Op.16
• Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor Op.21 (version for one piano/original by Chopin)
  • Maestoso
  • Larghetto
  • Allegro vivace
• J.S.Bach: Invention No.1 in C major BWV772
• F.Chopin: Etude in C minor Op.10 No.12

Chopinissimo VIII - National Edition ( Imagine ) 2010

• J.S.Bach: 'Prelude' from Prelude and Fugue in F-sharp major BWV858
• F.Chopin: Impromptu No.2 in F-sharp major Op.36
• Moderato in E major WN56
• Impromptu No.1 in A-flat major Op.29
• Ballade No.2 in F major Op.38
• Ballade No.1 in G minor Op.23
• Impromptu in C-sharp minor WN46
• Impromptu No.3 in G-flat major Op.51
• Ballade No.3 in A-flat major Op.47
• Ballade No.4 in F minor Op.52
• Waltz in F minor WN55
• Etude in A-flat major Op.25 No.1

Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 single-piano version - National Edition ( BeArTon ) 2010

• Piano Concerto in F minor Op.21 single-piano version
  • Maestoso
  • Larghetto
  • Allegro vivace
• Piano Concerto in E minor Op.11 single-piano version
  • Allegro maestoso
  • Romance. Larghetto
  • Rondo. Vivace

Life in Poland

She has lived in Poland since 1991. She obtained permanent residence in Poland in 1999. She stays in London occasionally.

References

External links

• Yuko Kawai Official Website
• ARTE 90
• Concert Imagine
• BeArTon
• Yuko Kawai Facebook (Page)
• Yuko Kawai Facebook (People)
• Yuko Kawai Twitter
• Interview 'Pianist Kawai seeks out the real Chopin' - The Japan Times