Noboyuki Tsujii – Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 29 „Hammerklavier” – An die ferne Geliebte (UHQCD + DVD)

The Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, who recently signed a contract with Deutsche Grammophon, On this limited edition UHQCD, he devotes himself to Beethoven’s impressive “Hammerklaviersonate”, known as a technically and, given its sheer scope, physically demanding work. The piece is complemented by Liszt’s piano transcription of the song cycle “To the Distant Beloved, Op. 98”. This edition includes a DVD of the recording sessions, the photo shoot for the artwork, which took place in Berlin, and an interview of about 9 minutes with this extraordinary artist, who was born blind as a result of microphthalmia and performed at Suntory Hall (Tokyo, Japan) and Carnegie Hall (New York, USA) at the age of twelve.

“It is such a long work that it is very difficult to keep your concentration,” says Nobuyuki, who, because he is blind, has to play every score by heart. ”I spent a lot of time preparing for the recording and struggled with the third movement in particular. It is not easy to make the music your own, but the more you play it, the more you come to feel it. Aspects of Beethoven’s experience overlap with my own – he lost his hearing and yet wrote wonderful and very difficult pieces like this sonata. That’s another reason why I have worked on it with the greatest respect.”

UHQCD stands for Ultimate High Quality Compact Disc and is a joint development of the Japanese CD replication company Memory-Tech and the Audio Quality CD Company from Hong Kong. Unlike conventional CDs, UHQCDs are not pressed from polycarbonate, but cast from a photopolymer and cured with UV light. Another layer of high-purity polycarbonate is applied to the softer photopolymer for scratch protection. The combination results in significantly reduced reflection of laser light inside the CD and an unmatched precise edge transition between pits and lands of the CD. UHQCDs are 100% compatible with standard CD players. Musically, the result is a sound image strongly reminiscent of analog master tapes.

While Universal Music Japan’s first UHQCD series relied on the DSD data of previous SHM-SACD releases, with increasing popularity, albums that had not previously been released as SHM-SACD are now appearing. Typically, the Universal Archive master tapes are re-converted to DSD for this purpose. UHQCDs are ideal for music lovers who want to get as close as possible to the sound of the recording, but do not own an SACD player.

Lista pieselor

1. An die ferne Geliebte: Auf dem Hügel sitz ich, spähend

2. An die ferne Geliebte: Wo die Berge so blau

3. An die ferne Geliebte: Leichte Segler in den Höhen

4. An die ferne Geliebte: Diese Wolken in den Höhen

5. An die ferne Geliebte: Es kehret der Maien, es blühet die Au

6. An die ferne Geliebte: Nimm sie hin denn, diese Lieder

7. Hammerklavier: I. Allegro

8. Hammerklavier: II. Scherzo. Assai Vivace – Presto

9. Hammerklavier: III. Adagio Sostenuto, Apassionato E Con Molto Sentimento

10. Hammerklavier: IV. Allegro – Allegro Risoluto