![[Obituary] Hôko (Hiroko) Nakamura Passes Away: A Collection of Quotes from the International Pianist](https://media.ragnet.co.jp/img/1200__png__https://www.studiorag.com/files/2024/02/de44efc6036f243dc1c9c18717482671.webp)
[Obituary] Hôko (Hiroko) Nakamura Passes Away: A Collection of Quotes from the International Pianist
Hiroko Nakamura, a pianist who continued to be active on the world stage both in Japan and abroad, passed away on July 26, 2016.
She left behind numerous achievements, helped lead Japan’s classical music scene alongside the piano, and in recent years devoted herself to discovering and nurturing young pianists both at home and overseas.
Here, I would like to introduce some of the memorable quotes that Hiroko Nakamura left us.
These are words I hope readers of other instruments besides the piano will also take to heart.
Hiroko Nakamura: Collection of Famous Quotes
Pianists are like ballerinas and gymnasts—they’re muscle workers, too.
At 18, I was told, 'You have talent, but start over from scratch,' and the shock left me in a daze for a while.
I found myself thinking, “What on earth was the point of enduring all the sadness and frustration up to now?”
If you can play the score properly, you can reach a certain level.
But even so, you still won’t become a performer whose music resonates with people’s souls.
There’s a sense in which classical music, by its very nature, can never be fully popularized.
To enjoy it more, there’s also an aspect where the listener needs to be trained, so it’s not something that instantly makes everything interesting.
After all, daily effort is necessary.
It's important to keep playing it through until it becomes a part of you.
Playing the piano well requires highly advanced skills.
Even just mastering it requires considerable effort, but in the end, we evaluate whether the performer’s intent—what they want to express through the piece and the piano—comes across.
In the end, the people who are rated the highest are those with individuality—that is, people who have something they want to say—and moreover, those whose message is romantic.
Even if you're confident in your performance skills and have a proven track record, I think it's reckless to go overseas without being able to speak the local language.
In fact, Japanese artists who are active in Europe often moved there around elementary or middle school age, so they speak German or French almost like native speakers and receive support from various people locally.
In overseas business, what matters is a sincere desire to understand your counterpart and their country.
In recent years, the number of Japanese women pianists active on the international stage has grown, and it feels worlds apart from when I made my debut in the 1960s.
The great pianist Vladimir Horowitz left behind the infamous remark: “Orientals and women can’t play the piano.”
The fascination of performance is like walking a narrow balance beam, where physical prowess—virtuosic technique—and emotional depth—musicality—contend with each other.
If you take a day off, you’ll decline in a day.
It's not just about muscles.
Both the ears and sensitivity deteriorate together.
There are countless people who are good at the piano and good at the violin.
The issue is what you want the listener to understand and what you want to convey.
Profile of Ms. Hiroko Nakamura
Hiroko Nakamura, birth name: Hiroko Fukuda.
July 25, 1944 – July 26, 2016 (aged 72)
Born in Yamanashi Prefecture.
Started learning piano at the age of three and a half, and from age four studied under Aiko Iguchi, a piano educator and pianist.
In 1954, won first place nationwide in the All Japan Student Music Competition, Piano Division, Elementary School category.
He advanced to Keio Junior High School and, in 1958, won first place nationwide in the junior high school division of the All Japan Student Music Competition (piano category).
In 1959, he won First Prize and the Special Award at the Japan Music Competition.
Debuted as a soloist in 1960 at a concert by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Hiroyuki Iwaki.
In 1965, at the 7th International Chopin Piano Competition, he won fourth prize and the award for the youngest participant.
Since then, he has become synonymous with Japanese pianists, giving numerous performances, including collaborations with orchestras in Japan and abroad and recitals around the world.
Married Akutagawa Prize–winning author Kaoru Shoji in September 1974.
Since 1982, he has served as a juror for numerous international competitions, including the Tchaikovsky Competition and the Chopin Competition, and from 1997 he also served as the chair of the jury for the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition.
In 1989, as a nonfiction writer and essayist, he received the Soichi Oya Nonfiction Award for The Tchaikovsky Competition.
He has received numerous awards, including the 2005 ExxonMobil Music Prize, the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2008, the Japan Art Academy Prize, and the Imperial Prize.
In 2014, colorectal cancer was discovered, and they took a temporary leave.
They announced a full-fledged comeback in June 2015, but again announced a hiatus in August of the same year.
Passed away on July 26, 2016.
Hiroko Nakamura Official Website
My deepest condolences.