World Tour 2016 - Vienna

MOTOKI HIRAI piano
In Aid of the 2011 and 2016 Japan Earthquakes
Do. 28 April 201619.30 Uhr

Wiener Konzerthaus
Schubert-Saal

Programme EUR 2.00
*Programme and CD sales will be sent to “Call for 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake Donations”

PROGRAMME
Beethoven
Piano Sonata No.27 in E minor, Op.90
I.
II.

Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck
Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorzutragen

Schubert
Piano Sonata No.21 in B-f lat, D.960
I.
II.
III.
IV.

Molto moderato
Andante sostenuto
Scherzo: Allegro vivace con delicatezza - Trio
Allegro, ma non troppo - Presto- Interval (20 mins) Motoki Hirai
Tone Poems on ‘Hyakunin Isshu’ (2016) [Vienna première](Commissioned and Selected by Kimiko Reizei)

Motoki Hirai
Grace and Hope (2011) [Vienna première]- Dedicated to the Victims and Survivors of the Earthquake and Tsunami

ChopinMazurka No.41 in C-sharp minor, Op.63-3
ChopinNocturne No.4 in F, Op.15-1
ChopinScherzo No.2 in B-f lat minor, Op.31

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PROGRAMMENOTESHallé even constructed a programme of the Count’s
affair from the Sonata’s two movements, but his
imagination does not explain the Sonata’s musicalsubtleties. These reveal Beethoven’s genius at its height
regarding continuous variation within an evolving
individual structure, stemming from the opening phrase
and the myriad developmental nature of its uniquetreatment across both movements. Beethoven’s Germanindications go some way to explain: ‘Mit Lebhaftigkeit
und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck (‘With
liveliness and with feeling and expression throughout’),
followed by ‘Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar
vorgetragen’ (‘Not too swiftly and with a singing
manner’). There is an implied programmatic thread,which Schindler may have embroidered, but the subtle
intimacy of the Sonata’s expression cannot be wholly
explained away, the inherent nature of which has been
described on more than one occasion as Schubertian.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata No.27 in E minor, Op.90
I: Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit
Empfindung und Ausdruck
II: Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar
vorzutragen
Beethoven’s Sonata in E minor, published as his Opus
90 in 1815 (it was written the previous year), has long
been regarded as a landmark in his output and in thehistory of solo piano music. Several factors point tothis conclusion: the Sonata is in two movements, otherthan the usual three or four (it is only the second twomovement such work in Beethoven’s output) and is thefirst in which he wrote indications in his native German,
suggesting that he no longer felt bound by ‘traditions’,
either of structure or in the use of the universal Italian
language to indicate tempos and nuances in the music.

© Robert Matthew-Walker 2016

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Piano Sonata No.21 in B-flat major, D.960
I. Molto moderato
II. Andante sostenuto
III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace con delicatezza - Trio
IV. Allegro, ma non troppo - Presto

Charles Hallé was the first pianist to perform all of
Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas in this country, in a series ofrecitals in London in 1876. For his recital at St James’s
Hall on June 16th Hallé wrote: ‘by those who divide
the sum-total of Beethoven’s artistic production into
three styles, Opus 90 is generally accounted the last
pianoforte sonata belonging to ‘Period No 2’. Almost
140 years later, Sir András Schiff claims the E minor
Sonata is ‘the work that introduces Beethoven’s lastperiod, already [having] one foot in the past and
one foot in the future.’ In agreeing with Hallé and
Sir András, we may look askance at the claim of
Beethoven’s friend Anton Schindler that the Sonata
depicted a love affair between its dedicatee Count
Moritz Lichnowski and an actress.

		Any consideration of Schubert’s piano music might
begin by saying his sonatas mark the end of the first
great era of the genre, the culmination of a line thatbegan with Haydn and continued through Mozart
and Beethoven. Schubert’s approach to large-scale
sonata structure was outwardly traditional – his
sonatas are almost exclusively four-movement works(notwithstanding several important exceptions) - insignificant contrast to the late works of Beethoven,particularly his last five piano sonatas and quartets.
Nor should we forget that Schubert was just 31 when
he died: had he enjoyed a life-span such as Beethoven’s
56 years there can be little doubt that his later works
would have evolved into quite different structures, moreso had he heard music of Berlioz and Liszt - or Wagner’s
Tannhäuser, Lohengrin or Die Walküre - which he could
well have done.

Many of Schindler’s ‘first-hand recollections’ are
known to be misrepresentations, but as Lord Justice
Goddard said, ‘A man may be a proven liar, but in someinstances he could be telling the truth’, and in seeking
extra-musical justification for Beethoven to abandon
established norms in this work, Schindler may havebeen right. Beethoven’s preceding Sonata, ‘Les Adieux’,which appeared in 1810, was unquestionably inspiredby parting, absence, and return. By the time of whatever
inspiration fired the composer’s creativity to begin his
Opus 90, Beethoven’s ‘second period’ was drawing toan end.

Biedermeier Vienna in the 1820s was, of course, muchsmaller than it soon became, dominated musically by
the presence of Beethoven, who had lived in Vienna
for more than thirty years. Schubert, revering the older
genius, would frequent the same coffee-and eatinghouses Beethoven patronised, supping at a table a few
feet from the master. Beethoven’s profound deafness
was common knowledge and, after 1818, became total:

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Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Mazurka No.41 in C-sharp minor, Op.63-3
Nocturne No.4 in F major, Op.15-1
Scherzo No.2 in B-flat minor, Op.31

they could never have conversed normally, and, in suchcircumstances, Beethoven’s social graces were confined toeating, almost always with long-standing friends, before
returning to his rooms to continue with his music.
Schubert and Beethoven did eventually meet.
Beethoven was mortally ill when Schubert and Anselm
Hüttenbrenner visited him. When asked whom he wishedto see first, Beethoven replied ‘Schubert may come first…
You, Anselm, have my mind, but Franz has my soul.’

When Schubert’s final piano sonatas were first published,almost ten years after his death, the publisher added a
posthumous dedication to Schumann, who, in 1831 hadgreeted Chopin’s Opus 2 Variations on ‘La ci darem’ withthe famous phrase: ‘Hats off, gentlemen, a genius.’

Athough doubts remain concerning Schindler’s
recollections of Schubert’s meetings with Beethoven,
Schubert undoubtedly sought the older man’s music
whenever he could. Beethoven’s manner of composing
was continuous refinement, or workings-out, as shownby his numerous musical sketchbooks, Schubert’s
expression appears less hard-won, a natural sense offlow that appears as a continuous creative stream.
Alfred Brendel has said, ‘Schubert relates to Beethoven,he reacts to him, but he follows him hardly at all.’ Norshould we forget that Schubert was a pall-bearer at
Beethoven’s funeral, and on considering the vast amountof work the younger man left, it would seem that there
was never a time when Schubert was not thinking aboutmusic, pondering how best to express his unstoppable
inspiration in structural terms.

Chopin’s genius may have been apparent to Schumann,but it remains almost unique in that he wrote virtuallyfor one instrument, the piano. Although from aroundthe middle of the 17th-century almost all composers
were proficient keyboard players, for Chopin the solo
piano represented something unique, the essence of his
originality shown in combining tradition and newness - as
Beethoven similarly achieved in his Opus 90 Sonata.

By September 1828 Beethoven had been dead a year
and a half when Schubert possibly resigned himself to
his own fate, as death was also to claim him within twomonths. In less than six weeks, Schubert composed hislast three piano sonatas, all three equal masterpieces
as were Mozart’s final symphonies. The Sonata in B flat
major is the last of all, as Robert Simpson claimed, ‘ameasured and compassionate utterance of complete andprofoundly sublime beneficence.’
The first movement is one of Schubert’s most
magnificently sustained compositions, weighty yet subtle,
as well as being surpassingly beautiful in sound, yetfounded upon the finest architectural strengths. The slow
movement is a beautiful barcarolle in C sharp minor, witha superbly masculine middle section that seems to fill thewhole world with its courageous melody. The Scherzo
is the most beautiful Schubert ever wrote, full of limpid
freshness, and the finale unites pathos and humour withan all-pervading melodic grace coming from the same
mood that informed the first. This masterpiece has thecapacity to renew and refresh the listener with every
hearing, a testament to human creativity as valid today
as when the composer vouchsafed it to us - one of thegreatest and most serene piano works since Beethoven.

Chopin was equally attuned, as was Schumann, toburgeoning Romanticism - in the 1830s, at the height of
its early flowering. In taking from the past and from thepresent those elements he needed, Chopin frequently
developed existing forms to new heights, as we find in
his sets of Mazurkas, Waltzes, Impromptus, Polonaises,
Etudes and Nocturnes. The earliest of his Mazurkas - ofalmost 60 he eventually composed – date from 1825,
when Chopin was 16.
That was five years before he left his native Poland tosettle in Paris. The Mazurka is a Polish folk-dance inthree-four time, the accent in each bar falling on the lastbeat (occasionally the second). Chopin never returned
to Poland but equally never forgot his native land; his
Mazurkas appeared at various intervals throughout his
life; the three comprising his Opus 63 appearing in 1847,
two years before his death at the age of 39.
Chopin did not invent the solo piano Nocturne, but heraised the form to an unparalleled and perfect degree.
In Chopin’s Nocturnes, short pieces of lyrical or elegiac
character, we find a combination of Italianate melody,a recreation of the popular bel canto style in pianistic
terms which contains the hallmarks of extemporisation(in which Chopin, it seems, was a master) - the whole
having a strong structural sense. Tonight’s F major
Nocturne is the first of three composed between
1831-33, demonstrating a common shape; beginningwith a flowing, lyrical theme in the right hand, softly
embroidered, there is a contrasting middle section
followed by a return to the opening theme – somewhat
more embroidered than at the beginning, in whichpeaceful mood the piece concludes.

© Robert Matthew-Walker 20164

It was Beethoven who expanded the Minuet and Triomovement of classical sonata form into the Scherzo, andwithin the ten years following his death the concept offree-standing individual movements had spread fromthe orchestra to the piano. Chopin’s Scherzo in B flat
minor Opus 31 appeared in 1837, and greatly impressed
Schumann, who said it reminded him of a poem byLord Byron. There is speed (it is marked Presto), tension,
eruptive power and lyrical contrast (this last in thecontrasted main central section)– the whole subsumed
into a wholly original masterpiece, as thrilling today as
when it first appeared.

Each waka (or tanka) consists of five lines of 5-7-5-7-7syllabic units. For a few pieces I have tried to transfer thesyllabic numbers into music, whilst others were freely
composed based on my intuition and imagination. As
music is a live art, I have left leeway for improvisationwhilst composing in order to make the performance more
spontaneous. I hope the members of the audience will let
their imagination run freely and just enjoy what they hear.
© Motoki Hirai 2016

5. Sarumaru Dayu (ca. 7th century)© Robert Matthew-Walker 2016

Okuyama ni		In the mountain depths,
Momiji fumiwake 	Treading through the crimson
			leaves,
Naku shika no 	
Cries the wandering stag.
Koe kiku toki zo
When I hear the lonely cry,Aki wa kanashiki
Sad (how sad!) the autumn is!

Motoki Hirai (1973-)
Tone Poems on ‘Hyakunin Isshu’ (2016)(Commissioned and Selected by Kimiko Reizei)
I composed this piece on the back of a fantastic
opportunity presented to me in 2015 by Kimiko Reizei(1947-), who is a direct descendant of Fujiwara no Teika(1162-1241), whose family ‘Reizei-ke’ has specialized inwaka (traditional Japanese poetry) for a thousand years.
Kimiko kindly selected ten contrasted works from the
Hyakunin Isshu and encouraged me to write music for
piano solo on her selection which was a highly prestigious
yet challenging task.

12. Sojo Henjo [Monk Henjo] (816-890)
Ama tsu kaze		
Kumo no kayoiji
Fuki toji yo		
Otome no sugata
Shibashi todomen

The Hyakunin Isshu is an anthology of one hundred
waka, each written by a different poet from a vast
period spanning 7C-13C, featuring poems by monks,
high-ranking court officials and members of the imperialfamily including Emperor Tenji (626-671) and the Retired
Emperor Juntoku (1197-1242). It has been beloved bygenerations of Japanese since its compilation in the
13th century. Many of the current Japanese population
know several of these poems by heart through playing
the popular card game version of the anthology sincechildhood (typically played on New Year’s Day). I am
not an exception and enjoyed playing it as a child, eventhough I was too young to understand the profoundmeaning of each poem.

O ye Winds of Heaven!
In the paths among the clouds
Blow, and close the ways,
That we may these virgin form
Yet a little while detain.

15. Koko Tenno [Emperor Koko] (830-887)
Kimi ga tame		It is for thy sakeHaru no no ni idete That I seek the fields in spring,
Wakana tsumu
Gathering green herbs,
Waga koromode ni While my garment’s hanging
			sleeves
Yuki wa furi tsutsu
Are with falling snow
			beflecked.

28. Minamoto no Muneyuki Ason (?-939)
Yama-zato wa 	
Winter lonelinessFuyu zo sabishisa
In a mountain hamlet grows
Masari keru 		Only deeper, when
Hitome mo kusa mo Guests are gone, and leaves
			and grass
Karenu to omoeba
Withered are— so runs my			thought.

It was Fujiwara no Teika, a well-known waka poet,novelist, and scholar, who compiled the Hyakunin Isshu(more precisely called ‘Ogura Hyakunin Isshu’) at the
Ogura mountain villa in Kyoto. Teika, together with hisfather Fujiwara no Shunzei (1114-1204) was known to
be a master of expressing ‘yugen’ (meaning subtle grace,
hidden beauty or elegant simplicity) in his profound worldof poetry, eventually influencing other forms of Japanese
art such as Noh theatre and tea-ceremony for centuries.  

536. Kiyohara no Fukayabu (ca. 10th century)

97. Gon-Chunagon Sadaie [Fujiwara no Teika](1162-1241)

Natsu no yo wa
In the summer night,
Mada yoi nagara 	
While the evening still seems
			here,Akenuru o		
Lo! The dawn has come.
Kumo no izuko ni
In what region of the clouds
Tsuki yadoruranQ
Has the wandering moon 					found place?

37. Funya no Asayasu (ca. 10th century)
Shiratsuyu ni 		In the autumn fields,
Kaze no fukishiku 	When the heedless wind blows
			by
Aki no no wa		O’er the pure-white dew,
Tsuranuki tomenu 	 How the myriad unstrung 					gems
Tama zo chiri keru
Everywhere are scattered 					round!

73. Saki no Chunagon Masafusa[Oe no Masafusa] (1041-1111)
Takasago no		
Onoe no sakura
Saki ni keri		
Toyama no kasumi

On that distant mount,
O’er the slope below the peak,
Cherries are in flower—
May the mist of hither hills

Tatazu mo aranan

Not arise to veil the scene.

77. Sutoku-In [Retired Emperor Sutoku](1119-1164)
Se o hayami 		
Iwa ni sekaruru
Takigawa no		
Warete mo sue ni
Awan to zo omou

Though a swift stream be
By a rock met and restrained
In impetuous flow,
Yet, divided, it speeds on,
And at last unites again.

83. Kotaigogu no Daibu Toshinari [Fujiwara no
Shunzei] (1114-1204)
Yo no naka yo 	
From this world I think
Michi koso nakere
That there is nowhere to			escape.
Omoi iru 		
I wanted to hide
Yama no oku ni mo In the mountains’ farthest 					depths;
Shika zo naku naru But there I hear the stag’s cry.

Konu hito o 		
Like the salt sea-weed,
Matsuho no ura no Burning in the evening calm.
Yunagi ni		On Matsuo’s shore,
Yaku ya moshio no
All my being is aflame
Mi mo kogare tsutsu Awaiting one who does not			come.
*Translated by Clay MacCauley in his book
‘Hyakunin-Isshu: Single Songs of a Hundred Poets’(Kelly and Walsh, 1917)

Motoki Hirai (1973-)
Grace and Hope (2011)- dedicated to the victims and survivorsof the earthquake and tsunami
It has been five years since the devastating Earthquake
and Tsunami, with the ensuing nuclear fall-out, hit mynative country of Japan on the 11th of March. I have so
far organized and participated in over 30 charity concerts
to raise funds for the rebuilding of lives and livelihoods,
through which I feel that the path to full recovery could
be extremely long though disaster relief is definitely
underway.
I composed this piece following the 3.11 disaster, notonly as a prayer for the victims and the survivors, butalso hoping that such a tragedy would never happen
again. My main goal was to come up with a universal andsimple melody that can be shared among people not onlyin Japan but across the world, to reflect my sincere wish
that the world would be a better, more peaceful place tolive for us all. I premièred the piece at my piano recital at
the Wigmore Hall, London in October 2011 and gave its
Japan première in Shichigahama, Miyagi (epicentre of the
Tsunami) the following month. Since then, I have revisited
Tohoku a few times, and most recently I performed it in
Iwate prefecture.
Whilst I am performing the piece on piano solo today,
it can easily be transcribed for choir, orchestra or solo
instruments as it is ultimately a simple song. I have always
been hearing the theme through human voices whilst
composing or playing on the piano since I conceived it at
the very beginning. If it could be performed repeatedly
to give people hope and courage, it will give me sheer
delight as a composer.
© Motoki Hirai 2016

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PROFILE
Acclaimed worldwide for his imagination and sensitivity, 		Motoki Hirai has appeared in the music capitals of the Far East, US andEurope, performing regularly in prestigious venues including Wigmore
Hall in London, Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Carnegie Hall in
New York. During recent years, Motoki has performed in Austria, Belgium,
Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania,
Malaysia, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Panama, Portugal, Romania, Senegal,
Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, UK, USA and his native Japan.
Highlights of the current season and beyond include solo recitals in Carnegie Hall (NY), Barbican Centre (London),Royal Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Wiener Konzerthaus (Vienna), St Martin-in-the-Fields (London), La Folle Journée
2016, Ginza Oji Hall and Kioi Hall (Tokyo) and concerto performances with orchestras such as Czech Virtuosi Chamber
Orchestra as well as concert tours across Europe, Africa, South America and Japan.
Whilst being a leading interpreter of the standard repertoire for piano solo, Motoki is equally at home with chambermusic and lieder, shedding an inspiring and personal light on music from all periods. Since 1991, Motoki has
collaborated with artists including Vilnius String Quartet, Michael Cox, Kalman Berkes, Barry Craft, Doudou N’Diaye
Rose and his father, the celebrated cellist Takeichiro Hirai, whom Pablo Casals once designated as his successor.
As a composer, Motoki has been commissioned to write new works for international artists in various fields whichwere performed and premièred in venues such as Carnegie Hall (NY); Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre, Barbican
Centre, Cadogan Hall, St. John’s Smith Square, Dulwich Festival, Unicorn Theatre, Chelsea Flower Show (London);Brookes Festival 2014, Pegasus Theatre (Oxford); St. George’s (Bristol); Eden Project (Cornwall); Lincoln Cathedral(Lincolnshire); Canongate Kirk (Edinburgh); Smetana Hall (Prague); Cultural Summer Festival (Bratislava); Maison de laculture du Japon à Paris (Paris); Expo Milan 2015 (Milan); Auditori Pau Casals (Barcelona); Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv,
Auditorium in Haifa Museum of Art (Israel); Al-Kasaba Theatre (Palestine); Théâtre National Daniel Sorano (Dakar); as
well as La Folle Journée 2015, Tokyo Opera City, and NHK Hall (Japan). His music has also been used in films such as‘The Emperor’s Tram Girls’ (2005).
Born in Tokyo in 1973 into a highly gifted musical family, Motoki Hirai studied piano and composition with his
grandfather, the eminent composer Kozaburo Y. Hirai (who studied with Mahler’s noted disciple and conductor Klaus
Pringsheim), and violin with his grandmother. Since his first professional appearance at the age of 13 playing his own
piano works to great critical acclaim, he has been highly active in both performance and composition. After reading
philosophy and aesthetics at Keio University in Tokyo, Motoki came to London in 1996 to study at the Royal Academyof Music, and later at City University.
Over the years, Motoki Hirai has performed for the promotion of world peace and for people in need worldwide inassociation with organizations such as the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Japan Society, Motor Neurone Disease
Association, Red Cross, Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, UNESCO and UNICEF. In 2010 Motoki was invited to Lithuania
to give a charity concert, commemorating Sempo (Chiune) Sugihara who saved the lives of over 6000 Polish Jews
during World War II.
Since the Earthquake and Tsunami devastated Japan on 11 March 2011 (which, by a sad coincidence, was hisbirthday), Motoki has organized and participated in over 30 charity concerts across the UK, Europe, US and the mostaffected areas in Japan, raising over €120,000 so far.
As an artistic emissary of the Japanese government, Motoki has visited numerous countries since 1994. He has also
been involved in fascinating educational programmes to promote Japanese art and culture across the world, such as
the ‘World of Japanese Picture Books – brought to life through Reading and Music’ project (2007- ) as artistic director
and composer. Motoki has broadcast internationally on radio and television (Classic FM, BBC, ITV, and NHK) and has
made a number of recordings on CD.
www.motoki-hirai.com

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REVIEWS“a most brilliant and sensitive musical talent both as pianist and composer . . . his musicianship is incomparable”
THE GUARDIAN“consistent musicality . . . Being a composer himself has endowed the performer [Motoki Hirai] with a special insight
into the works of others, enabling him to capture the essential character of each composition.”
SUNDAY TIMES“His interpretation was refined and left a strong impression on the audience. It was as though the doors to the mostsublime music of our time were being opened note by note right before our eyes.”EL MUNDO“. . . superbly performed, technically perfect and infused with keen intelligence”
MUSICAL OPINION“Mr. Hirai’s unhurried approach and ample breathing between phrases brought to mind a great singer or string player. . . warm lyricism and a uniquely improvisatory feeling”
NEW YORK CONCERT REVIEWSUPPORTED BY
Embassy of Japan in Austria
SPONSORED BY
ANA (All Nippon Airways), Daiwa Capital Markets, Esterhazy Foundation, NTT Europe
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
JCC, Steinway & Sons, Tohoku Earthquake Fukushima Orphans Fund (Higashi-Nihon Daishinsai Fukushima Kodomo
Kifukin at the Fukushima prefectural office), World Fukushima Prefectural Association
GRAPHIC DESIGNFrancis Nijenhuis, frenz.nl*Proceeds from this concert will be donated to the Tohoku Earthquake Fukushima Orphans Fund (‘Higashi-Nihon
Daishinsai Fukushima Kodomo Kifukin’ at the Fukushima prefectural office).
*Proceeds from programme and CD sales will be sent to “Call for 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake Donations”
at the Kumamoto prefectural office.

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