Motoki Hirai Piano Recital
In Aid of the Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund
Saturday 29 October 2011

PROGRAMME £2.00

*Would patrons please ensure that mobile phones are switched off.
Please stifle coughing as much as possible and ensure that watch alarms andany other electronic devices which may become audible are switched off.

PROGRAMME

Motoki Hirai: Scenes from a Native Land (2005)
Mozart: Sonata in B-flat, K.570
I.
AllegroII.
AdagioIII.
Allegretto
Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op.12 (excerpts)
No.3: Warum?
No.4: Grillen
No.6: Fabel
No.5: In der Nacht
INTERVAL (15 minutes)
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.5 in E-minor, S244 ‘Héroïde-élégiaque’Litany S562 No.1 after Schubert
The Wish S480 No.1 after Chopin
Chopin: Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op.64 No.2
Prelude in D-flat, Op.28 No.15 ‘Raindrop’
Albeniz: Rumores de la Caleta (Malagueña), from ‘Recuerdos de vioje’
Op.71 No.6
Motoki Hirai: Grace and Hope (World Première)

Programme Notes

A week ago, October 22, saw the bicentenary of the birth in
the small Hungarian market town of Doborján of Franz Liszt,
an event commemorated in the world of music throughout
2011. Liszt was surely the greatest pianist who has ever lived,
but he was much more besides. No truly great composer
lived a more colourful life than he, and of no other greatcomposer can it be said – as it can in his case – that 135 years
after his death the full achievement of such an incredibly
complex man remains unknown in its entirety, a man
generous in giving of his time in the cause of others. Suchhumanitarian principles as Liszt frequently espoused are
echoed in the stimulus given to Motoki Hirai by thedisastrous Tohuku earthquake earlier this year, and hisdesire to aid the relief of the catastrophe which befell his
fellow-countrymen.
Liszt’s influence with regard to the development of atranscendental piano technique was immediate and lasting –that part of his achievements has always been
acknowledged – yet it is only in comparatively recent years
that his influence as a composer has come to be appreciated.
No-one, even today, can afford to ignore Liszt in terms ofwriting for the piano, and whilst his music forms but a part of
tonight’s recital, we may observe aspects of his influence
still, in the piano music of our contemporaries, and which
stand behind the two works by Motoki Hirai that open andclose his programme and which he himself introduces inthese notes.
Robert Matthew-Walker © 2011

Motoki Hirai (b1973)
Scenes from a Native Land (2005)

Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges, an EU-wide
initiative to promote a greater mutual understanding ofEuropean and Japanese society and culture, I, as a Japaneseperson, have drawn on images evocative of my native land
and its rural life past and present in all its forms, including
landscapes, tranquility, folk festivals, even religious themes
and legends.
The piece itself consists of several sections of varying
lengths played continuously, representing scenes fromJapanese rural life including sounds of nature, children atplay, dancing and singing in a small village, and traditional
instruments such as bamboo flute and Taiko drum. Anothersection is based on the Okinawa pentatonic scale which
consists of five notes, uniquely skipping the second and sixthof the octave. Although some motifs have been influenced
by Japanese folk styles, I have not used any particular source
for my composition.
As music is a live art, I have focused on improvisation whilst
composing this piece in order to make the performance more
spontaneous. With this in mind, I hope the audience will let
their imagination run freely and just enjoy what they hear.
© Motoki Hirai 2011

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Sonata No.17 in B-flat major K 570(1789)I
II
III

AllegroAdagioAllegrettoThis piece reflects my concern with a number of issues which
affect us today. Composed in 2005 which marked the 60th
anniversary of the end of the Second World War, I thought it
was an appropriate time to pause for thought. After 60 odd
years of relative peace, there are still many conflicts as wellas natural disasters which affect the lives of vast numbers ofpeople from all over the world. I now offer this composition
as a memorial to the past and hopes for lasting peace andstability of the world for the future.

It may be difficult for us to imagine that in the mid 19thcentury, and for no little time thereafter, Mozart’s music wasby no means as fully appreciated as it is today. The
transcriptions Liszt made of Mozart’s music were, therefore,
exceptional – the ‘Lacrymosa’ from the Requiem, and theparaphrases on Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro areprime examples – and his organ work, the Evocation à laChapelle Sixtine, S658/R400, quotes from Mozart’s latemotet Ave Verum Corpus.

As it was originally composed for a concert held at St. John’s,
Smith Square in London on Europe Day as part of 2005 EU-

We may be sure that Liszt played Mozart’s piano music, if not
publicly, and amongst Mozart’s greatest achievements inProgramme Notes
the genre of solo piano music, tonight’s Sonata in B-flatstands alongside the D major (K 576) as being without peer.
They were composed in Vienna in 1789, and the B-flat major
begins with a simple theme in octaves – so simple, in fact, tocatch the unwary listener – but which expands and flowers
in a wonderfully organic manner to reveal ever new aspectsof the theme. Mozart appears unwilling to bid his theme
goodbye, as it evolves into an expansive and lyrical coda. The
slow movement, in E-flat major, is in great contrast, themusic displayed with greater harmonic support andcolouring, made up of relatively short, almost variation-like,phrases which nonetheless flow and evolve as the firstmovement had. Here is Mozart trying something new, and in
the finale he releases the tension with a wonderful set of
lively rondo-variations, seamlessly woven into a delightful
keyboard tapestry such as would have caused Liszt to smile
knowingly in appreciation.

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Fantasiestücke Op.12 (c1832-1837)
No.3: Warum?
No.4: Grillen
No.6: Fabel
No.5: In der Nacht
Schumann dedicated his great Fantasie Op.17 to Liszt, who inreturn inscribed his Sonata in B minor to the German genius.
Schumann was a noted writer on music as well as being afine pianist and a great and original composer, and during
the years in which he fought for his musical ideals as editorof (and prolific contributor to) the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik
two characters, Florestan and Eusebius, were his literarymasks, through whom he argued in an imaginary literary
dialogue. Argued they may have done, but they were united
in their admiration of great art and were immortalised inmusic as members of the league of David (Davidbündler) in
Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze, Op.6. This composition was
his first great solo piano work wherein he expressed thedifferent facets of his own complex personality, but on theother hand, in the broadly contemporaneous Fantasiestücke,the inner tensions afford us a direct insight into Schumann’s
dreams. As in his Op.6, we find here an apparently
completely independent succession of single pieces, alreadytypically Schumannesque, which – if isolated – can be
performed on their own, a group from which the individual
pianist can select at will.

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Hungarian Rhapsody No.5 in E minor S244/5‘Héroïde-élégiaque’ (1847)
The subtitle of this work, ‘Heroic Elegy’, which was given by
Liszt himself, indicates that it is to be considered to lie
somewhat apart from others in the collection of 19 suchworks in which it appears. As with Chopin, Liszt left his native

land, Hungary, when he was about 11 years old, not returning
until 1839. This re-engagement led him to investigate
Hungarian gypsy music, depicting a national musical identity,
as Chopin had done with his Mazurkas and Polonaises. Liszt’s
re-engagement is especially found in his Hungarian
Rhapsodies; essentially falling into two halves of the gypsy
dance: first slow (Lassan) then fast (Friska), became the planfor grand stylisations, expressed through virtuosity of – attimes – breathtaking difficulty. But in the Hungarian
Rhapsody No.5 in E minor, marked Lento, con duolo, there isno mistaking that this work is, as Leslie Howard has said, ‘adeeply-felt elegy with proud but restrained grandeur’. As
with the Third Hungarian Rhapsody, the Fifth lacks a fasterconcluding section. The work clearly had some special
significance for Liszt, who later made versions for two
pianos and for orchestra. The main second theme first
appears in G major, after the solemn funereal opening, andmuch of the second part of the work is in a consoling E
major, before E minor returns for the brief coda.

Schubert/Liszt: Litany S562/1
From the complete Beethoven Symphonies to single songs,
including fantasias on themes from operas and other theatre
music, Liszt was driven by a desire to make music which hefelt was unjustly neglected better known, and to place
within the hands of pianists orchestral music that, for one
reason or another, was infrequently encountered. In thecase of transcriptions of songs by other composers his
discriminatory approach to their selection and the care andtaste with which he showed betoken a recreative artist of
the highest calibre.
Some idea of the importance which Liszt considered his selfimposed task of transcribing songs by Schubert, and the carehe lavished upon them, is indicated by the fact that he madeexactly one hundred such Schubert transcriptions –sometimes more than one version of the same song. We
should remember that Liszt was 17 years old when Schubertdied (14 years his senior), and regarded Schubert as a slightly
older contemporary (which he was). These songs – familiar
to us today in their original vocal versions – only became
known to the wider musical world when Liszt himself was in
his early maturity. The Litany for All Souls’ Day is a requiem
prayer setting, treated by Liszt with beautiful simplicity.

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)/Liszt:‘Six chants polonaises’ S480 (1847-60)
The Wish (1837)
Liszt and Chopin (just a year older) held each other in great
mutual respect – Liszt going so far as to become Chopin’s
first biographer. The Hungarian’s generosity of spirit

Programme Notes
extended to making solo piano versions of six of Chopin’s

first ‘outsiders’ so to speak to adopt the Spanish idiom in

Polish songs – the only area of his output which was (and stillseveral of their works.

is) neglected. Liszt’s captures the essence of the lyrics ofthese songs admirably, The Wish depicting, in ornamented
variation form, the longing of a young girl ready to change towhatever appearance necessary for her to declare her love.

But for Albéniz, of course, the unmistakeable inflexions ofthe ‘Spanish style’ were second nature, and many of his
shorter pieces were soon transcribed for guitar: although hislife was, like those of Mozart and Schumann, cut short, in his
set of six ‘Hojas de Album’ (Album Leaves) in 1890 he

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Waltz in C-sharp minor Op.64 No.2 (c1847)
This – one of the most famous of all Chopin’s Waltzes – is thecompanion to the other waltz comprising the composer’s

achieved his first truly international success in terms of what
he was later to describe as ‘music of youth, with its little sins
and absurdities that almost point out the sentimental
affectation…[it] appears to me like the carvings in theOpus 64 – that which is known popularly as the ‘minute’

Alhambra, those peculiar arabesques that sway nothing withwaltz (although even the most virtuosic of pianists could nottheir turns and shapes, but which are like the air, like the sun,play the work within 60 seconds); but the C-sharp minor is alike the blackbirds or like the nightingales of its gardens.’

great contrast to its companion: it is much more lyrical,

Malagueña means ‘the woman from Malaga’, and the title

gently melodic, and founded upon no fewer than threehas become synonymous with a gentle dance, the piece

unforgettable themes, of such original beauty that it isitself traversing through several moderate tempos.

difficult to decide which is the most attractive.

Robert Matthew-Walker © 2011

Prelude in D-flat major 'Raindrop'
Op.28 No.15 (1838)

Motoki Hirai
Grace and Hope (World Première)

The set of 24 Preludes by Chopin, dedicated to Johann

It has been over seven months since the devastating

Kessler (who had earlier dedicated a similar set to Chopin)

Earthquake and Tsunami, with the ensuing nuclear fall-out,

appeared in 1838, having been commissioend by the Pleyel

hit my native country of Japan on the 11th of March (which,piano company. They are essentially miniatures, but Liszt

by a sad coincidence, happened to be my birthday). I have sosaw much more than brevity in them, as he said: “Chopin’s

far organized / participated in 11 charity concerts to raise

Preludes are compositions of an order entirely apart... they
are poetic preludes, analogous to those of a great
contemporary poet”. The D-flat major, No 15, is one of themost well-known of all of Chopin’s shorter piano works:

funds for the rebuilding of lives and livelihoods, throughwhich I feel that the path to full recovery could be extremely
long though disaster relief is definitely underway.

marked Sostenuto, the remarkable innovation of a repeated

I composed this piece following the 3.11 disaster, not only as

D-flat acting both as a spur and as a support for the music, isa prayer for the victims and the survivors, but also hoping

just one example of Chopin’s uniquely original genius.

that such a tragedy would never happen again. My main goal
was to come up with a universal and simple melody that canbe shared among people not only in Japan but across the

Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)
Rumores de la Caleta (Malagueña),
from ‘Recuerdos de vioje’ Op.71 No.6
Isaac Albéniz was, like Mozart and Liszt, an extraordinary
keyboard prodigy, giving his first public recital (not as
extensive a programme as we are used to perhaps) at theage of four. His life thereafter was a succession of triumphs,
as pianist and composer, and in 1880 (at the age of 20),
Albéniz travelled to Budapest to become one of Liszt’s
pupils, but he was misinformed as to Liszt’s whereabouts;
the two eventually met in Weimar, and later in Rome.
Albéniz became a noted pupil of Liszt, who was one of theworld, to reflect my sincere wish that the world will be abetter, more peaceful place to live for us all.
Whilst I am performing the piece on solo piano today, it caneasily be transcribed for choir, orchestra or solo instrument
as it is ultimately a simple song (though at the moment it’s
still a ‘Lied ohne Worte’). I have always been hearing thetheme 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 andcourage, as the composer it will give me sheer delight.
© Motoki Hirai 2011

Profile: MOTOKI HIRAI – Pianist & Composer“a most brilliant and sensitive musical talentboth as pianist and composer”
THE GUARDIAN
Widely acclaimed as one of the most imaginative andsensitive pianists of his generation, Motoki Hirai has
appeared in the music capitals of the Far East, America
and Europe, performing regularly in London’s prestigious
venues including the Wigmore Hall, St. John’s, Smith
Square and the Southbank Centre. In March 2011, Motoki
gave a hugely successful recital in Carnegie Hall in New
York. During recent seasons, Motoki has performed inAustria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France,
Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia,
Spain, Switzerland, UK, USA and Japan.
Highlights of the 2011/2012 season and beyond include
concerto performances with orchestras such as Czech
Virtuosi, chamber music with Vilnius String Quartet
amongst others, and solo recitals in venues and festivals
including Carnegie Hall (NY), Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall
(London), Castle Festival (Bratislava), National Cherry
Blossom Festival (Washington D.C.), La Folle Journée(Tokyo) as well as concert tours across Europe and Japan.
Whilst being a leading interpreter of the standard
repertoire for piano solo, Motoki is equally at home withchamber music and lieder, shading an inspiring andpersonal light on music from all periods. Since 1991,
Motoki has collaborated with artists including Michael
Cox, Kalman Berkes, Barry Craft, John Pearce and his
father, the celebrated cellist Takeichiro Hirai, whom Pablo
Casals 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 Wigmore
Hall, Southbank Centre, Cadogan Hall, Chelsea Festival,
Dulwich Festival, Unicorn Theatre, Chelsea Flower Show
(London), St. George’s (Bristol), Canongate Kirk
(Edinburgh), Smetana Hall (Prague), Cultural Summer
Festival (Bratislava), Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris(Paris), Auditori Pau Casals (Barcelona), Tokyo Opera City,NHK Hall (Tokyo) and Carnegie Hall (NY). In celebrationof Chopin’s bicentennial in 2010, Motoki Hirai publishedhis piano composition ‘Hommage à Chopin’ (both solo andduet versions), through the publisher ‘Chopin Corp.’(Tokyo). His music has also been used in films such as‘Voice’ (2004) and ‘The Emperor’s Tram Girls’ (2005).
Born in Tokyo into a highly gifted musical family, Motoki
studied piano and composition with his grandfather, theeminent composer Kozaburo Y. Hirai, and violin with his
grandmother. Since his first professional appearance atthe age of 13 playing his own piano works to great criticalacclaim, he has been highly active in both performanceand composition. After reading philosophy and aesthetics
at Keio University in Tokyo, Motoki came to London in
1996 to study at the Royal Academy of Music, and laterat City University. His teachers have included Frank
Wibaut, Dominique Merlet, James Gibb, Patsy Toh andJoseph Seiger.
Over the years, Motoki Hirai has performed for thepromotion of world peace and for people in needworldwide in association with organizations such as the
Red Cross, Japan Society, Great Britain Sasakawa
Foundation, Motor Neurone Disease Association, UNICEF
and UNESCO. In 2010 Motoki was invited to Lithuania togive a charity concert, commemorating Sempo (Chiune)
Sugihara who saved the lives of 6000 Polish Jews during
World War II.
Since the earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan in
March 2011, Motoki has been giving a series of charity
recitals for fundraising, supported by Steinway & Sons,
across the UK including London, Edinburgh, Lincoln,
Bristol and Somerset, as well as in Europe and Japan. As
an artistic emissary of the Japanese government, Motoki
has visited France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Romania,
Sri Lanka and Malaysia amongst others since 1994. He
has been honoured with a number of awards, including the
Sir Jack and Lady Lyons Performance Award.
He has also been involved in fascinating educational
programmes to promote Japanese art and culture acrossthe world, such as the “Picture Books – Reading, Images
and Music” project (2007) as artistic director as well ascomposer. Motoki has broadcast internationally on radio
and television (Classic FM, BBC, ITV and NHK) and has
made a number of recordings on CD. His most recent
release is of works for solo piano ‘Motoki Hirai Piano
Works’ (2006/2010), which has received much criticalacclaim.

www.motoki-hirai.com

Reviews“a superb pianist… his musicianship isincomparable”
THE GUARDIAN“Consistent musicality… Being a composer
himself has endowed the performer [Motoki
Hirai] with a special insight into the works ofothers, enabling him to capture the essential
character of each composition.”
THE SUNDAY TIMES“His interpretation was refined and left a strong
impression on the audience. It was as though
the doors to the most sublime music of ourtime were being opened note by note rightbefore our eyes.”EL MUNDO“Mr. Hirai’s unhurried approach and ample
breathing between phrases brought to mind agreat singer or string player… warm lyricism
and a uniquely improvisatory feeling”
NEW YORK CONCERT REVIEW“… superbly performed, technically perfect andinfused with keen intelligence”
MUSICAL OPINION

In Association with The Japan Society*All proceeds from this concert will go to the Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund, for therebuilding of lives and livelihoods through local projects in the most affected areas.

Supported by: Embassy of Japan in the UK, Steinway & Sons, and Wigmore Hall

Sponsored by: ANA, Japan Centre, JR Central, Matsuri Restaurant, OCS Europe,
TallWall Media, and Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation

Special thanks to: Berry Bros. & Rudd, Eikoku News Digest, JCCI,The Japanese School in London, Nippon Club, NGR and NNA.

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