As pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii appears on stage at Tokyo's Suntory Hall, hand in hand with violinist Fumiaki Miura, the capacity audience that flocked to the Oct. 5 matinee gives a warm shower of applause in anticipation of the duo's performance.
Led by the soft chords of the piano, the quiet melody of a violin started Johannes Brahms' Violin Sonata No. 1, also known as "Rain Sonata," one of the two pieces from the duo's first joint album, released in June.
"As a pianist, I have (previously) mostly performed alone or in collaboration with orchestras," Tsujii says. Born blind, the 31-year-old has an exceptional musical talent that his mother discovered at an early age. His parents nurtured their son's talent, giving him the best possible musical education, including the pianist course at Ueno Gakuen University.