TOKYO, December 10. /TASS/. The Japanese and Russians have a lot in common - both in the spiritual and in the musical aspects, pianist Denis Matsuev told Russian reporters after he played for the Japanese audience Rachmaninov’s Piano Concertos 1 and 2 in Tokyo’s Suntory Hall. The Russian pianist will play Rachmaninov’s Concertos 3 and 4 in that hall in the evening after the closing ceremony of the Russian Seasons in Japan.
"We have a lot in common - the Japanese and the Russians. To begin with, the folk, national music in Japan very often is in the scale, which is called pentatonic. For example, Tchaikovsky’s music has many examples of it," he said, adding the Russian classical music for the Japanese is of special respect.
"Rachmaninov’s Concerto No. 2, which was just played, is like an icon," the pianist said. "They worship Russian musicians, Russian composers, the Russian culture. They revere them."
While speaking about the similarity of the two nations, Matsuev mentioned the spiritual aspect. "The Japanese soul is partly similar with our: they may burst into tears listening to music, they may laugh and be really joyful," he said, adding in Japan, despite the busy schedule, he manages to have quiet rest.
The Japanese audience knows well and loves Matsuev, who has visited the country 19 times already. "My first visit to the country was shocking. Back then, I just entered the conservatory, became a soloist of the Moscow philharmonic society, and the first trip was here, right to the Suntory Hall, where I played a concert with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. I fell in love with the country and I was shocked," he said.
Tour of Japan
Before the concert in Tokyo, Matsuev played in Hiroshima, Hamamatsu, Sapporo, Musashino and Kumamoto. There, he performed for children from the families, hit by the disastrous earthquake in April 2016.