This movie was nominated for Best Animated Film at Oscar this year, but did not win. I was very curious to see this film because the story is based in Cuba where I visited in 2010 as a part of my concert tour. I have great memory from Cuba. It was beautiful—-. This film is a love story between Chico, a young/talented pianist and Rita, a pretty singer with gorgeous voice. The music is wonderful throughout the movie. The musical opportunity takes them to New York, Paris, Hollywood, and Las Vegas, together or separately. The animation technique is not up to date, but this vintage atmosphere makes this movie more expressive and melancholic. We enjoy a musical journey with Chico and Rita. It is sexy and beautiful.

“A Separation” is the winner for Best Foreign Film at Oscar this year. It is a very dark and sad story with deep cultural/religeous back ground. The story is set with modern family in Iran. The wife, Simin, wants to leave Iran with her husband, Nader, and daughter, Termeh, for freedom (I think), but her husband refuses because he does not leave her aging/Alzheimer father alone. The story tangles around the family, and unfortunately it gets worse and worse without accomplishing any. The problem calls another problem. The wife wants divorce and finally their daughter has to decide whom she wants to live–. There is no hope, no happiness. I left the theatre with deep sadness after the movie.

My spring break “music fest” continues. Now I crossed over 1st street to go to Dorothy Chandler for Opera, Benjamin Britten’s very witty “Albert Herring”. It was really fun and cute!! I enjoyed Britten’s amazing skill with words and all of singers acted and sang in perfect style in super high level! It is a story of small town community. Also the music is played with chamber orchestra (principles of LA Opera Orchestra), and each instrument is basically solo playing. It was very nice to see the musicians on stage after the performance. It is very rare to see the opera musicians on stage! In comical conversations I could hear Britten’s messages about the society and politics. It is a fantastic production!

After the dress rehearsal of 2 cello concertos I crossed over Grand Ave. and attended LA Cello Society’s cello ensemble concert. FYI: I am on spring break from Occidental College’s teaching this week (!) 3 groups were presented and I enjoyed them all. Somehow a middle of Ave Maria by the second group I started thinking those cellists (I know many many cellists!) raised the kids (if they are married), bought houses and cars, put food on table everyday, and many more things, from playing cello. That is something very special, not many people can do. I noticed tears in my eyes. We often complain things (that is the sign of living. Once we die no more complaining), but making a good living playing/singing music is really special. My husband organized this event, and bravo to him!

My cello fever continues with Piatigorsky Festival. This week I attended the dress rehearsal of 2 cello concertos, Dovrak with Ralph Kirshbaum, and Shostakovich with Mischa Maisky,  at LA Phil on Wednesday 3/14. It was very interesting to listen 2 entirely different concertos by 2 entirely different cellists. I grew up listening the duo recording of Argerich and Maisky, and it was wonderful to listen him playing live! It was striking that both of them kept intense involvement during the orchestra tutti sections. I probably get the concerto offer every 2 years (I am NOT famous!), and I listen and enjoy through orchestra tutti sections, but I never be involved strongly like them. Or course cello is a part of orchestra, and piano is not. I would like to think about this when I play Beethoven 4th next year. I am planning to hear the dress rehearsal of Tchaikovsky:Rococo by Alisa Weilerstein. More report will come!

Los Angeles is very lucky to have this amazing cello festival this week (Ralph Kirshbaum, the festival’s artistic director). It is 10-day festival inviting first class cellists from all over the world!! I could not attend the first night of this festival on Friday 3/9, but I listened the opening concert of 5 concertos on KUSC. Living in LA we miss having chance to hear European musicians (unless we get there !). Some of the cellists on the opening concert were new to me. All of 5 concertos were done excellently, especially Jean-Guihen Queyras’ Haydn C Major Concerto. It was an Eye-Opening performance for me. I have heard this very popular concerto for many times, and Queyras’ performance was fresh and creative, as if he was improvising, with silky and smooth tone! His interpretation was individual. I fell in love with his playing so I went to listen his recital sharing with Tomas Demenga on Saturday 3/10.  Queyras played 2 of my favorite cello repertoire, Britten Suite No. 1 and Cassado Suite. Both are unaccompanied pieces. He tried for maximum dynamics and expression contrast, but it never went extreme or strange. When people try to play with individual and unique interpretation sometimes it starts sounding not natural or organic. But Queyras keeps music united and attractive. I look forward to hearing his performance/CDs in future. In the second half Demenga’s performance with Robert Thies, piano, was fascinating with unique programming. The festival is offering many exciting performances and masterclasses around LA until Sunday 3/18. I will report more after this week.

I had few free hours last Monday so I went to see a movie “My Week with Marilyn”.  It is a story of a struggling, difficult, charming and cute actress who was a hottest girl in the world back then. And truly Marilyn Monroe still has a big status. In the early summer of 1956, 23-year-old Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) met Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl, the movie united Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) and Monroe. Colin was a lowly assistant to Sir Olivier hoping to start his career in film business. Monroe was filming in England while honeymooning with her new husband, Authur Miller (Dougray Scott). After Miller leaves from England Colin had a memorable week with Marilyn. Monroe shows her inside and outside, very charming and sad. The highlight of the movie is that two of them are spending time together in the beautiful scene of England nature. Williams is doing an amazing job being Marilyn Monroe.

I performed/presented “A Piano Journey in Japan: Import, Synthesis, and Export – From the First Piano Piece in Japan to Game Music” at Occidental College yesterday. Fortunately the hall (small and cozy, Bird Studio) was packed, and the audience was interested in listening music and learning Japanese culture and history. I have been doing this Japanese program for about 12 years, and this time I added Game Music and extended the concept. I enjoy doing this project myself, and exploring the new repertoire in Japanese music. Fro this program I don’t play any avantgarde music because I want it to be accessible to everyone. I introduced 2 different Japanese pentatonic scales, one is the scale without 4th and 7th notes, and the other one from Okinawa is the scale without 2nd and 6th notes. Each scale creates different atmosphere, emotion, and sound! I am looking forward to continuing this project bringing to many more cities and countries.

I usually write about books in my Book Reviews, but this book is so strong that I decided to write in my blogs. This book has been Bestsellers for weeks, and I was very excited to start reading it. It is a documentary, a science history, a racism in America, a family history, humanity, poverty, education—-. The advancement of cell science goes with the Lack’s family history in this book. She was a poor black tobacco farmer. I am still stunned to learn that the high advanced cell science is from Henrietta Lacks who died in 1951 with cancer and her cells were collected during the test, and her family had no idea how her cells have been used in important part of science experimentation and advancement. For instance polio vaccine was discovered thanks to her cells. Her cells have been called HeLa, and most of scientists have no idea where those cells are from.  They take HeLa as their experimental tools, and actually cells have generated millions of dollars.

She had 5 children, 3 boys and 2 girls. One girl, Elsie, had mental difficulty when she was very young, sent to the mental institute and died there. Another girl, Deborah, takes a big role in this book. She takes her mother’s cells spiritually. She can’t help thinking her mother abused in those experiment. She does not remember her as a person because Henrietta died so early. Some of her brothers have had criminal behavior, and have difficulty holing their angers. All of them don’t have much education. They can’t afford insurance to go to doctor–.

The author concludes into more spiritual ending. Deborah and her cousin say God chose Henrietta to be an angel to save us. As a Japanese I did not much of American history in racism and medicine I learned a lot and I am moved by the humanity.

I will perform “Piano Journey in Japan: Import, Synthesis, and Export – From the First Piano Piece in Japan to the Game Music” on Saturday March 3rd at 3pm at Occidental College’s Bird Studio. This program has received the grant from the Japan Foundation. I have been introducing our wonderful Japanese music to the world for last 15 years, and I am happy to bring it to my town, LA, especially at my school!

I will start with the first Japanese piano piece “Menueto” by Rentaro Taki (1900), and play pieces by the next generations. Finally I will play music by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Nobuo Uematsu, and Takashi Yoshimatsu in the newest generation. Between playing I will talk about the culture and history in Japan to go with the music. If you are interested in Japanese culture/history it will be a good program to learn and enjoy!! Please join me on Saturday 3/3 at 3pm at Occidental College’s Bird Studio. It is free, and the parking is free too!