After seeing “ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” this movie was MUST to see for me.  This is the second filmed installment of Stieg Larsson’s best-selling Millennium trilogy, about an investigative journalist (Michael Nyqvist) with a feisty computer hacker (Noomi Rapace) to go on her mission. The directer is  Daniel Alfredson. ”The Girl Played With Fire” carries the theme from the first one, “Men Hate Women”. To me this second one is less violent and less complicated than the first one, and it focuses on Lizbeth mostly. The first one had more interaction between the characters, and depicted the emotional complex. This one has more straightforward expression. Most importantly Noomi Rapace is an amazing actress! I am simply impressed by her professionalism. And how did she live during the film shooting being this messed up Lizbeth? How did she make her body as a strong,  thin, and unrealistic looking bi-sexual woman?  It looked as if she is an Anime character! I understand those 3 films were shot consecutively, and she had to live as Lizbeth for a long period.  I recommend that we should see the both movies as sequel.

During my traveling this summer it was so impressive to see so many people reading Larsson’s novels at the airport or on the plane! It is popular! I understand the books have much more information than movies, and many people prefer the book over the movie. I am thinking to read the third one on book. What do you think?  FYI: I saw the movie “Coco and Igor” with great expectation, and it disappointed me so badly!

On the way home from Yosemite we took 395 to 14. This route goes through Mojave desert surrounded by the mountains. After the last light from the sunset it became total darkness. I had to fight against the big nature force. Of course we can’t see anything, we can’t touch anything, it is just a big space between mountains. I was feared by un-seen nature—, as if the darknesswas pushing me to the edge of the earth. There were only few cars going by so it was really dark and solitude. Jack Rabbits and mise crossed the road. I saw some lights in the space few times, and those are living human houses. I was just amazed by those farmers, living in solitude. But they have a big nature show every night, beautiful stars above. Just few hours from LA the life was different and big.

I had few days to spend in the beautiful Yosemite National Park this summer. It was just gorgeous, endless forest, amazing falls and rivers from the melting water of snow,  peaceful meadows and lakes, unique geography—. There are so many things to do and see! I have gone to several national parks in US, and I am always reminded how wonderful those parks are. It is 5-6 hours of drive from LA. We took different routes to (through Fresno) & from park (395-through Mt. Whitney), and enjoyed unique scenery.

I love to have free schedule (!) for vacation so that I can stay for long time to feel the air and to unite with the nature! And driving vacation can accommodate with this freedom I like! We enjoyed nice dinner and quick & pioneer food! I look forward for another nature get-away!

This is my second year coming to this wonderful trumpet camp located at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Dallas, TX. With the great vision in the music education Bert Truax and his wife Sarah started this great opportunity for the students, and it is 6th year. It is just amazing what they have done to establish this camp. Last night, 6/23/10, it was a concert by Joey Tartell, the professor of trumpet at IU. He showed how trumpet can sing, how trumpet can express, how fast and how high trumpet can play—. I was moved by his performance for the whole evening. He is not only an excellent performer, but also a great teacher. He put the trumpet students, up to grade 12, on stage to play with him, like big band, in this case only TRUMPET.  So they needed to arrange some of pieces to fit to Only Trumpet Band! They had one afternoon to work with him, and the ensemble was fabulous! Even some students took solos!

After the Sound Encounters, by another great educator, Mrs. Alice Joy Lewis,  in Kansas where I was teaching and performing until last Saturday, I am happy to be at this trumpet camp. It is very inspiring to see people with the great vision in music education! Tonight 6/24 is the concert by LA recording studio musician, Jon Lewis, and I will perform with him. Actually my piano part in Erik Morales has long solos in each movement! Also Eric Ewazenhas heavy piano part as well! I am very excited to perform with Jon. He is a great trumpet player!

After this Dallas trip I have few days to enjoy California Summer in Yosemite!

I have been to this fantastic camp for last 11 years, and it is so wonderful to come back each year! It is located in Ottawa, KS, a very charming town, and our classes and lessons are held on Ottawa University campus. The camp last for 10 days, and we have full of music activities, concerts every night, lessons, chamber music, orchestra and classes! I am very fortunate to be a part of this Sound Encounters family. Most of faculties are same from the previous year, and it is so nice to get together around this camp. Most of us see each other only in KS! My chamber music partners are Susan Dubois, viola, and David Garrett, cello, and we presented our recital last Friday, including music by Chopin, Schumann, Glinka, Vieuxtemps, Glazunov, and Bloch. After the few days of  the faculty recitals the students will start performing their chamber music starting tomorrow, Wednesday 16th.  Of course there will be many groups so most of them will play one movement.

I am always impressed how well this camp is organized and how well the students behave. It is my pleasure to come back every year! We have 4 more days to go, and our camp will conclude with the final concert on Friday 18th!

Dear Mr. Steinhardt,

I just finished your book, and I am still in the state of something—. Your book gave me tear, giggle, smile—-. You wrote a wonderful book. As the book is finishing for the last few pages you talk about Schubert “Death and the Maiden” quartet.  So I pulled the music out of the bookshelf, and played the score as I read. FYI: I play piano. As I heard the harmony, moving voices, melody lines which you describe, it seemed the spirit of Schubert came down to my Southern California house, and the tear came down too. I have been hearing the music of many string quartet in my life, but it is the first time to really think about the greatness of this special art, and I am slightly jealous–. I can’t be in SQ. I can play with the string quartet!

The beauty of your friendship and musicianship in Guarneri String Quartet is the center of this book, and it drew me to your book. So I lost keeping my time to practice for my own pieces!  I think it is time to get back to what I have to do. Again thank you for writing this wonderful book for us! I listened many of Beethoven’s string quartets while I was reading your book.

I have been performing with many different musicians, and I suppose I can be called a collaborative pianist. One point of pianist lives pianists who played with other musicians were called all together “Accompanists”. and I am sure some pianists claimed that we were not Just Accompanying!! We play music with other musicians! So now we are officially called “Collaborative Pianists”. Some music schools have a separate study on collaborative piano besides solo piano study.

My collaborative pianist life started when I was in Tokyo Metropolitan High School for Performing and Visual Arts. This school was an excellent place for me! It had only 6 classes for grades 10-12, and focused on music or visual arts. My class mates were violin players, french horn player, singers, composers, future musicologists–. So it was natural to play with friends for fun, lessons and concerts.  After I went to Toho Conservatory for my bachelor’s degree my collaborative life was expanded. I met so many wonderful musician friends at school, and it was so fun to discover the new repertoire with different instruments, especially violin, flute and brass area. My piano professor was not happy that I spent hours on those non-piano solo pieces, but I had a good time! Among many instruments I was a pianist in Seizi Ozawa’s conducting class, and I read the symphony scores with other pianist. One read the strings and other read the rest, and we learned Brahms, Beethoven symphonies.  After I came to US and while was still in the school for master’s and doctor’s degree I got a job at High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. That gave me a working visa, H-1! My work was to accompany (!) choirs and singers for their recitals. So I expanded my repertoire in vocal area, playing Broadway style to jazzy pieces, German, Italian, American and French songs, and the choir music! During my Houston days I performed with fantastic instrumentalists for higher level than I was doing in Toho Conservatory. And to make a living I played for the students’ competitions and concerts, mostly string instruments.  And in LA where I resides now I have learned extensive brass repertoire. In just this spring I have performed with 8 different brass players! 

I played with 2 flute recitals in this spring, and one included Dutilleux Sonatine for flute and piano which I performed when I was in Toho Conservatory! Fun memory came back to me!  When I learned it for the first time I fell in love with this piece! Nothing goes to waste. My husband is a cellist so I am known to be a cello pianist. I know basically all of cello pieces, and own the music too! So convenient! I have performed major piano trios, and other chamber music involves piano, Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Schumann, Mendelssohn—-. I love to play any of these chamber music any time!

Of course I should have listened to my piano professor at Toho Conservatory to focus on piano solo repertoire (I performed 3 solo recitals this spring!), but I have had great pleasure to explore and to learn new repertoire, to meet new musicians, to exchange jokes during the rehearsals (!), and to perform so many so many different genre of music,  and I have been making a living as a performer because of my collaborative work.  I am looking forward to collaborating with many more musicians!

I have been a big Sumo fan since when I was a child in Japan, and followed time to time. There are 6 Sumo tornaments in a year, January(Tokyo), March(Osaka), May(Tokyo), July(Nagoya), September(Tokyo), November(Fukuoka), and each last 15 days from Sunday to Sunday. I have studied enough to understand their techniques, favorite skills, and I know most of Juryo and Makuuchi Rikishi (Juryo and Makuuchi are their ranking, and the top rankings are Yokozuna, Ozeki, Sekiwake, Komusubi in Makuuchi. rikishi=Sumo Wrestlers). Each match has the drama!! And of course Sumo has long history so the ritual and the ceremonial parts are very important as well.

Now it is in May Basho (tournament) in Tokyo. When I am in Japan during Basho of course I go to Kokugi-kan (Sumo Venue in Tokyo) to see their matches. Some of my old favorite Rikishi, like Chiyo-no-Fuji, become Oyakata (teachers) and we can see them in Kokugi-kan or on TV as a commentator. Those 15 days every other month I dedicate myself to follow Sumo matches! LA is 16 hours behind Japan, and it is not easy to watch their live matches on TV because it is 12am-2am in summer time! But as an authentic Sumo fan I try to stay awake–, if not I watch their replays! There are 3 days to finish this Basho, and it seems Yokozuna Hakuho got the championship of this Basho. Min-na Ganbatte!

As a member of Belrose Duo, cello and piano duo with my husband David Garrett, I have performed 3 concerts on bicentennial program of Chopin and Schumann this spring.  Chopin wrote An Introduction and Polonaise, and Sonata for cello and piano, and both are fantastic pieces to play and listen.  Polonaise was written when he was about 20 years old and even before he went to Paris. Sonata was written before he passed away and after he broke up with Sand.  So those 2 pieces show so much different aspects of Chopin’s life. I love both pieces! Both are idiomatic, but are still very technical! And they show to us the greatness of this piano composer! Schumann’s 3 pieces, Adagio and Allegro, Fantasy Pieces, and 5 Folk Pieces, are typical of Schumann’s music, romance, poem, character, visual–.  Technically they are not demanding as Chopin’s 2 pieces on this program, but musically they are very deep. 2 players do the musical conversations constantly, and need to be flexible in phrases. 

I play so many different programs all the time, and I have great joy learning new pieces! But playing the music of Chopin/Schumann stands in a special part of my piano life.  I go back to my root , and really face to myself to polish my technique, phrasing, timbre, and voicing. My fingers feel great playing the music of  piano composers.  Now I practice for Bach’s concerto in D Minor coming up in few weeks!

My husband and I performed at Renaissance Arts Academy as a part of partner program of Los Angeles Philharmonic Education Department last Friday.  Ren Arts is a small public charter school with performing arts emphasis for middle-high school students. The uniqueness of this school is their policy of One Room School. They don’t have individual class rooms. All of students study in one huge room! They gather several big desks for each group. So when we perform they put the desks and chairs away, and the room become a concert hall! It reminds me the lives of  Japanese family in old days. They lived in small Tatami room which was used for many occasions, dining room, study room for kids, and bed room. When they go to sleep they put tables and pillows away, and put Futon to sleep.

It is a very successful school! Our program of bicentennial program was well received and we got some very interesting questions from the students at the end. I love to visit schools to play music!