Mao Fujita displays virtuosity and sensitivity in varied recital

By Sam Jacobson, 16 January 2021

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“even more impressive was the final variation, building to a jaw-dropping climax”

Reviewed at Tanzsaal an der Panke, Berlin on 15 January 2021

Mozart, Piano Sonata no. 3 in B flat major, K281 (K189f)

Tchaikovsky, Romance in F minor for piano, Op.5

Tchaikovsky, Dumka - Russian rustic scene in C minor for piano, Op.59

Alkan, 12 Études, Op.39: No.12 Le Festin d’Ésope

Ravel, Pavane pour une infante défunte

Ravel, La Valse

Mao Fujita, Piano

Mao Fujita takes the plunge into Romanticism at Wigmore Hall

Mark Pullinger, 2nd January

The Japanese pianist’s Mozart is highly regarded, but how would he fair in a programme ranging from Beethoven to Brahms, culminating in Liszt's greatest Wagnerian transcription?

****1

Mao Fujita and Semyon Bychkov deliver a virtuoso pairing in Prague

Frank Kuznik, 2nd October

A daunting program of Strauss and Shostakovich showcases conductor Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic at their very best.

*****

Mao Fujita’s Mozart and Myung‑whun Chung’s Fantastique in Seoul

SangKwon Lee, 29th August

An evening at the Seoul Arts Center in which clarity matters as much as volume and the most telling virtuosity comes from a refusal to grandstand.

****1

Heavenly Mozart plus a cadenza world premiere from Mao Fujita

Charlotte Gardner, 20th March

In the second of his Mozart concerto appearances with the Philharmonia, Mao Fujita plays the heavenly Piano Concerto no. 25 in C major.

*****

Mao Fujita: weaving delicate sound tapestries at Carnegie Hall

Edward Sava-Segal, 10th November

Mao Fujita demonstrates his technical prowess and poetic sensitivity in Carnegie Hall's 2024-2025 ‘Keyboard Virtuosos’ series.

*****

Czech Philharmonic's resounding Glagolitic Mass at the BBC Proms

Alexander Hall, 28th August

Jakub Hrůša and his Czech forces give an impressive account of a mass which with its ecclesiastical elements, yet pantheistic spirit and visceral energy points towards a more secular age.

****1

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Sam Jacobson

Sam Jacobson has been writing for Bachtrack since 2015 and is currently in Pittsburgh, having previously lived throughout the Midwest. A keen traveler, he endeavors to see all the great orchestras and opera houses across the US and abroad. Outside of music, he works as a software engineer. He also maintains a blog which can be read here.

Mao Fujita displays virtuosity and sensitivity in varied Berlin recital