Ruth Slenczynska, The Postlude of Rejoicings 2018 – III
Suntory Hall Reservation on April 21, 2018
If we compare Mme Slenczynska’s lifelong performance to a mountain climber, she must be one of the greatest mountaineers.
She was 78 years old in 2003. She has already attained to conquering extraordinarily high mountains at that point. She has further challenged higher mountains for 15 years since then. It is truly an amazing surprise for us to have been able to share in the height of her art. I have never dreamed of it. Frankly speaking, it was rather myself who advised her every time not to try to climb mountains.
I had Liu Mifune Family Art Ensemble concert in Okayama in summer 2017. Twenty of our close family members took part in it. Therefore, I wrote to Mme Slenczynska beforehand, “It is sorry for us to announce that we cannot expect your participation in terms of time restrictions.” As a matter of fact, however, she flew to Japan from New York and took part in it! Her recital was so rich in various aspects as the result. What was more, four of Mozart’ and four of Beethoven’s Sonatas for piano were recorded. Even though I have been confident of knowing her well, it was me who was very amazed by the outcome.
Please refer to The Art of Ruth Slenczynska Vol. 8 (LIU-1014/15) for further episodes in summer 2017.
Then she stayed in Taipei for two weeks. When I heard from my younger brother later that four of Beethoven’s piano sonatas had been recorded, I joked with my wife, “Oh, Mme Slenczynska seems to be so fine. Could we ask her to perform in Tokyo?” My wife immediately strictly ordered me to contact Suntory Hall for reservation, for Mme Slenczynska has been already beloved by my wife more than me.
Because Suntory Hall is one of the outstanding venues, there would be no chance even after a year – this was what I guessed at that time. But only Saturday, April 21, 2018 was free when I actually phoned.
I asked her in Taipei if she would be willing to perform. “As you know, next year I am 93-year-old lady!” This was her reply. Next morning, however, incredible program was sent to me by facsimile next morning.
Thus my joke served as the starting point of an another big challenge for her.
2018 will be the commemorative 90th year since she started playing the piano. No one could imagine what tremendous hardships were waiting for since her first visit to Japan in 2003.
Her Concert in April has to be called off
Mme Slenczynska visited Vienna and Paris in late autumn 2017 after her performance in Okayama and Taipei. And she started her preparation for Suntory Hall since December 2017.
At the beginning of January 2018 it was at 18 degrees below zero in the United States. She went alone to Southern Illinois University, where she had taught for 40 years, for the sake of rehearsal. The result brought her enough confidence.
Close friends celebrated her 93rd birthday on January 15, 2018 in New York. So it looked like everything went smoothly for her spring recital in Tokyo.
A few days later one of her students informed me that she went to the hospital. She had influenza that was overwhelming prevalence in northern part of America. Because a friend phoned her, she was found out collapsed at home. Some of her friends brought her to the hospital. Examination results were severe anemia and malnutrition. She had to be hospitalized immediately.
Later I came to know that she had run away from the hospital on the third day and back home. She does not like hospital at all.
One of her students e-mailed me in details and the last sentence always ended, “Her recital in April has to be called off. If she flew to Japan, she shall die.”
I was prudently silent. I had nothing to reply. Once just after the big earthquake on March 11, 2011 she e-mailed me: ‘I would like to contribute whatever I can.’ This time the venue Suntory Hall is in Tokyo, so I was organizing her performance 3-day tour around Tohoku region with Mr. Yoichi Hasegawa, who has been devoting himself to recovery from the disaster. The schedule looked like too much even for a healthy 80-year-old elder.
April 21 will be another more adventure
Anemia and malnutrition indicate that she might have no physical energy or energy circulation could be very poor. Therefore, she should have no physical strength to play the piano. Doctor’s prescription would not have a marked effect in a short period. Thus the word cancellation often came up to mind around the middle of February 2018. Then I got the news, “She has been a little in better physical condition.”
Mme Slelnczynska by herself was very positive as to flying to Japan. Though she truly does not love to go to doctor, she made up her mind to have the other eye’s cataract surgery done, which she left undone 10 years ago.
The result of the surgery did not bring her sight so well, but she was more willing to invest herself to the coming recital.
Iron and nutrition supplements you sent to me help my physical condition a lot. Soon I will be able to exercise playing the piano by sitting on a chair. The art of music contributes great beauty to the world. Sharing the true beauty of music brings us utmost joy. Every musician dreams bright future. However great a performer may be, he/she alone cannot accumulate the carrier of the art of music. Grace to your longtime support, I have experienced many beautiful journeys of the art of music. April 21, 2018 will be another bigger adventure. I would like to do my very best so that your dreams come true.
Gradually the tone of her e-mail got more and more positive, which is in her familiar manner. Thus I encouraged her to move to San Francisco as soon as possible. There friends of mine in Taiwan University days were waiting for her arrival. All of them love her art of music since 2005 and are ready to attend her willingly. Adjusting her spiritual and physical conditions in San Francisco, flying to Taipei, adjusting to a time zone change there, exercising playing the piano enough, and at last coming to Japan – this has been the Golden Route of her performance in Japan.
Everybody was surprised at her broken-down condition. Therefore, they united by their very best efforts to recover her physical condition. And yet they shared the same view, “Her performance would be impossible.”
When the whole event ended successfully, I came to know as follows: As she arrived in San Francisco, she was still so weak physically after a week that she could not play the piano even for five minutes. She had recovered to such an extent so that she could play the piano only about half an hour.
At the beginning of April they came to know that she needs performance visa. So everybody faced a dead end. It was the biggest hurdle. They have been driven to the extreme situations one after another.
The visa issue was solved thanks to an unexpected favor. She left San Francisco on April 12 to Taipei where family members of my younger brother were looking forward to her arrival.
There are also many longtime friends of her and her students in Taipei. All of them did their very best to support the great work of their 93-year-old professor. Finally I relieved watching my younger brother sent to me the photos of her hard exercise of playing the piano day by day recovering her physical condition.
Uplifting Historic Moment
Mme Slenczynska arrived at Haneda airport on April 18, 2018 at night. Mr. Theodore Huang, one of the pillars of financial community in Taiwan, together with his wife escorted her from Taipei. Enjoying our reunion, it seemed to me she became smaller than last summer, but we could sense her being filled with cheerful forward-looking energy, ready for new adventures.
My younger sister and her daughter from Paris, my younger brother and his wife from Taipei, friends of mine from San Francisco, and my family members – so altogether we have created 10-member supporting team. Having arrived in Tokyo one after another, our preparation is complete.
In the next morning of April 19 Mme Slenczynska started playing the piano at Steinway Japan Co.
Beginning with Prelude and Fugue by Shostakovich and by Bach, both of them in D major, five works by Brahms, Beethoven’s Sonata ‘Tempest’, her program was finished up with Etudes by Rachmaninov and Chopin. Her choice is unique; including Bach, Beethoven and Brahms so-called 3-Bs, and covering long-range history of the art of music, so it means pianist’s competence is greatly required.
Though it was inevitable of her fragile physical condition, all of us were amazed at her powerful touch. Her preparation has been almost perfect.
But her 6-hour routine exercise was kept every day. It is called shifting accent technique. Beginning with setting metronome pace 50, the tempo is gradually up, and she plays a phrase repeatedly with different finger’s accent. One feels stunned by her perseverance.
It was the same on the day of Suntory Hall Recital April 21. She started the routine exercise with metronome at 10:00 am in the morning and lasted until 17: 50, just 40 minutes before curtain time.
According to her request, the grand piano was located counterclockwise so that audience in the right wing can also look at her keyboard. It happened for the first time in the history of Suntory Hall.
Microphones for recording and six video cameras were also ready waiting for the curtain time.
It was clear and sunny. 180 plus core supporters from Okayama, about 60 from Taiwan, 30 from the United States, and there were also those who joined through invitations of my acquaintances. Totally there gathered more than 1,400 people. Long-term supporters were earnestly praying for her sustaining physical condition. The new audience, of course, got nervous and excited at her age of 93. The audience was in a surge of fervor, being privileged to witness epoch-making 2-hour performance. It was truly an uplifting historic moment.
Enthusiastic Standing Ovation
As I have escorted Mme Slenczynska to the stage, soon I heard Shostakovich’s Prelude from the small monitor in the wings. Truly it was the very sound of her!
She has been used not to have a meal on the day of recital. In the morning she has already invested herself 120% in the rehearsal. Does she still have enough energy to finish this key stage? While I was worrying about her in this way, her impressive performance of Chopin’s Etude Op.25-12 last passage came from the monitor’s speaker.
Watching the screen of the monitor, most of the audiences were standing up and applauding. Enthusiastic standing ovation has lasted for 7 or 8 minutes, so she played Chopin’s Waltz in C sharp minor as an unscheduled encore.
Then she signed her autograph Ruth Slenczynska to everybody who was forming a queue in a state of exhilaration. Though it takes her at least 30 seconds due to trembling hands, she did it sincerely to the last. We had only 10 minutes by closing time 10 p.m.
Grace to voluntary involved supporters, Mme Slenczynska devoted her bloody efforts. A miraculous time has been created where all of the attended audiences have shared rejoice of belonging to an extended family, unforgettable in our lifetime.
Preparation, venue, background roles, program, audiences, etc. – in every aspect it has set the model standard of a music artist’s having a recital.
Our family dinner started at eleven o’clock at midnight. She was the first who enjoyed 3-cm steak.
Tour to March 11, 2011 Earthquake-stricken region
Eventually Suntory Hall Recital was just the beginning of her adventure. I have already planned tough schedules.
On the next day April 22, 2018 she had to come to interviews of three magazines, for I could not find other free time. Each interview was for two hours, so it was already evening when she finished them.
On April 23 we left the hotel at 7:00 am in the early morning. 9 of supporting team escorted her to Tokyo statin for the performing journey of eastern Tohoku region.
“Please just follow with me. When you are seated in front of the piano, it is the time for you.” I am used to tell her only in this way. Thus I have not informed her detailed schedules.
Having arrived at Hachinohe railroad station, first we moved to Hirono-cho, Iwate Prefecture. Cherry blossoms were still very beautiful on our way. At
Taneichi Senior High School we could observe diving training first of all. Then we went to Shukunohe Junior High School. All of the students gathered around
Mme Slenczynska with the piano. According to my impromptu request, they could directly listen to her performance one after another. The students were so excited by this small-figure grandmother pianist.
One of the schoolgirls asked her in the end, “What is the secret of your living longer?”
“Loving your neighbors from the bottom of your heart,” she replied immediately. “When you love those who are close to you, they reciprocate your affection.
And these relationships of true love enable you to live longer.”
As we arrived at Cecilia Cultural Hall of Hirono-cho, it was the time of sunset. Having informed to play the piano there, she started warming-up exercise of her fingers. It was a handsome hall that was fortunately got rid of tsunami disaster. A lot of local residents gathered there to listen to her performance that was so moving and touching.
When Mme Slenczynska looked at the statue of Saint Cecilia at the entrance of the hall after that, she cried out, “Oh, she is my Patron saint!” As a matter of fact we have experienced such encounters quite often.
We had dinner together with those who took care of us in Hirono-cho. When we drove the mountain path to our accommodation facility, it was almost midnight.
Someone commented, “The recital tour with Mme Slenczynska is much harder than the schedule of an idol-singer group.”
On the next day April 24 we also started early in the morning. There was held a similar gathering at Ono Junior High School, Hirono-cho. From Hachinohe railroad station we moved to Sendai, capital of Miyagi Prefecture. We visited Sendai-minami Senior High School in the afternoon. The students are distinguished for choir. Because Mme Slenczynska was so much inspired by their wonderful chorus, she started playing the piano one after another with her adding own explanations. No one felt the gap of physical age of 76. Both being filled with spirit, reciprocating give and receive has lasted into the evening.
Without having dinner, we arrived at Sendai Center of Music Art. Students who study playing the piano or violin, and young adults’ choir members were looking forward to seeing her. Though we were worried about her of being too much exhausted, she performed the whole Beethoven’s Tempest Piano Sonata for the sake of far-reaching benefit of those students who are majoring in music. Her performance has reminded us of her moving dynamic recital at Suntory Hall.
Touching Encounter in Fukushima
On the last third day on April 25 we moved to Fukushima in the morning. I have escorted Mme Slneczynska at every occasion to schools these 15 years. My original intention has been to provide younger generation with witnessing human potentials through the art of music. At Moriai Elementary School the whole atmosphere has culminated in getting into the spirit. Because a small-figure virtuoso plays Chopin’s Black Keys with incredible fingering, a lot of pupils rushed to her with overwhelming inspiration so that they almost fell over her.
We did not have dinner this evening, either, but moved straight to Fukushima City Music Hall.
It is a graceful architecture where pipe organ is set, and the wall is covered with Kutani porcelain ware. It seems to us that here is the best place to extend the art of music and to pray for recovery and reconstruction of earthquake-afflicted people in March 2011.
Chorus by students of Fukushima Dai-ichi Junior High School and Fukushima University Choir have opened the program. Next Mme Slenczynska performed works by Schumann, Bach and Brahms.
In the end I told one part of Fukushima’s history, which I heard from a local journalist. “When the people from Aizu Domain (present Fukushima region) settled in Sacrament, California 150 years ago, this is the very city where Mme Slenczynska was born!”
Having been built up a sense of closer friendly relationships, we sang warmly together the lullaby Nemuno-ki no Komoriuta, which words were written by Empress Michiko. Mme Slenczyska’s piano, my cello, choir students, and all of attending audiences are united into one heart at bringing down the curtain.
The Third Visit to Imperial Residence
In the early morning of April 26, 2018 she met the governor of Fukushima Prefecture, which schedule was arranged on very short notice. We arrived back to Tokyo at noon and went straight to a rental studio. As Empress Michiko invited her in the afternoon, she earnestly exercised until the last moment for the sake of visiting imperial residence.
Mme Slenczynska had the first audience of Empress Michiko in 2005, so this is the third. Her Imperial Majesty has been especially looking forward to seeing ten-year elder senior associate with the art of music.
Having finished all events in Japan perfectly, she left for Taipei with my younger sister in the afternoon of April 27.
Over there in Taiwan more performance and giving speeches have been already requested. Due to her physical condition’s getting worse along the schedules, she also had to be taken to the hospital by an ambulance. Recital three times, Beethoven’s Concerto No. 3 once, lectures five times: she left these results within a month by surpassing all expectations. Truly those requests sound too much for an elderly lady. And she flew back home to the United States on June 1, 2018.
This is an incredible historic adventure of 93-year-old Mme Slenczynska!
