Fujiko Hemming

[thomas]

We just returned home from a wonderful concert: Fujiko Hemming interpreting Chopin, Liszt and Debussy. "La Campanella" brought us close to tears (she recently produced a CD by the same name).

Mrs Hemming is a remarkable artist. From her web site:

Born to a Swedish father and a Japanese mother in prewar Berlin, she survived the trauma of war and her parents' separation and embarked on a career as a pianist after graduating from Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music and Berlin College of Music. Then, just as she was poised to enter the first rank of concert pianists, a fever contracted during a 1971 recital series caused her to lose her sense of hearing.

She gradually regained some of her hearing and started her comeback, returning to Japan in 1995 after having worked as a piano teacher in Germany. In 1999 NHK produced a TV documentary on her that led to the tremendous public interest in Japan (my wife had seen this docu and was so glad she had the chance to see her in concert today).

Fujiko Hemming's official web site (now served through Wayback Archive)

=> fujiko hemming official site

=> Ingrid Fuzjko Hemming

Her European tour includes two more concerts in Ludwigshafen and Prague (June/July), if you have the chance to see her, don't miss it!

 

[TomAsInfinity]

Wow, I had heard about Fujiko and her music, especially due to her regaining of her hearing. She's worked hard for her art and I will keep a lookout to see if she's playing near me

 

[thomas]

She's really an impressive lady! Btw, she played in London only two weeks ago...

 

[thomas]

Sadly, Ms Hemming passed away on 21 April at the age of 92. I cannot believe it's been 22 years since we saw her in concert.

ピアニストのフジコ･ヘミングさん死去　奇蹟のカンパネラ - 日本経済新聞

アルバム「奇蹟（きせき）のカンパネラ」がクラシック界では異例のヒットを記録したピアニスト、フジコ・ヘミング（本名=ゲオルギー・ヘミング・イングリット・フジコ）さんが4月21日、死去した。92歳だった。告別式は近親者で行った。フジコ・ヘミング財団が2日、公式ウェブサイトで明らかにした。ベルリン生まれで父はスウェーデ

www.nikkei.com

ピアニストのフジコ・ヘミングさん死去　「ラ・カンパネラ」で旋風：朝日新聞デジタル

テレビのドキュメンタリー番組で人気に火が付き、リストの難曲「ラ・カンパネラ」の演奏などで社会現象を巻き起こしたピアニストのフジコ・ヘミングさん（本名ゲオルギー・ヘミング・イングリット・フジコ）が4月…

www.asahi.com

Her bio on Wikipedia:

Born in Berlin, Germany, to a Japanese mother, Toako Ohtsuki, a piano teacher, and a Swedish father, Fritz Gösta Georgii-Hemming (1910–1986), an architect and cartoonist educated at the Bauhaus. His father, Fritz Georgii-Hemming (1886–1959), was a lawyer (including at the Svea Court of Appeal) and civil servant, appointed a knight of the Order of Vasa. The family name derives from the marriage of Hans Hemming (1853–1927), a provincial doctor and Anna Sofia Georgii (1850–1888). Shortly after her family settled in Shibuya, Hemming's parents' relationship deteriorated into domestic violence, ending in a divorce. Hemming was educated in Japan and began learning to play the piano at a young age from her mother. She was identified as a child prodigy and performed her first concert at seventeen. She went to Aoyama Gakuin Senior High School, Aoyama Gakuin Junior High School, Aoyama Gakuin Elementary School. She graduated from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and began her professional career immediately. Hemming received many prestigious honours, including the NHK-Mainichi Music Concour and the Bunka Radio Broadcasting Company Music Prize. She relocated to Germany at 28 to study at the Berlin Institute of Music. During a concert in Vienna in 1971, Hemming lost her hearing from a bout of high fever. She relocated again to Stockholm, Sweden, to take advantage of its medical facilities. She performed many more concerts throughout continental Europe before returning to Japan in 1995. A documentary that aired in 1999 raised public interest in her music. Her subsequent debut CD, La Campanella, sold over two million copies. Hemming performed at Carnegie Hall in New York in June 2001. By 2002, Hemming had performed at every major population centre worldwide.

 

[Majestic]

We saw her once, too. Mrs. Majestic wanted to see her, and I kind of went along slightly unenthusiastically. But it was a wonderful night. Fujiko Hemming was an awesome talent. She must have been 80-ish when we saw her, but she played beautifully.