Beethoven’s 255th Birthday!

Today, December 16th, is the great Beethoven's birthday! I would like to once again express my heartfelt respect and gratitude to him.

Of his many wonderful works, my favorite is, of course, the Ode to Joy. I was particularly moved by the line "Alle Menschen werden Brüder" (“All men will be brothers”) in Schiller's poem, which I feel represents the message Beethoven reached throughout his life. Beethoven worked from a young age to support his family, suffered from hearing loss, and endured many hardships. I was deeply moved by the simple yet heartwarming message he conveyed throughout his life, and by the fact that the melody he chose is written in five notes—C, D, E, F, and G—which anyone can easily sing.

I'd also like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Cosmo. When a pianist plays a composer for the first time, they need to play and engage with that composer many times in order to grasp and internalize his or her unique characteristics, but Mr. Cosmo, especially with Beethoven, opened a new door for me. I used to have an image of Beethoven as being intense, serious, and somewhat combative and strict. But I've come to realize that his music is full of humor, fun, the joy of life, and even optimism. For instance, the science fiction that is one of the characteristics of Beethoven's compositions is actually a melody, and the sudden changes in dynamics and character convey Beethoven's humorous enjoyment. In particular, you can really feel his humanity and warmth in the last three sonatas.

For these reasons, I now truly, truly, and seriously love Beethoven.

Currently, I am exploring his late sonatas with Mr. Cosmo, and I would like to go deeper and deeper into Beethoven's great music, and through it express the wonderful voice of his soul that will surely illuminate people's hearts and paths and bring peace to the world.

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