Let's enjoy silence.
時田有美
César Franck - Prélude, Fugue et Variation Op.18 / Yumi Tokita
You have a quite uncommon background that made you leave Japan's countryside to start your pianist career in Europe : what made you take such a big decision ?
It's under the advice of my teacher Satoshi Ishiyama at my Oita University that I chose to go to Paris in the first place. Himself had lived there for several years, so he knew what he was talking about. I started the adventure because I felt the need to challenge myself in order to keep on improving. At first, my family was surprised by my decision, but all the past years during which I had been dedicated to the piano were the
necessary proof to show the concreteness of my passion, so they eventually ended up supporting me.
"I like to see music as colors, silence being like black or white. I don't think colors would be that beautiful if they weren't contrasted by the sobriety of black and white."
What influences does your music have ?
They are various. Of course, before all there are my teachers. And by the way, time would have taught me well on how to properly choose my acquaintances. But there are also naturally the experiences of life that have a direct impact on the emotions I'm trying to share.
How do you choose the pieces you play ?
Before everything else, it has to be adapted to my hands' size ! (laughs) I'm kind of kidding, but unlike numbers of pianists, I have small hands so pieces such as the Concerto no.2 by Rachmaninov can appear tricky to me. No in fact, I simply choose my pieces when I hear them played in concerts, if a crush is happening. There are a few pieces as well like the Variations on a theme of Corelli by Rachmaninov that I know since a long time ago and that stick in a corner of my head, until the day I finally decide to play them.
As a pianist, is the size of your hands a penalty ?
Yes and no. To say the truth, I'm not that tall either, so it can be a bit complicated to reach the whole piano's width, to such a point that I sometimes contort myself, I use my legs to jump or I even end up standing up ! But I'm not that much to complain and from another point of view, this "penalty" pushes me to exercise my brain to find some tricks. There is always a solution.
How would you describe the way you play ? How is it different ?
It often happens that the pieces I play last longer than average. But it's not on purpose. Actually, I do focus not only on every moment but also on my posture, and that takes some extra time. I also often have been told that I especially emphasize on the rests. Indeed, we could believe that a silence means that we don't play, but that's not what I think. Keeping that in mind, if we closely look at a music sheet, we realize that almost 50% of what is written are rests. After all, isn't music the child of silence ? I like to see music as colors, silence being like black or white. I don't think colours would be that beautiful if they weren't contrasted by the sobriety of black and white. When I perform in concerts, I feel that during silences, my audience is expecting for something and holds its breath. These are magical moments when everyone is listening and makes silence a precious thing : the audience then takes part of the concert and I love that.
In our life, silence is often feared, and yet I think that from a philosophical point of view it could mean calm and peace. That's why I chose my motto to be "Let's enjoy silence"... As an artist I'd love to promote the benefits of silence.
What do you think of classical music in general ?
I think that classical music is beautiful in the fact that it has been created in an era where recordings didn't exist yet. It had to be transmitted through live performances and I think there is no better proof for a piece's quality than its test of time. That's why playing classical music is for me an honour and a great responsibility, because I'm not only transmitting a piece of art, but also a part of the western culture.
What is your dream ?
I want to fulfill my role which is to transmit the beauty and the depth of classical music to the widest amount of people.