Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.
May 4, 2024 at 12:05 JST
Fuzjko Hemming in 2018 (Photo by Ken Murakami)
Renowned concert pianist Fuzjko Hemming, who died April 21 at age 91, was a truly amazing person who could utter words of truth and wisdom with poise and grace.
She saw nothing wrong with making mistakes because humans are not machines. “Being human means being flawed and weak,” she asserted. “Nobody is perfect.”
I attended a concert she gave in Yokohama last year. From the stage, she told the audience she was not going to play one of the numbers on the day’s program--Franz Liszt’s (1811-1886) “Liebestraum” (Dream of Love)--because she “hadn’t practiced it enough.”
Her words warmed my heart, as if I were attending a piano recital by a close relative.
Hemming’s playing did not have the sort of sharpness of the “banana shot” executed by a soccer superstar. Nor did it exhilarate the audience with something akin to the game-changing “move of God” that a genius shogi player would make.
But even in the absence of such extraordinary skills, there was something about her music that resonated deeply with her audiences.
Misfortune and grief accompanied much of Hemming’s life. She fell ill before she made her professional debut, and she once lost her hearing. She experienced the coldness of people and struggled with poverty.
For a long time, she said, she believed she would never get a break until she died and went to heaven.
But she eventually overcame adversity, thanks to her “cats and music.”
Hemming was 67 when she shot to fame after a documentary program about her life was aired on television in Japan.
She came under criticism from certain quarters. But she retorted, “Nobody can tell, nor judge, what’s first-rate.”
Somewhere in the world today, there must be young, talented people who are feeling deeply discouraged, but still trying desperately to believe in themselves and the future. I have no doubt that Hemming’s music will continue to inspire and encourage them.
And in my mind’s eye, I see Hemming and her beloved cats watching over them from heaven.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 4
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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