Gratefully Immersed in Music

We have known conductor Trevor Pinnock for well over ten years now.

A few years ago, he became Principal Conductor of the Kioi Hall Chamber Orchestra.

Whenever he visits Japan, he comes to Yahata Sushi almost every time. He is such a sushi lover that he thoroughly enjoys our sushi.

He visited us again at the end of last month.

On that occasion, he was accompanied by soprano Lauryna Bendžiūnaitė and tenor Mauro Peter.

Once again, he enjoyed the Niigata sake he loves so much along with sushi.

The following day, there was a concert at Kioi Hall, and the fifth-generation proprietor was invited to attend.

The program featured many of Mendelssohn’s sacred works. The fifth-generation proprietor went with some anticipation, but was drawn in from the very first piece, the oratorio St. Paul, by its beautiful melodies.

Mr. Pinnock’s performance was truly magnificent, and combined with the voices of Lauryna and Mauro, it felt almost dreamlike.

The members of the New National Theatre Chorus were also absolutely wonderful!

The final piece was Symphony No. 2, “Lobgesang” (Hymn of Praise).

From the beautiful, transparent sound of the opening trombones, one is completely absorbed in the work.

Here, too, we were captivated by the two soloists’ singing.

Lauryna’s high notes were clear and soaring, while Mauro’s voice combined strength with gentleness.

Simply mesmerizing.

After the performance, we visited backstage to thank Mr. Pinnock, Lauryna, and Mauro.

It was Professor Kazuyoshi Nakaya, formerly of Keio University, who connected us with these remarkable people in the first place.

Professor Nakaya brought world-class musicians to Yahata Sushi, and those connections continued to grow from there.

They include Antoine Palloc (répétiteur), who has appeared in this blog several times, his friend Marc Leroy-Calatayud (conductor), as well as Patrick Messina (oboe), Silvia Careddu (flute), Beatrix Hülsemann (violin), and many others—truly wonderful connections.

We can never thank Professor Nakaya enough.

Thank you very much.

We hope to continue fostering these wonderful connections.