[Notice] Change in performers for the 24th Sagamihara Regular Concert on Sunday, December 8, 2024
Thank you for always attending Japan Philharmonic concerts.
Soloist Asami Hagiwara, who was scheduled to appear at the 24th Sagamihara Regular Concert on Sunday, December 8th, will have to withdraw due to poor health caused by her second pregnancy.
All members of the orchestra pray for Ms. Hagiwara Asami's good health.
The soloist on the day will be Megumi Ito (piano). There will be no changes to the conductor or program.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Ms. Megumi Ito for accepting the role.
Please note that there will be no refunds for tickets due to this change.
Message from Ms. Hagiwara Asami
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to everyone who was looking forward to this event.
I have performed with Maestro Tatsuya Shimono in my hometown of Hiroshima, performing works by Dai Fujikura and Fumiko Kojiba, and have also performed with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra on many occasions, including on their Kyushu tour in 2019. I was truly looking forward to performing Beethoven's Emperor for the first time with people I respect deeply.
However, I was unable to shake off my concerns about whether I would be able to complete the concerto safely given my physical condition during pregnancy, and I deeply apologize for having come to this decision.
I am extremely thrilled that Ms. Megumi Ito, whom I have admired since childhood, has agreed to take on the role of substitute. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to her and I am confident that the concert will be a wonderful one.
As for the future, I would like to make my health my top priority and consider my options in consultation with those around me.
We hope you will continue to watch over us with kindness.
Asami Hagiwara
24th Sagamihara Regular Concert
Sunday, December 8, 2024 14:00 Start (Doors open at 13:15)
Sagami Women’s Uni. Green Hall
Conductor: Tatsuya Shimono
Piano: Megumi Ito*
<All Beethoven Program>
Beethoven: Overture to the opera "Fidelio"
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor" in E-flat major, Op.73*
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral" in F major, Op.68
[All seats reserved] S seats: 6,500 yen A seats: 5,500 yen
more(piano)
ⒸAkira Muto
He studied under the renowned teacher Robert Leygraf at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg and the University of Music Hannover. In 1983, he became the first Japanese to win the piano category at the 32nd Munich International Music Competition. He made his debut in Munich with the Bavarian State Orchestra conducted by Sawallisch. He subsequently appeared in regular concerts with the Munich Sinfonica, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (now the HR Symphony Orchestra), the Bern Symphony Orchestra, and the Czech Philharmonic. In Japan, he has performed with the NHK Symphony Orchestra and other orchestras, as well as in recitals, chamber music, and broadcasts. His most notable CD release is the complete Schumann piano works, "Schumanniana 1-13." In the fall of 2007, he held a concert to celebrate the completion of the complete works. Furthermore, the "Schubert Piano Works 1-6" series, released in 2008, has garnered attention with each release, with the sixth volume winning the 2015 Record Academy Award and the Excellence Award at the 70th Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival. His latest release is "Beethoven Piano Works 2" (Fontec).
He has also participated in the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto, Karuizawa Music Festival, Risonare Music Festival, Tokyo Spring Music Festival, and La Folle Journée au Japon, and served as concert producer for the Takefu International Music Festival. He presented recitals of Schumann in an eight-year series from 1999 to 2006, and in 2008 he began a new eight-year series focusing on Schubert. Since 2018, he has focused on Beethoven in recitals. He received the Japan Chopin Society Award in 1993 and the Yokohama City Cultural Award Encouragement Prize in 1994. He also served as a jury member for the 2018 Geneva International Music Competition. He is currently a professor at Tokyo University of the Arts and a specially appointed professor at Toho Gakuen School of Music.
