Music (through which
I got to know my closest friend)
I have been playing the piano since I was ten years old,
and music continues to be something very important in my life.
I was doubly lucky in Japan. Firstly, there was a piano in our
college’s community room, and on top of that, I could
practise whenever I liked in my homestay family’s piano
room.
There is a saying that, music is the shortest distance between
two hearts. This is likely to be true because I have made the
closest and most enduring friends with whom I played music
together with.
In the end, it turned out that so many people enjoyed singing
that we managed to organize an amateur choir twice. Even
the local radio was present at our shows on both occasions.
I would like to share the colorful experience with these pictures
and videos which music, and playing music together with my
friends has given me.
(Click
on the photos for bigger images! See
related videos below!)
1.
- If Japan, then it is
karaoke. Although I did not go to the Karaoke often, many
memorable moments took place at karaoke sessions. In Japan,
people do not have to sing before a large audience, but in
rather cosy environments instead. There are rooms of different
sizes, so the smaller groups can sing in a smaller room while
the larger groups will get a larger room.
2.
- There are not many musical instrument museums in
Japan but there is just one in Hamamatsu, not far from Okazaki.
We visited there with a dear pianist friend of mine and this
photo was taken there. Be the pianist to the soles of his feet
who can play this instrument!
3.
- This "lilliputian" piano
also can be found in this instrument museum.
4.
- Shamisen concert
in
Gifu. One of the singers is my friend and she invited me to my
first ever shamisen show in life.
5.
- My friend Kahori san is
not only a great singer, she plays the shamisen very well too.
She can be seen above right in the picture.
6.
- This picture was made with Doroti san, my
homestay sister from Hong Kong in one of the music halls of
our homestay family. Doroti loves to sing, so sometimes we
played music together as well.
7.
- She is Shiyun chan,
my Singaporean friend, who besides playing music with me
together, has also helped in organizing one of our choirs a lot,
as well as going on trips together several times.
8.
- With Angel chan, my dearest friend from Taiwan.
Playing music together, excursions and deep, meaningful
conversations which bonded our relationship.
9.
- I got this present from her because most of the
songs we played together were from the Totoro anime
songs.
10.
- I receved this nice
present as well from her for my birthday. Those who already
know a little Japanese will be able to understand the text as
well.
11.
- She is Akiko san: pianist, piano teacher –
and a good friend who invited me several times for a dinner
together combined with playing music (see related video below,
nr. 25: Paso Doble – a detail of Gallant Dr. Baron
Hellenbach Dénes’s musical piece.)
12.
- With Vicki chan, with whom I played
music together with many times. But our common cooking and trips
together were also my dearest memories.
13.
- Vicki chan
is
from Hong Kong, and in Hong Kong the Chinese dialect, Cantonese
is spoken. I taught Vicki chan her favourite Cantonese song
on piano (張國榮-
追),
and she helped me to sing it in Cantonese. This picture shows
the lyrics of the song with my comments showing the
pronounciation.
14.
- Joyful moment
– in the music hall on the day of the homestay
party: Jeannie, Rob, Vicki and Peter.
15.
- I had the honor to take part with one or two
songs in my homestay family’s performances several times.
There was a performance in the hospital of the adjacent Anjō
city in September 2008. This picture shows the program of the
show. The name "Rob" (ロビ)
is included in the 6th and the 15th productions. (see the three
related videos below, nr. 28, 29, 30)
16.
- The "Yamasa-choir II".
During my stay in Japan I
organized a choir two times. The Yamasa-choir I. came together
for just one song in September 2008, but the Yamasa-choir II.
prepared with about ten songs for their performance in March
2009. The rehearsals began with breathing exercises –
this can be seen on the picture.
17.
- This picture was taken at one of the rehearsals
of the Yamasa-choir II. I asked my opera singer friend,
Hasegawa Akiko, to lead the choir. Although the choir was made
up of international students, the common language was always
Japanese of course.
18.
- Before every rehearsal, we discussed with Akiko
san the process of the rehearsal and sometimes we took a
break during the rehearsal when we would discuss the details of
the piece together. Such a discussion is captured on this
picture.
19.
- Performance by the Yamasa-choir II.
in the Yamasa Institue on
17 March 2009.
20.
- After the performance – with
bunches of flowers. :)
21.
- This photo was filmed after the performance. A
few members were members of the Yamasa-choir I as well and many
of them are still close friends of mine. (the related two videos
see below, nr. 31, 32)
22.
- This close up picture shows a part of the
article published in the Yamasa Institute’s journal,
after the performance of the Yamasa-choir I. On the left side of
the picture, the invitation can be seen and on the right side
the name of the artists and their country.
23.
- With some members of the Yamasa-choir I after
the performance. I owe eternal gratitude to all of them, not
only for this performance, but for every day and every minute
where we shared with each other things from our lives.
24.
- The performance was recorded by the local radio
as well and they broadcasted it later on a radio show.
After the performance, they made a short interview with all the
choir members which can be seen on this picture.
25.
- Paso Doble – a detail of Gallant Dr. Baron Hellenbach
Dénes’s musical piece. Uncle Dénes lived
in my hometown, Székesfehérvár in his
younger days and taught music and was a cantor. He even played
dance music when he was younger. I was always happy to visit him
and we wrote to each other even when I was in Japan. He died at
nearly ninety years old when I was in Japan – we were
playing a musical piece by him in his memory.
26.
- Vicki chan’s favourite song: 張國榮- 追
27.
- Two days before my
journey back home from Japan, there was a farewell party at
Akiko san’s during which I played among other
pieces, Vicki chan’s favourite song, 追.
28.
- The 6th track of the performance in Anjō:
Jeannie, Ri san and Rob perform one of the most famous Japanese
songs, the "Natsu no omoide" (Memories
of the summer).
29.
- As the closing
song of the performance, the opening song of the Totoro, the
"Arukō" can
be heard. It is played in the background as the other
participiants of the event went around to hold the hands of the
patients.
30.
- "Nagai aida" – one
of my dearest Japanese songs. This video was filmed in March
2009, at my homestay family’s performance. The soloist,
Doroti san, was my "sister" from Hong Kong. Even if
there were small mistakes, it can be felt that we have performed
it with heart and soul. :)
31.
- Introducing the first performance of the Yamasa-choir I.
We
sang the Natsu no omoide, a famous Japanese song to express our
gratitude to our teachers, our fellow students and friends for
the many beautiful experiences, for the knowledge and for the
experiences, which we have shared in each others’ lives in
Japan.
32.
- Natsu no omoide – Memories of the summer.
The
song has nostalgic memories about a wonderful trip many years
ago. This recording was made shortly before I traveled back home
to Hungary after a year and a half. I wanted to express my
gratitude with this song and singing it together with my
teachers, my friends and my group members, with whom we
became a part of each others’ life regardless of the
length of time – some of them forever indelibly.
33.
- Probably the most famous soundtrack of the Totoro
anime. The point is not about the quality of this video, but the
cheerfulness that the lyrics was conveying. There are two
lessons: 1) no matter how simple the piece is, practising is
never enough :) 2) no matter how simple the hiragana is….[the
dotted part means that, in spite of this, a lot needs to be
exercised to remember it well”] :)
34.
- The unmistakable melody of the Hungarian
songs justly made this genre famous worldwide. In Japan, I
played Hungarian songs many times among friends and at
performances where they were always a great success. This video
was filmed in the music hall of the Harumi sans.
35.
- "Good night" – a
detail of the Victoria operetta. I said goodbye with this
song two days before my journey back home...
