Nobuyuki Tsujii

The Japanese pianist, blind from birth, has become an artist whose name extends far beyond the classical world. Winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, a Deutsche Grammophon artist, the subject of acclaimed documentaries — he has performed on the world’s great stages: Carnegie Hall in New York, the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, as well as in Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong — and now, for the first time, Riga.

On 1 May 2026, in the intimate setting of the Latvian National Theatre, Nobu — as he is affectionately known by colleagues and fans — will give his only solo recital in Latvia.

Tsujii is not a pianist in the conventional sense. He doesn’t follow standard methods or replicate tradition — his playing emerges from a personal, internal sense of sound. He doesn’t read scores; instead, he learns each work by ear, absorbing it phrase by phrase, gesture by gesture, shade by shade. This is not a workaround — it’s a different kind of understanding and thinking, which makes his interpretations sound fluid and alive.
“The definition of virtuosity.” — The Observer

His repertoire includes Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Liszt — music that demands not only technical skill, but a refined stylistic sensitivity. His interpretations are considered, attentive to structure and to the inner logic of the music.
“His Chopin is not about blindness — it’s about brilliance.” — The New York Times

There is no false modesty in him. But neither is there ego. He simply walks on stage and plays — and each time, he does so as if the music had just been written, not by someone else, but by himself. As if he weren’t repeating a text, but composing it anew — in the dark, by touch, with the heart.
“He’s not just a pianist — he’s a revelation.” — The Guardian

He isn’t concerned with how things are supposed to be — and perhaps that’s why his playing feels so honest and unlike anyone else’s.