Author, Researcher and Lecturer with a Passion for History, Music and Japan
Birthday violinists in September include, among others, URUSHIHARA Asako 漆原朝子 (b. 1966) on 5 September – the same day as Joseph Szigeti (1892-1973), with whom several Japanese studied at some point in their careers; MORI Yûko 森悠子 (b. 1944) on 9 September, and SUMI Eriko 鷲見恵理子 (b. 1980) on 17 September. Urushihara…
Japanese violinists with birthdays in August include TAKASHIMA Chisako 高嶋 ちさ子 (b. 1968) on 24 August, ÔTANI Yasuko (or Yasuko Ohtani) 大谷 康子(b. 1955) on 25 August and ISHII Shizuko 石井 志都子 (b. 1942) on 31 August. Takashima Chisako is best known for her performances of popular classics that appeal…
In my last blog I mentioned that the fate of WATANABE Shigeo 渡辺 茂夫 (1941–1999), whose birthday falls on 26 June, seems like Japan’s answer to that of the Polish violin prodigy Josef Hassid (1923–50). However, the two violinists actually have little in common beyond being violinists from an early…