From Beethoven the God-like Great to Beethoven the Human Being: Mr. Mukawa's Recital 'Beethoven the Innovator' Tour Final
(I would appreciate it if you could read this alongside my previous article, 'From Past to Future: Salvation of the Soul and Hymn to Life — Mr. Mukawa's 'Beethoven the Innovator' Recital Tour Day 1,' as I feel it conveys the message better.)
Mr. Mukawa's 'Beethoven the Innovator' series has finally reached its Final!!✨️ I am overwhelmed with emotion.😭
I heard the cry of Beethoven's soul. But at the end, from that performance, I felt as if a warm, soft light—like courage to live or encouragement—had risen up, and I was overcome with emotion😭 While being overwhelmed by his divinity and greatness, there was also a warm feeling, as if Beethoven had approached me as a single human being...✨️✨️
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First, No. 14 'Moonlight'
It was a wonderful performance where the intellectual approach to Beethoven's innovation perfectly aligned with his inner, sensory poetic sentiment and passion.
I was particularly moved by No. 28💖💖
The gentle beginning, which seemed to connect to the tenderness of Schumann's 'Flower Piece' played earlier, was also very beautiful, but the lively rhythm of the alla marcia and the polyphonic development of the finale were so captivating that I almost forgot to breathe in the exhilaration...💓
And finally, No. 32, the last piece played this year.
Mr. Mukawa, who usually starts playing as soon as he sits down, had a slight 'pause' today, perhaps because he felt the poignancy of the finale. I believe he played the Beethoven he believes in with resolve and conviction!! A journey guided by Mr. Mukawa's sound, tracing from the earthly suffering of the man called Beethoven to a heavenly world of salvation... And, as I mentioned at the beginning, I felt 'Beethoven the human' in that performance😭✨️✨️
After No. 32 ended, Mr. Mukawa, who had poured his heart and soul into it more than ever, looked like an empty shell...😭✨️✨️ (I even thought there might not be an encore today.)
He didn't come out for a longer time than usual.. I wonder what he was feeling during this time🥹
Then, urged by the applause, Mr. Mukawa appeared several times and sat at the piano bench. He is going to play an encore!🥹💖
Mr. Mukawa, having given his all, began to play Chopin's 'Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp minor (Posthumous)' as if summoning his remaining strength!! How sorrowful it was.. It was as if the souls of Beethoven, who had seen the depths of death, and Chopin were resonating🥹 I had received a longing for life and courage from Sonata No. 32, but now I was being pulled back into the solitude of death...
As the second encore, he played the 'Prelude' from 'Le Tombeau de Couperin'—which at that moment seemed to me filled with the freshness of resurrection from death.
And Mr. Mukawa, appearing again amidst thunderous applause, signaled with his finger as if to say 'one more piece' and turned to the piano. It was the 'Heroic Polonaise'!! Mr. Mukawa does not view this piece merely as a heroic virtuoso work, but as a piece Chopin wrote to overcome his suffering and summon his courage. And he has said that when he plays it as an encore, he wants us, the audience, to feel energized when we go home. Of course, there was no such talk that day, but I imagine that was his feeling. And it seemed as if it were encouraging not only us but Mr. Mukawa himself🥹!!! That courage and encouragement felt connected to Beethoven's final voice, and it was a very, very moving finale!!! (There was a story to the three encores as well.)
A storm of tremendous applause and a standing ovation!! It was wonderful😭😭✨️✨️✨️
Mr. Mukawa
It was a wonderful Beethoven series✨️ Thank you for so much emotion and insight!!!💖💖
(Even though you must have been tired, there was also an autograph session🙏)
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Finally. Since Mr. Mukawa spoke before the performance, I will post the gist of it here. (The content was slightly different from his previous talks.)
'Today is my last concert of the year. I am happy to be able to welcome it here in Takaoka.
This program is titled 'Beethoven the Innovator,' but Beethoven was a person who lived a very difficult life. His hearing problems began around the age of 26, which means that from Opus 2 onwards, almost all of his works were written while he was suffering from hearing loss.
Around the time he wrote the first piece on the program, 'Moonlight,' he was suffering from hearing loss and a broken heart, and the following year, at age 32, he wrote the famous 'Heiligenstadt Testament.' I am 32 years old now, so this gives me a lot to think about.
The next piece, No. 28, is a very beautiful work, but it is a work from when Beethoven was 46, and by this time his hearing was almost completely gone. It is deeply moving to think that he wrote this beautiful piece at such a time.
As for the final piece, No. 32, Beethoven had already gained fame by this time, but perhaps because he was too innovative or too great, there was truly no one who understood him, and he was lonely. In the midst of that, he wrote this masterpiece, which can be called a legacy of cosmic music. It takes courage for a 'youngster' like me to perform such a great piece, but please enjoy the world of Beethoven today—though saying that might feel a bit off, I can't find any other words, so please enjoy it until the end.'
December 7, 2025, Takaoka Cultural Hall, Toyama Prefecture