The "Gieseking Variations" that vividly revived the figure of Walter Gieseking

From Tuesday, August 19th to Friday, August 22nd, NHK FM's "Variations of Maestros" broadcast the "Gieseking Variations," a feature on Walter Gieseking.

This time, the program featured Gieseking, who was born in 1895 and would have turned 130 this year, introducing his personality, the characteristics of his music, and various anecdotes over the course of four episodes.

The commentary was provided by pianist Keigo Mukawa and music critic Mr. Ryosuke Masuda.

As is the case every time, the division of roles—where musicians approach the subject from their respective perspectives while Mr. Masuda provides commentary primarily based on music history and social conditions—remained robust.

For example, in the first episode, regarding Gieseking's use of the pedal, Mr. Mukawa spoke about the musical benefits of Gieseking's pedaling from the perspective of a pianist, while Mr. Masuda discussed it by referencing other performers while taking up the works of Debussy, one of the composers Gieseking excelled at, making it a very rewarding listen.

Furthermore, it was in the second episode that his approach to music was examined using words that frequently appear when discussing Gieseking, such as "practice" and "nature," as clues.

In this episode, Mr. Mukawa's stories based on his own experience regarding Gieseking's attitude toward practice, and Mr. Masuda's explanation of how Gieseking approached contemporary works through his understanding of nature, were both fascinating.

Moreover, in the third episode, which focused on recordings from his 1953 visit to Japan, an anecdote introduced by Mr. Masuda in the second episode was used effectively: at a social gathering, Gieseking suggested to Kurt Wöss, who was to conduct his performance with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, "Let's not rehearse the concerto and just do the performance," which bewildered Wöss.

In other words, although Gieseking surprised those involved by listing 17 concertos to perform during his tour in Japan, it was inferred that, due to his superior musical ability and adaptability, he genuinely intended to minimize the number of rehearsals and head straight into the performance.

And in the fourth and final episode, both Mr. Mukawa's impression, "Honestly, I haven't had many opportunities to listen to him until now, but I am now a fan of Gieseking," and Mr. Masuda's explanation of Gieseking's reputation as a "mysterious objectivist" were very interesting.

"Variations of Maestros" is an important feature that vividly brings the figures of great musicians from history back to the present.

Because of that, the rewarding content of this "Gieseking Variations" has further heightened expectations for the next feature.

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Miscellaneous Impressions of a Radio Programme "Variations of Walter Kieseking" (Yusuke Suzumura)

NHK FM broadcast a featured programme "Variations of Walter Kieseking" from 19th to 22nd 2025. On this occasion, I express my miscellaneous impressions on the programme.