Piano Prodigy Mao Fujita

Fujita with his matcha ice cream for dessert on Saturday night

This weekend I had the privilege of meeting a young pianist who is rising up the ranks of the music world very quickly. Mao Fujita is only 24 years old and looks very young too, but his playing is so deft and playful, making him a perfect conduit for Mozart's music, but he says he loves to play all kinds of music -- as long as it's classical.

My relatives sponsored his concert held by the Vancouver Recital Society, so I had a chance to meet him for dinner the night before. Eight of us dined at Minami, a contemporary Japanese restaurant in Yaletown. The food suited the location, with lots of young people dining late (we sat down at 8pm).

It's Fujita's first trip to Canada, let alone Vancouver, and he hardly had a chance to see the city -- he arrived Friday night, practiced all day Saturday before we met him, and then Sunday afternoon was the recital before he went back to the airport to fly to Amsterdam.

Playing to a packed audience on Sunday afternoon

Even though the Tokyoite claimed he was a bit tired, his eyes were bright and he was nice to talk to.

Some facts about Fujita: He started learning the piano at the age of three and told us his older brother actually played better than him. But there were a lot of expectations and pressure hoisted on his brother, who quit in the end because he hated practicing... 

Meanwhile Fujita grew to love playing the piano, as there was no pressure on him at all and hearing him talk about music he gets very excited, as he thinks about the the phrasing and tone of specific pieces. Quite amazing.

However, he told us his parents are doctors, and his grandfather was one too, and so there were expectations the two brothers would follow, but that did not pan out. Instead his older brother became a piano tuner, and Fujita a rising piano star who gained a lot of attention when he came in second with a silver medal in the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition in the piano category in 2019.

He's also left handed too as we found out while eating with chopsticks! Three out of the eight at the table were lefties.

During the dinner he politely refused alcohol and was very clear on wanting one scoop of matcha ice cream for dessert. After that he was keen to go back to his hotel to sleep.

Fujita talking to Leila Getz, concert organiser

The next day the concert venue, the Vancouver Playhouse, was packed, with almost every seat taken. There were many children in the audience as well as Japanese. Two small children barely two and three sat on booster seats, the younger one clutching his teddy bear and was a very good concert goer.

The adults, not so much. Especially in the second half, some phones went off, with two of them racing for the door -- really? Another got up and left during the third movement -- it was going to be over in a few minutes for goodness sakes!

It was noisy and that made it hard to listen to Fujita because his piano playing is so delicate -- his fingers deftly touch the keys to bring out really subtle sounds but at the same time it's Mozart sonatas, which means every note must be heard -- no fudging!

He was so precise with his playing but also added his own interpretation in a split second delay or emphasising different notes. He also seemed keen to get the concert over with -- as soon as he sat down he would play right away, not wasting a moment.

Interestingly he did not wear a suit, but instead chose to wear a dark brown long sleeve smock or tunic over his pants and shiny shoes. There seemed to be a button on his left side that was very shiny when it caught the light.

Fujita during the Tchaikovsky competition

After the concert of four Mozart sonatas was finished, he received a standing ovation and he sat down to play Tchaikovsky... It was the Sonata No. 9 in D major, so he chose to play a Tchaikovsky piece in D minor!

He took a few minutes to change into casual clothes before for the Q&A, with many young people asking questions like, What is the hardest piece you have ever played? Have you learned all the Mozart sonatas? (no). How do you memorise all the pieces?

When he was young he would play three, four hours a day. Now living in Berlin the last two years he is allowed to play from 8am to 8pm, not that he practices 12 hours a day. However, he is constantly thinking about what he has to play next with his hectic schedule of 70-80 concerts a year! And he flies economy!

How does he deal with jetlag? Practicing keeps him awake!

And what is he listening for when he practices? My playing! he replied. Then he said when he practices he thinks he is playing very well, but in front of an audience he is nervous. 

In late January he made his Carnegie Hall debut, though the New York Times did not give him a particularly favourable review, saying his pieces were relatively safe... nevertheless he told us at the dinner that he will play there again next year.

One person asked why Mozart? And he said during the pandemic he was stuck at home and gravitated towards Mozart and focused on his pieces, which led to his most recent recording last year, Mozart: The Complete Sonatas.

Excited for this young person who is so passionate about classical music he is not interested in any other genre!

Sonata No. 7 in C major, K. 309

Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310/300d

Sonata No. 13 in B-flat major, K. 333

Sonata No. 9 in D major, K. 311