VOICES

What is special in my love of the Shigeru Kawai piano is that when I play this instrument, I feel it responds to my emotions and thoughts. When I played the SK-EX at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, I felt as if the piano and I became one. This is the ultimate dream for any artist – talk to the piano and it will answer you. The Shigeru Kawai piano helps me express what I want to say in my music from a technical aspect, but ultimately it allows me to express myself to the public through its wonderful sound. The SK-EX is very rich in color and very rich in expression.

Shigeru Kawai has a depth to the sound that I feel a strong affinity for, particularly when playing the music of my favorite composer, Debussy.

If I imagine plotting the softness and strength of the sound on the horizontal axis and the mellowness or clarity of the tone on the vertical axis, I am amazed by the range in any direction.

The breadth of that range, the variety of resources available to respond to expression I seek, and the depth of its potential, give me the illusion that I am playing a much larger piano than I actually am when I perform on stage.

My first encounter with the Shigeru Kawai piano was when I gave a master class at the Katowice Conservatory. From the very first time I played the  piano, I could tell immediately that it was very comfortable to play and the keyboard and tuning were excellent. I could very much feel that the Shigeru Kawai pianos are undergoing a great evolution day by day, and that the craftsmen and technicians are in search of new sounds. It is no exaggeration to say that this piano fulfills my long-held ideals.

Since then, I have been recording and holding Bach recitals with Shigeru Kawai, and I think that Shigeru Kawai and Bach are very compatible with each other. I learn more about Bach’s “timing” and “articulation” from orchestral performances, but Shigeru Kawai’s versatile sound allows me to grasp such an image of Bach, and I have no complaints at all, whether in recital or on recording. Shigeru Kawai will continue to be a piano that gives us many possibilities.

I had been searching for the ideal piano for some time, and the moment I heard Maestro Mikhail Pletnev perform Beethoven on a Shigeru Kawai, I knew instantly – “this was it.”

To me, the sound of a piano is more important than anything else, but the Shigeru Kawai has a really special sound. What struck me was the solidity of the core tone – it has real substance. At the same time, there’s something unique about its character. Overall, it’s a truly outstanding instrument.

I feel that it responds precisely to what I want to express. It’s exactly what I had been looking for. The piano action, of course, is also a crucial factor, and the Shigeru Kawai offers an exceptional touch. I also appreciate the reliable support provided by the Kawai piano technicians.

For the 2022 concert tour, I requested that Shigeru Kawai be brought to several venues, and Mr. Okubo and Mr. Kurata (both are Kawai piano technicians) provided various kinds of support. The reason why I wanted to play a Shigeru Kawai is that it offers a very high level of control and adaptability when I imagine what kind of sound I want to produce on stage and then press the keys. Shigeru Kawai’s touch and sound are both rich and versatile, and the characteristic of Shigeru Kawai is that the sound comes out exactly as you want it to.

I also own a Kawai piano (K. KAWAI) in my house in Poland, and it has different characteristics from the Shigeru Kawai. I feel that Kawai pianos have a variety of potential and are wonderful instruments that can expand your image of what kind of sound you want to produce.

What makes the Shigeru Kawai piano truly special is its warm sound. It never feels too heavy – rather, it’s rich, well-balanced, and wonderfully even across the keyboard, making it both responsive and comfortable to play. Its resonant tone adds to the joy of performing.

I use a Shigeru Kawai piano at home as well, and through daily practice, I truly feel how comfortable and responsive it is. Whether on stage or during practice, it is a reliable partner that always responds faithfully to the musical intentions of the performer.

What I find especially remarkable is the instrument’s wide range of tonal colors – from the most delicate to the most powerful. This is also thanks to the outstanding skills of the piano technicians, but I believe this instrument has the depth and flexibility to be finely adjusted to suit each musician’s unique personality.

I think SHIGERU KAWAI is the ideal piano nowadays to perform the music of Frederic Chopin. SHIGERU KAWAI brings with it some memories of the old Pleyels that Chopin himself used for his unforgettable music: its tone it is not focused only on the attack, as most pianos do today, but especially on the natural continuation and fading of the sound. Its warm tone and soft feeling in the keyboard enables the pianist to create a varied palette of colours, especially in the piano dynamic. All these qualities help us create the illusion of legato and to beautifully sing on this wonderful instrument. Cantabile and dolce are two words that go hand in hand with SHIGERU KAWAI.

Photo: ©Darek Golik / The Fryderyk Chopin Institute

The music of Frederic Chopin is playful, dramatic, profound, poignant…
SHIGERU KAWAI enables the performer to express these desires to the fullest extent.
With its immaculate control and captivating sound, it is a true joy to play on a SHIGERU KAWAI.

Photo: ©Wojciech Grzedzinski / The Fryderyk Chopin Institute

Kawai pianos have a very deep and rich sound from the lower registers.
And in the upper voice, the clear sound is very strong point.
So, it is very attractive that the two strengths harmonize very well and can produce a variety of colors during the performance.

The Kawai staff were perfect partners who cared for everything with kindness and dedication throughout the Chopin Competition.
In particular, I would like to express my gratitude to the tuning team who worked hard to make the best piano without even sleeping in the early morning for tuning the piano.

Photo: ©Wojciech Grzedzinski / The Fryderyk Chopin Institute

I was very happy to perform on this magnificent Shigeru Kawai at Les Musicales de Bagatelle, I really enjoy playing on these Shigeru pianos. Congratulations on the perfect preparation by your technician. I look forward to seeing you at the KAWAI France showroom.

One of the common features of musical instruments that I find wonderful is that they all have the sound of wood.
Shigeru Kawai pianos have the warmth of wood and a “handmade” feel that is not found in industrial products that are painstakingly crafted one by one. If I play Bach or Mozart, it gives me a sense of the period of that time, coupled with its rising tone. On the other hand, depending on the touch, it can achieve a very hard and powerful fortissimo, which is necessary when playing several big concertos.

In other words, it is an instrument with a lot of possibilities, with strength in its warmth.

Photo: ©Yuji Ueno

I have a Shigeru Kawai piano at home, and the more effort I put into playing it and drawing out its true potential, the more I discover a profound and rich sound with depth and richness of overtones. If you approach the instrument with a deliberate touch and pursue the tone you seek, the instrument responds endlessly as if it has a will of its own. Conversely, if you play half-heartedly, it becomes difficult to produce the intended sound. In this sense, I feel that it is a very good instrument for practice, and also for concerts and recitals.

Shigeru Kawai allows you to delve into the depths of sound, and the more you do, the more it reveals a continuously evolving and rich tone. That’s what I really love about it.

The Shigeru Kawai SK-EX was a beautiful instrument, and I was very happy to play on it. Thank you for your work and dedication. Best wishes for the future and I also look forward to when I will play again on one of your instruments.