![]() ![]() He whips off the Études, cruel finger-twisters even for the sighted, with a natural ease and stunning accuracy. In the concerto, he is attentively partnered by the Texan orchestra, and together they draw tumultuous applause from the audience. There is nothing that is mechanical or over-studied in his playing, even if his steadiness is at times unnerving. Tsujii, who learnt his Chopin by ear with the help of a teacher, communicates with much urgency and immediacy. These “live” recordings from the preliminary and final rounds captured something special - the triumph of the human spirit over handicap and adversity. ![]() History was made when 20-year-old Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, who had been blind since birth, shared 1st prize at the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009. The tenors and their agents, who once remarked that they were not paid handsomely enough for the concert, can now live on its royalties. The CD, which includes all the arias and medleys, may be popped into the car stereo. Watch the DVD of the concert as well as The Impossible Dream, a documentary of the making of the concert, to get the experience of what the fuss was all about. The downside was a proliferation of copycats (The Three Chinese Tenors, The Three Countertenors) and the rise of pseudo-opera singers. This iconic concert helped demystify opera, making it accessible to millions who would otherwise not step into an opera house or concert hall. The abiding memory was that of José Carreras, Placido Domingo and the late Luciano Pavarotti belting out Puccini’s Nessun Dorma from Turandot, preceded by playful vocal jousting as to who could sing the longest trill in the Neapolitan favourite O Sole Mio. While the football was rubbish, the music soared. One of best-selling opera discs of all time was the first ever Three Tenors Concert, held on a July evening at the Caracalla Baths in Rome, on the eve of the 1990 World Cup finals. ![]()
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