Chika Inaoka - Schumann, Robert :Arabeske, Kreisleriana, Kinderszenen : Chika Inaoka(P) - Japan CD

Credits:

Chika Inaoka

Description:

Journey of Silence and Sound ― Inaoka Plays Schumann Six years after her Mozart recording, Chika Inaoka returns. Having undergone treatment for leukemia, she continues her musical journey. From battling illness to finding inspiration—what speaks through her soul is Schumann, whom she has cherished since her youth. Chika Inaoka has made a name for herself through various projects. She values the enduring "tradition" of music, presenting it as contemporary "living music" that poses questions. Many piano concertos, chamber works, and piano solos were composed specifically for her. She performed the entire piano solo for the short documentary film "Hiroshima Atomic Bombing: Notes from the Soul (Director: Hiroshi Nose, Composer: Akira Ueda)" and was awarded the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award. Since 2017, three albums of W.A. Mozart have been released on the OMF label with the cooperation of Bechstein (Japan and Germany). She masterfully produced a tone reminiscent of the fortepiano using Bechstein's renowned instruments. This stems from her ongoing exploration of how to apply insights gained from historical instruments to the modern piano.In this way, she began to gain recognition as a performer of Mozart's works. After battling acute promyelocytic leukemia in 2020, she has now returned to the stage as a pianist. From January 2025, she was invited for a three-month residency as an Artist-in-Residence with the German Rhine-Neckar Foundation. During this period, she was also invited by the Saxony Mozart Society. During her stay in Germany, she further advanced her research on Mozart, Schumann, the world premiere of a commissioned work by Akira Ueda, and other Japanese composers, receiving high acclaim at concerts across the country. As a chamber musician, she has performed with artists both domestically and internationally, earning their deep trust. Chika Inaoka prefers "creating together with others," developing works in dialogue with instruments and people alongside her collaborators, composers, and those involved in projects. She is also actively engaged in initiatives to foster greater interest in culture among future musicians and the public. Her activities include serving as a competition judge and producing Professor Rudolf Meister's Piano Music Intensive (Japan's longest solo master course). After graduating from the Music Department of Kyoto Municipal Horikawa High School and the Piano Performance Course at Tokyo College of Music, she moved to Germany in 2000.Completed the Artist Development Program and Soloist Program at the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts as a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) special scholarship recipient. Awarded the German State Performance Qualification. Studied piano under the late Osamu Yanai, Hiroki Ohata, Hidemi Ishitsuki, Kenji Watanabe, Ok-Hi Lee, and Rudolf Meister; chamber music under Andreas Pistorius; and lieder accompaniment under Heike-Dorothee Allardt. Naxos Japan