voices

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.