Name: Nobuyuki Tsujii
Start: 2026-05-01T19:00:00+03:00
Location: Latvijas Nacionālais teātris

He was not born to impress anyone. He simply plays — in a way that makes the world’s most discerning concert halls fall silent. No gestures, no pose, no attempt to please. His name is Nobuyuki Tsujii. He doesn’t see, but he hears music with such precision and sensitivity that at some point you stop wondering how it’s possible — and simply listen.
The Japanese pianist, blind from birth, has become an artist whose name extends far beyond the classical world. Winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, a Deutsche Grammophon artist, the subject of acclaimed documentaries — he has performed on the world’s great stages: Carnegie Hall in New York, the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, as well as in Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong — and now, for the first time, Riga.
On 1 May 2026, in the intimate setting of the Latvian National Theatre, Nobu — as he is affectionately known by colleagues and fans — will give his only solo recital in Latvia.
Tsujii is not a pianist in the conventional sense. He doesn’t follow standard methods or replicate tradition — his playing emerges from a personal, internal sense of sound. He doesn’t read scores; instead, he learns each work by ear, absorbing it phrase by phrase, gesture by gesture, shade by shade. This is not a workaround — it’s a different kind of understanding and thinking, which makes his interpretations sound fluid and alive.
“The definition of virtuosity.” — The Observer
His repertoire includes Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Liszt — music that demands not only technical skill, but a refined stylistic sensitivity. His interpretations are considered, attentive to structure and to the inner logic of the music.
“His Chopin is not about blindness — it’s about brilliance.” — The New York Times
There is no false modesty in him. But neither is there ego. He simply walks on stage and plays — and each time, he does so as if the music had just been written, not by someone else, but by himself. As if he weren’t repeating a text, but composing it anew — in the dark, by touch, with the heart.
“He’s not just a pianist — he’s a revelation.” — The Guardian
He isn’t concerned with how things are supposed to be — and perhaps that’s why his playing feels so honest and unlike anyone else’s.