Nobuyuki Tsujii Plays Rachmaninoff & Tchaikovsky
Nobu performs Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Domingo Hindoyan
He pairs the concerto with piano transcriptions of more Russian music, including songs
by Rachmaninoff and the Tchaikovsky/Mikhail Pletnev Nutcracker Suite
For his second Deutsche Grammophon album, Nobuyuki Tsujii has recorded a selection of much-loved works by Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. Having signed to the Yellow Label in April 2024, the Japanese pianist, universally known as Nobu, released his DG debut to widespread acclaim seven months later (“a memorable Hammerklavier: mature, thoughtful and beautifully controlled” – International Piano).
He follows this with readings of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto – for which he is joined by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO) and its Chief Conductor Domingo Hindoyan – and Mikhail Pletnev’s arrangement of excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker. Nobu also plays piano versions of three Rachmaninoff songs and that composer’s own transcription of Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Flight of the Bumblebee. Rachmaninoff · Tchaikovsky comes out digitally and on CD on 9 January 2026.
Renowned for its enormous technical difficulty, Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto was written in 1909 and premiered that year in New York by the composer, who was himself a virtuoso pianist. Nobu, who learns every score by ear because of his blindness, is no stranger to its challenges, having played it live many times at venues worldwide. His 2024 performance in Brisbane was hailed as “thrilling” by Limelight, which also called his technique “flawless” and his note accuracy “second to none”.
In 2014 the concerto was one of two works he played during his debut concerts with the RLPO and its now Conductor Laureate Vasily Petrenko. Nobu’s relationship with the orchestra has gone from strength to strength since then, and in 2023 he joined Domingo Hindoyan and his players to give “an astounding Rachmaninoff Third” (Seen and Heard International) at the BBC Proms. The close understanding between soloist, orchestra and conductor adds to the unique atmosphere of their recording.
The solo works on the album are by Rachmaninoff and two of his most significant forebears, Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. “Piano transcriptions are fascinating because the arrangers are usually outstanding pianists,” observes Nobu. “They know exactly what is needed to get the maximum out of the instrument. It’s always a pleasure to play these pieces.” Mikhail Pletnev’s inventive reinterpretation of music from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker proves his point. The perfect album-opener, his suite includes such favourite numbers as the Trepak and Chinese Dance, as well as the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Rimsky-Korsakov, meanwhile, could have asked for no better arranger than Rachmaninoff. The latter’s version of The Flight of the Bumblebee, originally an orchestral interlude in the opera The Legend of Tsar Saltan, flies by under Nobu’s fingers. The pianist also plays transcriptions of Rachmaninoff’s songs Lilacs and How Fair This Spot (both from his 12 Songs, Op. 21), ending his selection of solo works with the composer’s ever-popular Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14,
The Tchaikovsky/Pletnev Nutcracker Suite is one item on the programme of Nobu’s forthcoming recitals at venues across Japan (9 January−8 March 2026) and at the Prinzregententheater in Munich (27 April). Other upcoming highlights include Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, again in cities around Japan (21–29 March), and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Purchase College (New York state) and Carnegie Hall (24/25 April; full touring details here).
