In 1973, 4-year-old Jon Nakamatsu felt he couldn’t live without a piano. He begged his Hawaiian born-and-raised parents for one, after being introduced to the instrument in his preschool in California, where they lived.
Like most parents whose children ask them for outrageous things, the Nakamatsus declined their son’s request, and instead purchased him a small and much more affordable two-octave toy organ.
Young Nakamatsu immediately began playing songs on the toy, but did not stop asking for the real thing. When his parents, who were not particularly musical, saw how serious he still was at age 6, they relented, bought him a piano, and signed him up for lessons. By the second lesson, his teacher realized that he had a special gift for the instrument. At age 7, Nakamatsu knew that he wanted to play the piano for the rest of his life.
Fast forward two decades to 1997, when Nakamatsu, at the ripe old age of 28, became the surprise winner of the super-prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and realized his lifelong dream of having a career as a concert pianist.
On Friday, he will open the Hawaii Concert Society’s 63rd season, this time not as a soloist, but combining forces with Honolulu’s Galliard String Quartet. The concert, at the UH-Hilo Performing Arts Center, begins at 7 p.m.
“I may have been young when you compare my age to well-known established musicians, but if you haven’t made a mark by the time you’re 30, you’re probably not a major talent,” he said. “1997 was my last chance at something this huge.”
After winning the award, Nakamatsu’s life changed from teaching German in high school to playing world famous concert halls in a matter of weeks. He is now one of the most sought after classical pianists of his generation. Despite his international fame, he enjoys returning to his Hawaii roots, both to perform and to visit relatives and friends.
“It’s like living a dream,” he said. “It’s something in some ways I thought I’d never be able to do. Now that I’m doing it, I feel like I’m on vacation. I can’t believe this is my life.”
In the Hilo concert, Nakamatsu will be heard both as a soloist and with the Galliard Quartet, which has been a major impetus in the development of chamber music in Hawaii. The concert will open with the Galliard musicians performing Franz Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” string quartet, one of the pillars of the chamber music repertoire. It was composed in 1824, after the 27-year old composer suffered from a serious illness and realized he was dying.
Following intermission, Nakamatsu will perform Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” in a renowned 1926 arrangement for piano solo by the Englishwoman, Dame Myra Hess. It will be followed by probably the highlight of the concert, Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet, which met with immediate and universal acclaim and enjoyed unanimous popularity throughout the remainder of the composer’s life.
The Piano Quintet held a deeply personal meaning for Schumann. In 1840, after years of separation and intense opposition from her father, Schumann finally married Clara Wieck, one of the most distinguished pianists of the 19th century. Schumann wrote this piece for her, and she loved it, performing it throughout her life.
Tickets for Friday’s concert ($25 general, $20 senior, $10 student) are available at the Most Irresistible Shop, Basically Books and the PAC’s Box Office. Remaining tickets will be available at the door starting at 6:15 p.m. Seating is first come, first-served.