“A very mature, sure performer . . . Misuzu Tanaka is definitely a Distinguished Artist we’d like to hear again.”
Hailed by international press as a pianist whose “readings are very convincing” (Fanfare Magazine) and for her “exceptionally high technical level” (General-Anzeiger Bonn), Misuzu Tanaka has established herself as an artist of remarkable individuality.
UPCOMING CONCERT
Thursday, May 16, 11am
Festival Les Pianos Folies du Touqeut • Le Touquet, France
TRIO CONFERO
Maksim Shtrykov, clarinet
Anita Balázs, cello
Misuzu Tanaka, piano
BRAHMS: Trio in A minor for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op.114
JUON: Trio-Miniaturen, Op. 18a, 24a
GLINKA: Trio Pathétique in D Minor
NEW ALBUM
EPILOGUES
Concertant Classics I 2022 (ALBUM)
Maksim Shtrykov, clarinet • Misuzu Tanaka, piano
Epilogues honors three composers' swan songs for a wind, inextricably interwoven with piano parts of wondrous sophistication. They are not mere postscripts to careers, pale codicils to august musical testaments, a lesser afterglow. Indeed not! These sonates-adieux by three towering masters are among the very finest works for clarinet.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
“Clairvoyant Collaborators”. Classics Today reviews Epilogues
“The title “Epilogues” refers to the fact that Brahms, Saint-Saëns, and Poulenc wrote clarinet sonatas at the end of their composing careers. More importantly, clarinetist Maksim Shtrykov and pianist Misuzu Tanaka serve up world-class performances of these works that yield nothing to competing catalog versions.”
Jed Distler, Classics Today
"A real affection behind the enterprise: affection for the composers and between the musicians."
MusicWeb International reviews album Epilogues
It is a strange thing that three composers as different as Brahms, Saint-Saëns and Poulenc should each have turned to the clarinet late in their respective careers. It goes without saying almost that the sound of the clarinet provokes the idea of the autumnal shading into the wintry – or perhaps autumnal masterpieces such as the clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms have imprinted these associations in our minds? Either way, these ‘last thoughts’ are the theme of this lovely album. The title ‘Epilogues’ seems appropriate since all three works sit outside the main body of each composer’s work, reflecting on a life in a largely low key, somewhat nostalgic manner.
David McDade, MusicWeb International
VIDEOS
Tchaikovsky - Pletnev: The Nutcracker Suite (selections)
BACH: Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 874
RACHMANINOFF: Prelude Op. 23 No. 4 in D Major: Andante cantabile.
BEETHOVEN - Rondo a capriccio in G Major, Op.129 "Rage over a lost penny"