The Times
January 16, 2007
PLG Young Artists
Geoff Brown at the Purcell Room
‘Take the pianist Chisato Kusunoki. She’s emerged from Oxford and the Royal Academy of Music with wonderfully fleet and supple fingers, quick to locate the music’s inner voices, able to dapple and perfume in pieces that only seem to offer barbed wire. No pianist out to please would normally resurrect Justin Connolly’s Sonatina in Five Studies of 1962; yet with Kusunoki’s willowy caress it was only the work’s length that bit into pleasure. She’ll be heard from; she’s got it’
January 24, 2007
PLG Young Artists New Year Series – 4
Kenneth Carter
‘Chisato Kusunoki, German by birth and an Oxford graduate, took her postgraduate performance diploma from the Royal Academy of Music with distinction. She subsequently gave recitals throughout England and Japan, as well as performing with the Allegri String Quartet.
Justin Connolly’s Sonatina in Five Studies introduced us to a staggering technique; Takemitsu’s Litany brought a dignified repose, a sense of time and space, a stillness of mind. These qualities were picked up later in Howard Skempton’s Three Nocturnes – very spare in their notation, yet nevertheless rich in their sonority. This, too, is unhurried music, spacious and timeless. Both Takemitsu’s and Skempton’s pieces were spiritually and emotionally rewarding, especially when played with Kusunoki’s understanding and sympathy. Her last contribution, Nikolai Kapustin’s Concert Etude (Opus 40/Number1) was a romp – a riot of exuberant virtuosity whose cross rhythms and pungent harmonies revelled in a jazz-based, rock-based vitality.’
The Oxford Times
Rating: *****
February 26, 2009
Nicola Lisle
‘Oxford graduate Chisato Kusunoki returned on Sunday night to thrill members of the Balliol College Musical Society with a piano recital that was brimming with virtuosity, passion and drama. Kusunoki has emerged as one of the most talented pianists of her generation.
After Sunday’s performance at Balliol, it’s easy to see why this young pianist has had critics reaching for every superlative in the dictionary. Kusunoki doesn’t merely play music; she becomes enveloped by it, demonstrating a remarkable affinity with the composers whose works she tackles, and throwing her entire body and soul into the performance. Her repertoire on Sunday ranged from J. S. Bach (Partita No.1 in B flat major) and Chopin (Sonata No.3) to the lesser-known Balakirev (Sonata) and Moszkowski (Caprice Espagnol), all allowing her to explore and exhibit every aspect of her extraordinary technique.
In the quieter moments, such as in Bach’s Prelude, there was lyrical tenderness, her fingers softly and smoothly caressing the keys. In Chopin’s gloriously expansive Largo, there was a sense of grandeur and boldness as she resolutely drove the piece forwards. But, arguably, it is in the more energetic moments that Kusunoki is at her best, such as in the Allegro, Scherzo and Presto movements in Chopin’s Sonata, or Balakirev’s spirited Mazurka; all were brought to life with exceptional intensity and vitality, holding the audience spellbound with an irresistible and infectious exuberance. Chisato Kusunoki is a name we’ll be hearing a lot more of in the future; of that I have no doubt.’
Bristol Evening Post Review
December 13, 2007
Bristol Cathedral
Rating: ****
John Packwood
‘Nikolai Medtner is a much neglected Russian composer and the soloist chose Sonata Romantica to demonstrate the distinctive character and colour of his music
Most of the writing in this piece is complex but the pianist presented both delicacy and finesse in the slower moments, while there was tremendous verve and drama in the faster sections. vShe showed authority in her playing as well as fluency and skill.
We were privileged to hear the world premiere of Hackbridge Johnson’s paraphrase on an English Carol, especially written for the soloist.
The carol used was the 15th Century There Is No Rose. With the tune prominent in the lower register, bell-like chords were woven around the main theme. This was a pleasant piece well worth a repeat hearing.
Villa Lobos’ Ciclo Brasileiro is a vivacious and lively work that depicts the Brazilian jungle and peasant way of life. The first dance after a terse introduction continues with an insulating melody that soars upward before cascading downwards. The last section with its rapid glissandos brings everything to a hectic conclusion.
The whole performance from the pianist was inspired and breathtaking.’
Victoria Concert Hall
Some of the pre-requisites to perform Russian piano music convincingly are emotional heft, an iron-clad technique and loads of reserve. While one does not need to be Russian or at least Slavic, it certain helps. It was thus a pleasant surprise to see a UK-based Japanese pianist wrestle with the Russian bear and come out victorious and pretty much unscathed.
Chisato Kusunoki packs a wallop within her tiny frame. For Alexander Scriabin’s fiery Third Sonata in F sharp minor which opened her 2-hour long recital, the music tread the fine line of being copy-Chopin to bursting free from all fetters. She shaped the lyrical phrases beautifully, especially in the languid slow movement, and went for broke in the volatile and breathless finale. Poised and polished, she was unafraid to throw off the gloves and go bare-knuckled.
Equally enthralling were two contrasting Transcendental Études by Sergei Lyapunov, an obvious homage to Liszt’s virtuosity. The serene Lullaby luxuriated in Borodinesque harmonies while the harrowing Lesghinka, a coruscating Oriental dance, found her in imperious form. If there is a work to outdo Balakirev’s overplayed Islamey Fantasy, this is it. Students and serial competitors take note!
In Rachmaninov’s Six Moments Musicaux (Op.16), all the critical faculties for a memorable performance came to bear. Her gift of cantabile served the first and fifth pieces well, the former never a slave to the right hand’s vertiginous maneuvers and the latter reliving the joy of arch-simplicity. Razor-sharp reflexes also weathered the whirlwind tempos of the second and fourth Moments, with lots more to spare.
The brooding third number, the most Russian of the set, probed deeply into the collective psyche and offered up some secrets. For the final C major romp, she unleashed the roar of the ocean, approximating the power of a Lazar Berman, but without the pummeling brute force. Her lovely encore, a Chopin nocturne and the only non-Russian work, marked a welcome return to solace and serenity.