Chopin: Ballades -Piano Works

[Machine Translation] Awarded the 2013 Chopin Society of Japan Prize. Chopin's passion oozes out from his neat pianism! Koutaro Fukuma has been called the "noble son of the piano" because of his handsome face. His dedicated passion for playing makes a deep impression on listeners, and his second album, following Debussy, is his specialty, Chopin. Except for the ballads, he dared to choose mainly well-known pieces to balance the ease of listening with the concept of the album. The performance greatly surpasses that of the Debussy album, and the listener is struck by a passion that does not fit into an intellectual approach, but rather spills over into the listener's heart. The deep emotion and fine touch are impressive, and together with the bold and powerful playing, leave a deep impression on the listener. The technical stability goes without saying. This is Chopin at the highest level in the world, and Fukuma is in his element.

2013年日本ショパン協会賞受賞。端正なピアニズムからにじみ出るショパンのパッション! その端正な顔立ちからピアノの貴公子との呼び声もある福間洸太朗。演奏に対するひたむきな情熱が聞き手に深い印象を与える彼の、ドビュッシーにつづくセカンドアルバムは、得意のショパン。4曲のバラードを中心に、ノクターン、ワルツ、ポロネーズ、エチュード、即興曲をちりばめ、しかもほぼ作曲順に並べるという、福間らしい凝った選曲。バラード以外は敢えて有名曲を中心に選び、聞きやすさとアルバム・コンセプトを上手く両立。演奏は、ドビュッシーアルバムを大きく凌駕する内容で、知的なアプローチに収まり切らないこぼれ落ちんばかりのパッションが、聴き手の心を打つ。深い情感・細やかなタッチが印象的で、思い切りの良い強奏とともに、聞き手に深い印象を与える。テクニカルな安定感は言う及ばず。福間の本領発揮といえる世界最高水準のショパン。