, September 17, 1928 – October 7, 2004) was a Japanese classical pianist.

Life

Sonoda was born in 1928 in the town of Nogata, today a part of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

and renamed Nakano City. He was first taught piano by his father, Kiyohide, a student of

Robert Casadesus Robert Marcel Casadesus (7 April 1899 – 19 September 1972) was a renowned 20th-century French pianist and composer. He was the most prominent member of a distinguished musical family, being the nephew of Henri Casadesus and Marius Casadesus, ...

. After his father's death in 1936, Sonoda continued his lessons; three years later he came under the tutelage of Leo Sirota, then resident in Japan. After graduating from elementary school, he entered the Tokyo Academy of Music (later absorbed by the

Tokyo University of the Arts or is the most prestigious art school in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained renowned artists in the fields of painting, scul ...

). After the Pacific War, Sonoda began his career as a performer. He traveled to Europe in 1952 in the hopes of participating in the

Geneva International Music Competition The Geneva International Music Competition () is one of the world's leading international music competitions, founded in 1939. In 1957, it was one of the founding members of the World Federation of International Music Competition (WFIMC), whose he ...

, but failed to place. Through an introduction by Kiyoko Tanaka, he met

Marguerite Long Marguerite Marie-Charlotte Long (13 November 1874 – 13 February 1966) was a French pianist, pedagogue, lecturer, and an ambassador of French music. Life Early life: 1874–1900 Marguerite Long was born to Pierre Long and Anne Marie Antoin ...

, who briefly coached him privately. In Berlin he was also coached by Helmut Roloff (an encounter the Japanese government cited in awarding Roloff the Order of the Sacred Treasure for contributions to Japanese music in 1990). In 1955 Sonoda returned to Japan and married a fellow international student. In 1954

Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wit ...

made his Japanese debut conducting the NHK Symphony Orchestra with Sonoda as soloist. Impressed by the young man's playing, Karajan persuaded Sonoda to study in Germany and wrote him a letter of recommendation. After his studies there, Sonoda debuted with the

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was f ...

in 1959. The following year he returned to Japan, becoming a professor at the

Kyoto City University of Arts is a public, municipal university of general art and music in Kyoto, Japan. Established in 1880, it is Japan's oldest university of the arts (the predecessor of Tokyo University of the Arts was founded in 1887). Among its faculty and graduates ...

. In his later years he became part of the faculty at the Shōwa Academia Musicae. Although admired for his performances of works by German classics such as

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

, and

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

, Sonoda maintained a keen interest in modern music. He was a member of the Shūzō Takiguchi-led Experimental Studio, along with friends

Tōru Takemitsu was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu was admired for the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre. He is known for combining elements of oriental and occidental phil ...

and

Toshirō Mayuzumi Toshiro Mayuzumi (黛敏郎 ''Mayuzumi Toshirō'' ; 20 February 1929 – 10 April 1997) was a Japanese composer known for his implementation of avant-garde instrumentation alongside traditional Japanese musical techniques. His works drew i ...

. In 1971 he premiered Makoto Moroi's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. When the Shōwa Emperor died on January 7, 1989, NHK General TV followed their announcement of his passing by broadcasting Sonoda's recording of Chopin's Funeral March. He was awarded the title of Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government in 1998. He died in 2004 from an aortic aneurysm while preparing for a forthcoming concert.

References

External links

English biography of Sonoda at his official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonoda, Takahiro 1928 births 2004 deaths 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century Japanese male musicians Japanese classical pianists Japanese male classical pianists Musicians from Tokyo People from Nakano, Tokyo Persons of Cultural Merit Tokyo University of the Arts alumni