Sergei Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Michie Koyama)

Information

Composer: Sergei Rachmaninov

• Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18
• Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 43: Var. XVIII.

Michie Koyama, piano

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra & Fedoseyev Friends

Dmitri Jurowski, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Sony Music Labels

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This live recording from October 2025 documents a milestone performance marking Japanese pianist Michie Koyama’s 40th anniversary debut at Suntory Hall. Renowned for her authoritative interpretations of Russian repertoire and as the first Japanese pianist to win prizes at both the Tchaikovsky and Chopin competitions, Koyama revisits the Second Piano Concerto more than three decades after her acclaimed 1992 recording with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Under unusual circumstances following Vladimir Fedoseyev’s withdrawal for health reasons, Dmitri Jurowski conducts the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and the specially assembled Fedoseyev Friends. The concert captures the intensity of a sold-out hall, featuring a commanding reading of the C minor concerto alongside an encore of the 18th Variation from Rachmaninov’s Paganini Rhapsody, presented in vivid, high-quality live sound.

Michie Koyama began playing piano at the age of six and later graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts and its graduate school, where she studied under Michiko Yoshida and Hiroshi Tamura. She is uniquely distinguished as the only Japanese pianist to have won prizes at both the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (Third Prize, 1982) and the Chopin Competition in Warsaw (Fourth Prize, 1985). Her repertoire spans more than 60 piano concertos alongside a broad range of solo works from Baroque to contemporary music. Koyama has performed with leading orchestras and conductors worldwide, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, and Wolfgang Sawallisch. Alongside her international career, she has undertaken major recital projects in Japan and engaged in extensive cultural outreach, particularly in the Tōhoku region following the 2011 earthquake. Her discography includes numerous recordings for Sony, with her album Chaconne receiving a major national award in Japan.

High Resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz