Renowned pianist Fuzjko Hemming, known for her human touch in her performances, died on April 21 from pancreatic cancer, the Fujiko Hemming Foundation said on Thursday. She was 92.
Born in Berlin to a Swedish architect father and a Japanese pianist mother who studied in Germany, Hemming, whose full name is Ingrid Fuzjko Georgii-Hemming, moved to Tokyo in her early childhood and took up piano at the age of 18. to learn from her mother. 5.
She graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts and began studying at a music school in Berlin at the age of 28. After graduating, she built her career as a performer and was recognized for her talent by conductor Leonard Bernstein.
Hemming lost hearing in her right ear in her teens due to a middle ear infection, and a cold in her mid-30s caused her to lose hearing in her left ear as well. Although her left ear had since recovered to some extent, the condition caused her to briefly suspend her music activities. She returned to Japan in 1995 after her mother’s death.
The pianist became famous after a documentary program about her life was broadcast on Japanese public broadcaster NHK in 1999. Her debut album, “La Campanella”, released that same year, sold more than 2 million copies.
Hemming excelled at performing Franz Liszt’s “La Campanella” and works by Frederic Chopin and Maurice Ravel.
She fell at her home last November and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March this year.
