Pianist Nobuyuki Tsuji Signs With Deutsche Grammophon

Tsuji is the first Japanese pianist to sign an exclusive contract with the German classical music record label 

Universally known as “Nobu,” Nobuyuki Tsujii has signed an exclusive agreement with the Deutsche Grammophon (DG) record label, on which he will release his debut album in 2025, featuring Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” Sonata No. 29 in B flat major, Op. 106.

Additionally, DG will be reissuing and promoting Nobu’s extensive existing classical discography — recorded for his former label, Avex Classics International — in both digital and physical formats.

On May 18, 2024, to mark the beginning of the partnership, the label will present the STAGE+ premiere of Nobu’s recital of Bach, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff, which was filmed live in Tokyo’s Suntory Hall at the end of February.

Blind from birth, Nobu spontaneously began playing tunes on a toy piano at age two, and began taking lessons at age four. Fuelled by his need to learn every piece by ear and to compose his own works, he made his recital debut at Suntory Hall at age 12, and traveled overseas, where he reached the semifinals of the 2005 International Chopin Piano Competition.

He achieved worldwide fame in 2009, when he became the joint winner of the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Since then, he has given recitals at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and Berlin Philharmonie. 

As a soloist, he has worked with Oslo Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vladimir Jurowski, Vasily Petrenko, and Klaus Mäkelä.

“Deutsche Grammophon has released many iconic recordings by great pianists such as Martha Argerich and Maurizio Pollini, and I have been listening to its CDs since I was a child,” Nobu said in the press release. “I am very proud to sign with this prestigious label that has been a leader in classical music. I am also very happy that more and more people around the world will be able to hear my performances through future releases and streamings.”

“Since winning the Van Cliburn Competition, Nobu has become hugely popular in Japan,” added Taka Kidokoro, Tsuji’s executive producer at the Yellow Label and Director Business Development Asia, DG. “I’m sure he will now continue to develop his international career, because he has an unmistakable magic which has a profound effect on all who hear him play.”

“It is a great pleasure to welcome Nobu to the Yellow Label,” said Dr. Clemens Trautmann, president of DG. “I was captivated when I heard him perform in London last year. He’s a truly exciting musician, blessed with rare musical inventiveness and insight, which may also stem from the fact that he perceives the world differently,” Trautmann added. “His playing goes straight to the heart, propelled by his phenomenal technique and the uncanny richness of sound he draws from the piano. We want to bring Nobu’s remarkable artistry to a new global audience and work closely with him and his management team to ensure his international career continues to flourish.”