Rikako Murata / Piano / Lecturer, Universität der Künste Berlin / Berlin, Germany

The "Listen to Musicians" section is a section where professionals who usually play music on the stage go down the stage and speak in words.This time, we will interview Ms. Rikako Murata, who is active as a lecturer at the Berlin University of the Arts in Berlin, Germany, and as a pianist. I would like to talk about the theme of "Berlin University of the Arts and studying abroad in music".
(Interview: March 2007)


Rinako Murata
Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts.Studied under Pascal de Vaillant at the Berlin University of the Arts as a German Government Scholarship Student (DAAD).He has won many prizes such as Maria Canals International Music Competition and Porteau International Piano Competition 3rd place.Invited to the Berlin Symphony Orchestra as a soloist every year, he has performed more than 15 piano concertos.At the Berlin University of the Arts, in addition to DAAD, he studied as a Nafög scholarship, ROHM Music Foundation, and Hindemith Foundation scholarship student.While preparing for the National Performer Examination, he is currently teaching younger generations as a lecturer at the Berlin University of the Arts.Courchevel Summer International Music AcademyInvited as a lecturer.In recent years, he has started full-scale piano duo activities with Pascal de Vaillant. In November 2008, performance tours will be held all over Japan in conjunction with the release of two piano CDs commemorating the 11th anniversary of Messiaen's birth.He has studied under Min Yabe, Yoshie Takara, Halina Czerny-Stephanska, Nana Hamaguchi, and Pascal Devaillon.


Murata: My brother was learning Electone at the time, and I couldn't help but want to imitate him.I think it was a Yamaha music class, but every time I picked up my brother who was attending with my mother, I was envious and envious of learning music (laughs).I jumped in and shook the bell myself.From now on, I think that was the trigger.

Murata: I think the classical music itself was from the beginning.It was around the time when I was playing imitating my brother who was playing classical songs.　

Murata: I don't think it was. I just wanted to play the piano myself when my mother was small.But I couldn't have a piano, so I wanted my kids to learn the piano.

Murata: I'm not sure about that, but I think it was the first time I bought an electone for my brother when I started attending a music class.Is it about a year after the infant course started?I remember having an upright piano bought when I was in the lower grades of elementary school.

Murata: At that time, I was taking lessons if overseas sensei had the opportunity to come to Japan.But that didn't mean I was looking for a sensei to study abroad.Meanwhile, when I was in college, I had the opportunity to take Pascal de Vaillant lessons.It was a very demanding lesson, but the direction was very similar to the Japanese sensei I was learning at the time, so I strongly felt that I would definitely like to follow this sensei.However, I had some idea that I would study abroad after graduating from a Japanese university, and at that time I had no idea of ​​studying abroad before graduating from university.
 
With Pascal de Vaillant

Murata When I was in the third year of university, I was teaching at the Conservatoire (Paris National Academy of Music) in France. When I told sensei that I wanted to go to the National Conservatory of Music in Paris, I was told that I couldn't make it in time to graduate from a Japanese university because the age limit for admission to the National Conservatory of Music in Paris was under XNUMX years old.Therefore, at that time, I had given up on being attached to Devaillon sensei.However, I wanted to study abroad, and I had various sensei candidates in mind, saying, "I have to find something else."However, at the end of the XNUMXth grade, there were rumors that Devaillon sensei would be transferred to the Berlin University of the Arts.When I checked with Devaillon sensei immediately, I was still at a loss, but I think it would happen, so I immediately started studying German.

Murata That's right.The sensei people I took care of in Japan were all studying in France, so at first I thought I was in France too, but I couldn't go because of age restrictions, so what should I do? I was thinking.So it was a really good time for sensei to come to Berlin.

I wanted to study abroad after seeing seniors such as Murata studying abroad, but I think I might not have gone if the timing was off.I hadn't decided to study abroad in advance, so at the end of my XNUMXth year of college, I took another lesson at Dvaillon sensei, asked if I could take the Berlin University of the Arts, and when I decided to take the exam, I made various adjustments around me. I got it.It is said that younger people are better off taking the exam, and at that time it was just before I was XNUMX years old, so I told my parents that I would suddenly take the Berlin University of the Arts on that day (laughs).
 
Road to Berlin University of the Arts

Murata: At that time, there was no German test.I think it was written that I should send something to prove my language ability, but I took the entrance examination with the document "I will do my best to study German when I enter school" ( Lol).Now (as of March 2007), the school outline states that you need to obtain an intermediate German certificate at the time of admission.However, this depends on the situation, so even if you do not have an intermediate level, if you would like to take the Berlin University of the Arts, please contact the school's "Piano Department" directly.

Murata: It's harder to find Germans (laughs). I don't think there are many Germans in the piano department.There are many Asians, especially Chinese and Koreans.Most of the exams are Korean, but Japanese are also.There are about XNUMX people in my class in total, but most of the Europeans are Asians.Of course, it depends on the class, but it's not a situation where there are a lot of Germans and a few Asians, but a situation where there are a lot of Asians and a few Germans.

Murata That's right.

Murata: I'm often laughed at (laughs).When Asians such as Chinese, Korean, and Japanese speak to each other, it becomes German, but when you see that, it seems that Europeans are strange.

Murata: There are variations depending on the year, but the number of people who take the exam is about 60 at the least and about 100 at the most.The number of applications is really huge.In the old days, Berlin University of the Arts passed or failed only in the primary examination, but now that the number of examinations from all over the world has increased, there is even a secondary examination.

Murata: The number of people is not fixed every year, so it depends on the level of the year, but it is about 4 people when there are few people and about 14 people when there are many people.

Murata It doesn't matter if you pass or fail.First of all, pass / fail is given.After that, if the successful applicants have a desire for sensei, they will be accepted if they contact the sensei and get their consent.If there is no particular hope, the school will propose the sensei in charge.

Murata As a whole, I will definitely put it in a sensei class somewhere.However, there are times when you cannot enter the desired sensei class.In some cases, if you wait for half a year, graduates will appear and seats will be available, so some people will delay admission by half a year.

Murata It's okay if you pass.

Murata: It's really just rumors (laughs). If you are in contact with sensei, you can enter it (laughs).It may be at some schools, but not at the Berlin University of the Arts.No matter how much you contact sensei, you will not be able to enter unless you pass the entrance examination.

Murata That's right. Since the sensei knows in advance which student wants which sensei, sensei will select the student from the list of successful applicants. There is no rule that sensei should not take more than XNUMX students, so you can take students as long as sensei's time allows.
 
At the Berlin Philharmonie Hall

Murata: I know only Berlin in Germany, but the good thing is that I don't feel the prejudice that I'm Japanese or Asian. When it comes to music, the door is wide open. think.That's where I was surprised and happy since I came to Berlin.

Murata For example, we hold a public presentation in a school class, and ordinary grandfathers and grandmothers come to the presentation.It seems that music lovers are everywhere in the city of Berlin, and customers come to look for it on their own without having to specifically advertise when the school class presentation is scheduled.Whether Asians play or Europeans play, there are many at school recitals.It's often said that the tradition and culture of music permeates the city of Berlin.Also, there are many opportunities to perform at churches, hospitals, schools, facilities, etc.When I was at a Japanese university, I had the opportunity to play in public only during the exam.But I think performers are most looking for opportunities to play.I think there are many things you can learn by playing.I think Berlin offers many such opportunities.

Murata: It's like playing it.

Murata Yes, a lot of people can come. Customers are asked, "Who will play this time?"In Berlin, many people are looking forward to the recital.

Murata: The bad thing is that if you are passive, you can leave it.You cannot "exist" unless you assert yourself to some extent.It doesn't work at all that the other person will understand you even if you keep silent.
 
With friends of the trio

Murata The most important thing is language. If it's just about "studying music," I think the most important thing is to "encounter a good sensei," so I think I can study in Japan as well. "The meaning of studying abroad" is You can feel the land, culture, and traditions by living there.I think music is the culmination of humanity itself, so I hope that the main purpose is to increase the depth of humanity. I thought it for the first time in a foreign country, but good or bad. I thought Japan was an island country.Since we are not geographically in contact with other countries, we have very few opportunities to come into contact with other cultures.If the place changes, not only the culture, but also people, nature, and the chirping of birds will feel strangely different even though they should be the same thing. By experiencing the "land change", my horizons will expand. , I feel people living in various cultures with my skin and change myself. I think that words are an important means because life is the basis of everything to feel.Depending on whether you can speak or not, it makes a difference whether you have the key to open the door of the other person's heart or not.If you do not study a language in advance, you will end up attending a language school for a while after entering university.Then, it would be a waste to come to study abroad.Even though I have only a few years of study abroad, if I enter university with no language skills, I think that I often end up studying abroad for about a year.I think it's a waste, so I think it's important to study the language in advance.

Murata That's right.It seems that you can understand it with gestures, but I think that you often convey deep things in words.Of course, there are parts that can be conveyed by gestures, but once you understand the language, it is often unfortunate that sensei is actually saying this.

Murata That's right.You can study so many things in one lesson, so if you don't understand the language, it's really a waste.
 
With Pascal de Vaillant

Murata: When it comes to becoming a sensei or joining an orchestra, if there is an excellent German, that is more advantageous. However, when it comes to concerts, as far as I know, they are Asian. I don't think there are any disadvantages.

Murata: It's a place where I can be myself, be honest, and be natural.

Murata: Whether you're playing or practicing, it's when you're involved in the music itself.Western music is not foreign music for us, but it was written by the same "one person", so I think there is something in common as human beings to some extent.By reading the message left by the composer and what he is trying to say from the score and expressing it in his own words, I think that he can get energy from the music itself and revive the five senses. ..In that sense, it's my favorite place.

Murata Of course, not all songs are lively, but music touches the five senses that are the basis of human beings.Does it mean that the sensibilities of various meanings are sharpened in me, and that I get energy from music?I think that music is often hit by the composer's thoughts in some way, no matter what the expression.In that sense, music can be said to be a "living thing" left by humans.

Murata That's right.It will be interesting to know what kind of person he was, not only the score but also the way he lived and his personality.
 
Courchevel Summer International Music Academy

Murata: Recently, teaching is fun and unavoidable.So my dream is to be a good leader.Of course playing is fun, so I definitely want to continue, but when asked if I want to be a performer or a mentor, I would choose to be a mentor.

Murata: I think it's interesting to see the growth of each student as if they were looking at my child (laughs), but above all, it's great that I can study by teaching.Teaching needs to be expressed in words, and it is difficult to convey, so I think about it myself. Teaching means that I will study.

Murata I will study.For example, a student asks a question. So if I say that it's better to play like this, it's just my sensibilities.Not everyone feels the same.For example, the other party cannot understand unless there is a reason why you want to play here a little darker.But if you look closely at the score, there is a good reason.Is it possible to read and explain all the composer's messages in the score?

Murata: It's more strict with music.The sensibilities come first, but I think it is possible to explain in order to be a good leader.

Murata That's right.For example, it's easy to just say bad things are bad, but it's important to explain why. After explaining, I think that students should be able to make their own decisions by making use of it. increase.

Murata That's right. Students sometimes say, "I think this way," so in that case, I wonder if there is such a way of thinking and learn from each other.

Murata: It's very passive. I often say, "I'm not playing my music," but if I ask the students to play what I say, it's because they play my performance for me. It doesn't make sense for the students because they will be asked to do it.Many students have trouble answering when they often ask "what do you want to do?" And "what do you feel?" I'm afraid to answer, thinking that it may be wrong. I've been trying to say recently that "music doesn't have one correct answer."Of course, there are minimum promises such as not playing Beethoven like Chopin, but first and foremost, "how you want to play" must be in the mind and mind of each student.

Murata is coming.Whenever I ask a student a question, I usually wait until the words come back.By doing so, I want them to develop their thinking.If I say something, I won't answer anything. I think it was my first lesson after studying abroad in Germany, but when sensei told me to "think more for myself", I didn't know what to think about.Until then, I was thinking of taking a draft picture and having sensei color it.However, I woke up when Devaillon sensei said, "I can't teach you unless you show me the picture yourself."

Murata: I think it depends on the person, but I think there are still many people who think that sensei will say something and fix it.Ask sensei to make a decision.For example, in a lesson, let the students play again.Many people can't judge for themselves what's different between what they just played and what they just played.After having them play it again, I'll take a quick look at it. When asked, "I don't have an answer here. How was it now?", He says, "I don't know." If sensei stops, you'll play badly, and if you don't stop, you'll be happy. Then you won't be able to stand alone in the future.
 
Moroccan festival

Murata That's right.From the teaching side, it is very difficult to teach in a short period of time.You may never meet that person again, so you have to quickly find out what you think will be important to this person's future.In last year's example, there were some people who came all the way to France to take a class, but were afraid to play and couldn't play as they wanted in the lesson. "Everything isn't recognized by XNUMX% of the people in the world. Even if you listen to the same performance, there are people who say it well, and there are definitely people who dislike it, so don't be afraid to like it anyway. I sometimes said "What if I played it (laughs)?"For such students, we will talk as much as possible.When you talk, it comes loose.In music, human nature is inevitable.When the contents of human beings change, so does the performance.

Murata: I think the main purpose is to enhance the inner side of human beings through music.Personally, I would like you to study music with a goal in a different place, rather than trying to become famous or raising a flag.

Murata I would like to know if there is a secret (laughs).But I think one is positive.You can't just wait.I think it's an era when you need to take action at the wrong place, and you need a lot of ideas to take action. I think it is necessary to send out.

Murata As I said earlier, I think language is absolutely important.After that, I think it is better to think about the purpose of studying abroad before studying abroad.It seems that there are many cases where friends of the same age start to go out in a hurry.If my purpose becomes ambiguous, I think that studying abroad itself may be overwhelmed.Living in a foreign country away from the familiar Japan requires more mental strength than I expected.I think it's better to study abroad with a clear goal first as to what you want to study abroad for.


Murata sensei's German music college entrance exam preparation course is held!
See below for details.
http://www.andvision.net/major/301-murata-rikako-piano-lesson.html