Reflections on the Juninchi Ito Piano Recital 2026 Satoshi Ogihara, Representative Director, PSO

~From Locality to Universality: Passion Rooted in the Earth, Universality Ascending to the Heavens~

Romantic melodies are imbued with memories that have settled deep within the composer’s soul—the scent of the earth beneath their feet, the weight of solitude. This truth of “Locality,” rooted in the land, became the very flesh and blood of the music, giving rise to an immortal resonance. Today, we trace the journey of three masters and how they sublimated their passion into “Universality.” Chopin, in the foreign land of Paris, evolved the indigenous “Polonaise” into a cosmic universality. Meanwhile, Mussorgsky, who devoted himself to the soil of Russia, delved into his own land with a unique style, reaching a realism that probes the collective subconscious of humanity. In contrast, Rachmaninoff transformed his “memories” of a lost homeland into a fantastical sense of loss, building a universal sanctuary that resonates with our own loneliness.

These immortal melodies, supported by a passion rooted in the earth, are sublimated toward the heavens. Junichi Ito, a PSO scholarship recipient who favors the Bösendorfer piano and masterfully commands its brilliant sound, invites you to enjoy a journey into the “depths” of these three distinct composers through his supremely refined tone.