Original subtitles

(On this long life journey

(I've come to love myself.)

（Ingrid Fuzjko Georgii-Hemming is a pianist.）

That's my full name.

The Georgiis are from Russia.

I don't know. （She was born in Berlin before WWII）

Perhaps my father called me after Mount Fuji...? （then spent her childhood in Japan.）

And... I don't actually know who named me.

（She has never disclosed her age.）

（Diary）

（At 14 she wrote this diary entry on her summer vacation.）

Tuesday August 13, 1946, sunny.

My mother is very strict.

If she sees me reading a newspaper

she'd say, "Go and study."

Don't waste your time.

You're different from others.

Because you'll become a musician.

I was reading the paper and from downstairs

Mother asked,

What are you doing?

I answered, "I'm just putting on talcum powder."

After misleading her, I'd sit at the piano dejectedly.

Fuzjko: A Pianist of Silence & Solitude

（Decades later, the girl who dreamed of Paris has a place there.）

（The building was built in 1889. She spends half the year here.）

（Three cats live with her.）

Chong chong!

Chong chong!

（Chong chong is her favorite.）

I really adore silver.

This is Islamic.

The cats sharpen their nails on this

so I had the panels redone.

I adore things like this...

This is probably 300 years old.

It's Afghan or Islamic.

I haven't opened it for years.

Maybe a body's in there!

I love this. I drew a childhood memory of us

pretending to catch fish with a fork and spoon.

When it rained my brother and I often did this.

It took me 10 years of trial and error.

I love decorating

but it's not done in a day or two.

Every time I come back, I move things around.

Look at this.

This amazes people who know these things.

These leaded windows are handmade.

That one, too.

This is very valuable.

It's remained intact after all these years.

Exactly how it was in the 1880s.

I've always wanted books like this.

I've accumulated them after many visits to used bookstores.

That's Chopin.

I'd love to read all these books if I could.

If I had that kind of time...

I love to sit and think like this.

I received many Christmas cards so I should answer them.

It's pretty cold today.

I've always admired French art.

It's such a strange and wonderful world.

As far back as I can remember

I've wanted to study in France.

See, it's like the one I have.

In a different color.

I love that.

Strolling Parisian streets with a dog,

you notice the artistic details.

Paris wasn't damaged in the war.

The Parisians surrendered to Hitler

which was a smart move.

（She plays piano alone in the evening.）

（ "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy 1862 - 1918）

Sunday, July 21. （The sweet potato thief）

I have too many things to do.

Cleaning, piano practice,

homework and mend undergarments.

I must peel potatoes

and sew clothes.

I can't keep track.

The end of the war was announced here

by Charles de Gaulle.

It's closed!

The French are lazy.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Have a nice day!

These are delicious.

（She'll have a visitor today.）

Hello.

You well?

I was going through your postcards.

I hope I'm not disturbing you, am I?

Good day!

（She is a painter who is based in Paris.）

It's lovely.

Just like a painting.

I came alone.

-You're staying? -Yes.

I've applied for a 3-month visa.

Once the documents are processed,

I'll go back to America in spring.

Then I'll work there.

These are Toraya sweets.

Have Some.

I'm overweight so... Let's see.

How's your schedule for January and February?

Your schedule.

I'll... have to practice.

In Paris?

Yes.

But you practice every day. （Fuzjko performs around the world, ）

I'll play in Moscow and Khabarovsk... （including Japan.）

And somewhere else...

In Russia.

（She has 60 or so concerts every year.）

So you'll practice here in Paris.

-Then I'll have a concert in Paris on March 3. -Ok.

He's a such a phony.

（Fuzjko's 2-month vacation is over.）

（The first concert after her break is the Haydn Quartet from Vienna.）

Very good,

OK. Bravo.

-You'll rehearse tomorrow? -Yes.

Is that a memorial plaque?

From World War One.

There's a Budapest church

where Franz Liszt had his regular pew.

He always sat there and prayed.

（L'Oratoire du Louvre, Paris with the Haydn Quartet）

（ "Paganini Etude No. 6, Theme and Variations" by Franz Liszt 1811 - 1886）

（Piano Concerto No. 1 by Frédéric Chopin 1810 - 1849）

I practiced until late last night.

Your performance was brilliant.

The resonance was very nice.

I agree.

That went well.

I always worry how much longer I can play.

My wrist has been acting up.

It really hurts.

Thank God, Tonton gave me this patch.

I had some old ones that had expired

but they still work.

I'd love to go for a drive.

And do the grocery shopping in it. （She can't let go of her classic Citroën.）

But I never do. （She can't let go of her classic Citroën.）

Why don't they make cars like this now?

Welcome to Tokyo Tower

（Tokyo, Japan）

How pretty!

Japan isn't what it was, so I don't like it.

Everything disappears and is replaced.

Japanese people are into novelty.

Houses are demolished so new ones can be built.

（Shimokitazawa, Tokyo）

It's hardly changed here in the last 20 years.

That's how I want it.

The best thing about Japan are these small, cozy places. （Shimokitazawa with its post-war feel has many theatres.）

That's what foreigners like about this area.

They wanted to make it like New York!

How horrendous.

（Her mother left her Tokyo residence to Fuzjko.）

（It used to be a studio for actors to rehearse.）

（As a girl she loved her mother's rendition of Chopin's Nocturne.）

（Her mother often reminisced about her student days in Germany.）

We lived in a hut in Shibuya

because our house burned down in the war.

We slept side by side.

I'd ask my mother to tell her stories

and hear about her fascinating life.

She went to Bristol Hotel （Shimokitazawa with its post-war feel has many theatres.）

but there were no rooms （Shimokitazawa with its post-war feel has many theatres.）

but there was a bathroom!

She laughed and said that she took baths all day.

The hotel still exists so I went there alone.

I travelled from Paris to Salzburg

and stayed at the hotel.

（When Fuzjko was 5, her mother's strict piano lessons began.）

My mother grew up in Osaka

and like anyone from Osaka

she casually called me "Fool."

I believed I was a fool past the age of 40.

I thought I lacked something others had.

I just thought I was a foolish woman playing badly.

I thought I wouldn't succeed

so I should give up

and get a piano teacher certificate.

I'd always thought so.

Always...

I remember playing at an elementary school concert.

How I miss those fun days back then.

When we had to evacuate

I practiced alone for 12 months

so my playing suffered.

Put next year's recital

before schoolwork. （Mom made this swimsuit）

That's what Kreutzer tells me

but I have to study.

Well, I'll do what I can do!

So I say to myself

but it's fantasy, not reality.

（Kreutzer, a renowned pianist, fled Nazi Germany and lived in Japan）

I believe I was the only child he ever taught.

When I played Bach and Chopin for him

he jumped in excitement saying

Oh, this child has incredible talent!

I'll teach her for free!

He spent so much time teaching me how to play.

He told me to play like I was singing, （Leonid Kreutzer had taught Fuzjko's mother）

not to read it. （Leonid Kreutzer had taught Fuzjko's mother）

I was lucky to start out doing it that way. （before he taught Fuzjko.）

With any other teacher, it would've been mechanical.

It would've been detrimental.

I have an image of how I want to express the music.

And I don't play like a machine

but like I'm singing.

I'd sustain a note

even if the sheet music doesn't tell me to.

It has to be animated and dynamic.

All right

（Prairie Center For the Arts, Schaumburg, Chicago）

（Turkish March by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756 - 1791）

（Chicago, USA）

I'll go and sleep at the hotel.

There's nothing here besides my work.

I need to rest for tomorrow's performance. （Fuzjko toured 5 cities across the Americas in 1 month.）

I've never lived here so it's unfamiliar.

(Fuzjko Hemming: Unica Funcion)

（Teatro Oriente, Santiago）

Thank you very much.

（Santiago, Chile）

（New York City, USA）

I don't play much the day before.

Just a little. I walk around instead.

Then everything will be fine.

I cut down my smoking too.

It's hard to get myself in the right condition.

On the day before I play, alcohol, coffee and tea are out.

（When she doesn't have a concert, Fuzjko practices 4 hours a day.）

（She'd had that routine since the days when her prospects were uncertain.）

Painters can stop in the middle of painting

and go to bed.

And make corrections the following day.

But musicians can't.

Taking a day off to drink alcohol

would ruin her the following day. It'd be disastrous.

It's 15 minutes to.

I'm tired so I'll call it a day.

I don't put my heart and soul into practice

but I did today because you're here.

This is without.

This is with it.

Like this.

I remember how it goes.

It's hot.

Is it cold outside?

Is it cold?

Poor things.

I have the same kind of dog.

Mine's black.

I've the same dog

Really? How fun

Thank you.

I always give something.

The Bible says "Don't turn away from him."

He might be an angel testing your soul.

All this neon during the day?

Are they turned off late at night?

This is America.

This is a bad piano.

It's bad and old.

Typical.

（Baruch Performing Arts Center, Engelman Recital Hall, New York City）

My hands are twice as thick as regular people's.

So I can say that I was born to play piano.

Japanese women have such delicate pretty hands.

Naturally I'm envious.

（Buenos Aires, Argentina）

It's a full house all right.

But this is a baby grand piano.

I came all the way to Argentina...

For a packed house that's sold out!

And I'm made to play this awful piano.

It's embarrassing.

The piano won't go unnoticed.

The fools will...

It's bad for my reputation.

Violinists and guitarists

can carry their instruments.

But pianists... It's impossible.

（The Beethoven Foundation, Buenos Aires）

（Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756 - 1791）

It didn't go well this time. I mean, Argentina.

Because of the shockingly bad piano.

Up to the last minute,

I was trying to get them to rent a piano.

I almost cancelled the performance.

Those women can't tell the difference.

They thought it sounded fine but it was subtly off.

Playing that piece of junk

was a lot of trouble...

My hands got dirty

after playing the piano in Santiago.

Because it had been neglected.

If a car was neglected it'd get rusty.

It might still work but...

It's the same thing.

I'm in love with the conductor.

I don't know what he thinks of me.

I feel embarrassed because I'm old.

So I wrote to him.

I wish I were young like you.

I don't know if he'll pick up on it.

You should meet him.

But falling in love is wonderful.

If it keeps you happy for a couple of years.

I could listen to her all night.

I'm more awake as the night progresses

but mornings are hard.

Even if I have fun here,

it'll be hard getting on a plane tomorrow.

（Los Angeles, USA）

Gorgeous waves.

I liked Argentina and Chile.

I don't like New York very much.

Broadway is good but that's all.

It's so much more fun here.

I love those palm trees.

（Fuzjko's Santa Monica residence）

People can forget my name

but I'd be happy if my house was preserved.

I have a thing about houses.

I love to visit houses that have stories.

Like Fumiko Hayashi, the author's house.

（With its squirrels and birds this is Fuzjko's favorite house.）

(Aug 2011 Fuzjko / April 2015)

It makes me sad to think about

how much longer I'll live.

I can't just move here because

I have the dog and cats in Paris.

They can't be easily moved over.

I love the period of my mother's youth.

Like the movies from that time.

I have a longing for that era.

Rachmaninoff was also active （was her mother's favorite.）

in the 1920s. （Sergei Rachmaninoff）

It was a special time.

You know what I mean?

Like that.

He composed something that sounds Japanese.

It's called "Lilacs."

It sounds like he was in love.

（The house of Rachmaninoff 1873 - 1943）

His compositions

make me daydream when I play them.

Now that I've seen it, I have no regrets.

I can relax now.

（Photo by Fuzjko Hemming）

It was already hot in the morning

so I played piano in my swimsuit.

In the early evening I put on make-up,

Mother's precious necklace she got in Germany

and other jewelry I shouldn't touch.

Can you put that on my lap?

Is it cold?

How about straight? （At her favorite hair salon）

I look better with kinky hair. （At her favorite hair salon）

See, like this.

You like that, I know.

I always feel like a 16-year-old girl.

The way I love dolls...

I'd be quite happy to have stayed 16.

Sometimes I shudder at the thought of my actual age.

I like it paler actually.

Like the moon up there.

（Fuzjko returns to Paris after months of touring overseas.）

（The moment she returns, she takes off to Berlin.）

（It's an 8-hour train trip to Berlin. First she'll visit a friend who's taking care of her dog.）

（She was born in Berlin. For years she had no citizenship rights because of the war chaos.）

（This only became apparent when she applied to study abroad.）

I really wanted to go to Europe.

All of my friends were going.

But I was stuck

because I didn't have citizenship.

Luckily a German ambassador took interest in my case.

Thanks to him I got a scholarship to study in Berlin.

I was so grateful for that. （He gave her a refugee passport.）

（Her mother told Fuzjko many stories about Berlin.）

It was hard for me

because I didn't fit in.

I wasn't understood in Germany. It made me sad.

（Her career began in her late 20s in the 1960s which is late for musicians.）

（A suburb near Berlin）

Absolutely nothing's changed.

It's just how it was 50 years ago.

（Fuzjko's policy is to work alone so she doesn't have an agent.）

（Due to her bad hearing, she communicates by fax or mail.）

How have you been?

（She's visiting her friend's daughter's family.）

Is it just a short trip?

Yes?

I'll play at a festival in Poland in July.

Nice!

It'll be in Szczecin.

That's not so far from here.

In summer. That'll be nice.

My dog will arrive tomorrow.

Here?

Yes, she's in Greifswald.

（Fuzjko bought this basement apartment. It's her Berlin residence.）

I bought the piano. It was in bad condition.

It was on sale.

You asked me about this photo the other day. （She has family photos in all her residences.）

It's my father

at elementary school in Stockholm.

See, there's a circle above him. （She has family photos in all her residences.）

And a cross here. （She has family photos in all her residences.）

Perhaps he didn't like that boy!

That's my father and my aunt.

This is my grandmother.

She had German roots... （Fuzjko's grandmother）

I want to see him in heaven. I look up to him. （Grandfather Aunt Father）

He's my grandfather.

He was a director of a veterinary clinic.

Mother attended a music academy in Ueno. （Fuzjko's mother and her schoolmates.）

See all the Germans?

They're the teachers.

They influenced her decision to go to Germany.

Which one is she?

I don't know.

Look how pretty they are.

Japanese women were so beautiful.

They look like they came from privileged homes. （She hasn't identified her mother yet.）

I heard that Rentaro Taki taught there.

(Fuzjko Hemming)

（She only stays here a few times a year but it's one of her favorite houses.）

（A vegetarian, Fuzjko orders soup when dining out.）

Fortune cookies.

Solve your own problems.

Did you film the dog?

（She can't leave dogs alone.）

Thank you so much

I'll come back.

Anjyn!

Come on now!

Anjyn! Anjyn! Anjyn! Come here!

Hey! Look how cute she is.

Anjyn!

Anjyn!

Happy doggie.

It's been so long!

Did you wait long?

Not at all.

（A German violinist takes care of Anjyn.）

Good day!

Two of those please.

（The music academy she attended is now called Berlin University of the Arts.）

（She had many experiences during her years in Berlin.）

Welcome home.

Let's go in.

Thank you for the flowers.

（She once boarded here and is welcomed by the landlord and her son.）

I have to put them in a vase.

-They're beautiful! -Aren't they?

We need something large.

We'll use this soup tureen.

I'll make you some tea

Do we only have cookies?

（Fuzjko found this boarding house in a newspaper ad.）

Very old.

We moved in here in 1957

I played piano all day.

She cooked my meals and urged me to eat more.

About 8 year's old.

We lived here as a family

and Fuzjko needed a place to stay.

So she moved in here and had a room aboved this one.

And practiced a lot.

When was that?

It was taken in 1961. Is that young Fuzjko?

So my mother is keeping her guestbook.

So we can, if we don't remember we can look it up.

(Guestbook pages in the following years...)

(Thanks!)

（Fuzjko's relationship with the landlord's family spans 5 decades.）

（A Sigh by Franz Liszt 1811 - 1886）

（While in Berlin, Fuzjko fell in love with a music student. He was the first man to ask her on a date.）

（He played "A Sigh" for his graduation exam and she helped him prepare. As a result he graduated with remarkable grades.）

（But he joined an orchestra shortly after that and left Berlin. That was also the end of Fuzjko's romance.）

（Fuzjko visits a place she hasn't visited for 10 years.）

This is our stop.

（The house where she was born.）

So antique.

This is beautiful.

（The apartment house where her parents lived in the late 1920s is still here.）

This is exciting.

See, that's the same elevator over there.

(Weight Limit: 300kg or 4 People)

My mother used to live here.

Not many apartments would still be here after 70 years.

I visited here 30 years ago...

Well, I often come but

I met an old lady in the hallway. （The apartment where her parents lived.）

I told her I was born here

and asked if she was here back then.

She said there were many Russian soldiers in Berlin after the war.

And that they were kind.

They were kind to the children in the neighborhood.

She told me how nice they were.

Mother touched this...

I was born here.

My mother lived here for 5 years.

（There's a photo her mother took from this window.）

Wednesday, July 31, 1946.

After piano practice,

I took my brother to the barber.

He was shy to get a buzz cut

so I had to accompany him.

I could see his funny expression in the mirror.

He kept looking down out of nervousness.

When the barber walked away

he glanced at his reflection.

He ended up looking very cute.

（Ulf）

My name is Ulf Otsuki.

Otsuki means big moon. Ulf not wolf. （His portrayals of foreigners in children's TV shows）

It's an old Swedish name, Dad gave me. （made him popular.）

He wanted me to be able to endure loneliness, like a wolf.

My father was Gosta Georgii-Hemming.

My mother was Toako Otsuki.

Toako means "A girl who casts a net."

Her dad loved to fish.

Her fingers are fairer.

Because I massage them every day.

Mine have become crooked in my old age.

Back when I was in elementary school

she was bullied on the way to school.

Kids ambushed us

and threw rocks at us yelling "Aliens!"

I was scared.

They pulled her hair.

Being a boy, I'd fight them off

if I was with her.

She was bullied all the time.

And she had fierce fights with Mother.

The fights attracted the neighbors' attention.

She was defiant because she wanted to play

but Mother told her to practice.

But my sister persisted.

Mother called us "Fools" all day long.

That could be exaggerated...

Never a kind word.

The house in Mure

had an upright piano and a phonograph.

The music came from a speaker covered in cloth.

I was wondering who was singing

so I tore the cloth to look.

Our cousins tricked us and said

someone was inside singing.

I was curious

so I took a look inside when no one was watching.

I never knew my father.

I can't recollect his voice.

He wrote to us

but I didn't understand English.

I don't know him.

All I can remember about his voice is

his "Hello, hello" on the telephone. （The only photo of Ulf and Gosta.）

Mother told me that （The only photo of Ulf and Gosta.）

I used to say "telephom, telephom."

His "Hello"

is all I can remember of my father's voice. Nothing else.

（Fuzjko's life is a long journey to find the missing pieces.）

（Her father, Gosta Georgii-Hemming The Swedish designer was 7 years younger than Toako.）

（Toako met Gosta in Berlin where she was studying music.）

（A portrait of Toako illustrated by Gosta）

My father was always working upstairs. He was a quiet man.

He loved dance music.

He played records and danced with me. （The family moved to Tokyo when Fuzjko was born.）

I was young but I danced with him. （Japan, early 1930s）

I vaguely remember my parents' scuffles. （Gosta's art was in newspapers and ads for foreigners.）

I remember nothing else.

（I'll bring you over, when I've found a good job.）

（Gosta left Japan with a promise.）

（But that was the last time Fuzjko saw her father.）

Under the red dusk sky red dragonflies fly

I remember seeing them on my sister's back

When I hear the song's chorus, it makes me cry.

The lyrics are so cute.

A verse ends with "perched on the tip of a rod."

Someone kind must have written it.

It reminds me of

being on mother's back looking at cherry blossom.

That's the earliest memory I have.

（Toako supported them by teaching piano with some help from her parents.）

I cleaned the house first thing.

Then I went to get the flour rations

with my brother at around noon.

I got Auntie's rations too.

Carrying those heavy sacks

took all my energy.

Lunch was late

and I was told to practice.

It was too much.

We ate lunch at 5 in the afternoon.

Everything was rationed.

We couldn't buy anything from shops.

Some people were mean when we went to get rations.

Like the carpenter's wife in our neighborhood.

She withheld ration information

because we were foreigners.

That really made my aunt worry about us.

She urged my mother to send us right away to Okayama.

So we were sent there.

（The children evacuated to Okayama, ）

I tried very hard to hide that I was biracial. （her grandfather's hometown.）

A girl came up to me and said

Is it so strange. Your eyes are like a foreigner's.

It was dreadful!

There was one unpleasant occasion...

I was a fashion conscious child

so I wore a ribbon.

Just a little one, like this.

But a teacher ripped it off and yelled,

Never wear that again!

I still remember that.

I remember how horrified I was.

（Toako's affluent parents went bankrupt after WWII.）

（Toako made a living by teaching piano to US military families.）

（Summertime by George Gershwin 1898 - 1937）

（When Fuzjko was 16 she had otitis media. It was treated incorrectly and she became deaf in her right ear.）

（Despite this she had a recital when she was 17）

（and graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts at 22. Her dream to study abroad continued to elude her.）

（Feeling frustrated, Fuzjko played at restaurants and couldn't travel.）

（Just before she turned 30 she finally went to Berlin to study music）

（at what would later be called Berlin University of the Arts. She absorbed Germany's unique pre-unification culture.）

Mother was away teaching all day.

She had many American acquaintances all of whom were so nice.

When they heard she had kids at home

they gave her chocolate cake.

Every Wednesday night, Mother came back late with cake.

I remember hearing her footsteps.

The sound of her dragging her feet.

I'd be relieved when she came home

and then she'd have cake.

I woke with a fever

so I needed Ulf to run an errand for me at school.

At the girls' entrance,

2 boys from a different school called out to Ulf.

Hello, hello!

Give me chewing gum!

as if he was American.

Then they followed Ulf.

Mother was very upset to hear about this.

I asked Mother to help me sew my blouse.

We found her snoozing in the evening

so my brother and I

drew a mustache and a circle on her nose for fun.

I knew my chance was slim

but I asked the college janitor

to take a note to Karajan

in the next building.

Would you consider listening to me play?

10 minutes later,

Karajan whistled out to me.

I was so excited, I got goosebumps!

We shook hands

and he asked me what I'd play.

I told him I couldn't play that day, so I didn't.

（Maestri Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein were among those who took Fuzjko）

（Unfortunately she lost hearing in both ears from a bout of fever right before a concert.）

（Fuzjko recovered 40% of her hearing in her left ear after treatment. After that she taught music in various parts of Europe.）

（Aug, 1995 3 months before leaving Germany 2 years after her mother died, Fuzjko sneaked back into Japan.）

Money is what matters in the end.

I'd been poor for so long.

I'd given up all hope.

I returned to Japan feeling hopeless.

I regained confidence

but I thought my only recital would be in heaven.

That's how I felt coming back.

Then I was suddenly discovered...

I'd never have dreamed something like that would happen.

Sunday, September 8, 1946, sunny.

From morning I practiced hard.

If only I could play like this every time I played!

But technique number 8 stumped me

and I lost my temper.

I banged at the piano keys

but that wouldn't help.

In my dream a few nights ago

many musicians laughed at me.

I was at my lowest.

Every day I thought,

I'm just going to rot in Japan.

（She was poorer than ever after returning to Japan.）

（But she didn't give up and had annual recitals.）

（She caught the attention of a TV program who featured her.）

（It was a late night show but it had a strong impact on people.）

（Her album sold over 2 million copies, rare in the classical music genre. Her performances sold out wherever she went.）

（Her dream to play at Carnegie Hall also came true. She was almost 70 at that time.）

I would have been stuck

if that hadn't happened then.

Probably I'd have made a living from teaching.

It's incomprehensible.

It must have been God's work.

（Recently Fuzjko spends New Year's Eve in Paris. It's her ritual to eat New Year's Eve noodles with her 2 friends.）

You want your tofu cold, Fuzjko?

Yes, and with spinach.

Cheers.

Wishing for a good year.

Come here.

（Eijiro is a Japanese baritone singer.）

Where did you get the vest?

In Japan.

But the shop's not there anymore.

Here comes dessert.

Fuzjko, this is red bean cake Damian baked. （Damian is a French concert producer.）

Brace yourself.

Give it a try.

It's good.

You like it?

It's good when it's not too sweet.

（Eijiro and Damian take care of Fuzjko's cats when she's away.）

So, Eijiro and Damian.

The first time I met them

Eijiro didn't hide that Damian was his partner.

They're honest. I love that.

Their characters are very trustworthy.

They help me with everything. （Fuzjko was a witness at their wedding.）

They're so helpful.

Knowing they'll help me in Paris

makes me grateful.

（Notre-Dame de Paris.）

（People are out celebrating the New Year. As for Fuzjko…）

I'll play Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" in New York.

I hope it'll go well. I haven't played it since I was a child.

Many people request it. So I wnat to play...

It's not a difficult tune to play...

Chong chong is here.

He hasn't been eating.

He hasn't eaten for 10 days.

It's worrying.

I know he'll die eventually...

I don't want him to suffer. （Chong chong, her Paris cat, was diagnosed with cancer.）

There must be something he'll eat. （Chong chong, her Paris cat, was diagnosed with cancer.）

Maybe I'll try some milk.

They say that animals hide from people when they die.

（himokitazawa, Tokyo）

（Her place is near a boxing gym where boxers train hard. Fuzjko practices just as hard with her accompanist.）

（Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre）

（The Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra）

（Mário Košík, Conductor He's Fuzjko's frequent collaborator in recent years.）

No, you're too early.

Am I?

Can you stay sitting?

Yes, ma'am.

Watch me.

（The tour schedule is tight and they're out of synch today.）

You played slow

-while they wanted to move forward. -OK

（Fuzjko's hearing is easily affected by her physical condition.）

I couldn't hear the orchestra

because they played quietly.

I couldn't hear, so I didn't know my cue.

The conductor said I was too early.

I told him I couldn't hear.

Oh well.

I'll be OK.

Obviously I am very tired.

In 2 days I'll have to go somewhere up north to play!

I'll get off the train and go directly on stage.

I can't hear very well.

Since the acupuncture?

Is that what was wrong?

Rest well.

It went well.

Rest well.

I couldn't hear well.

I know.

It'll be better in Akita.

Imagine if I live to 100

and people spot me

and whisper "She's 100!"

It'd be dreadful!

I want to go where I can be alone in the end.

With the dogs and the cats.

Where no one knows me.

（Fuzjko's Kyoto residence）

This house reminds me of my childhood.

Our house was just like this.

My mother was born in a similar area.

It brings back memories.

（Fuzjko's residence is a traditional Kyoto apartment.）

（It was going to be demolished, so she bought it.）

I like it with little furniture in Japanese style.

With just one cabinet. That's how I like it.

（The carpenter who renovated it specializes in traditional techniques.）

Straight ahead.

（Kyoto Concert Hall）

（Ulf is the show's producer so he entertains the audience.）

Is that Ulf?

What's he up to?

Don't waste your life, OK?

What grade are you in?

6

What do you play?

Piano.

Oh, really?

Let me tell you a secret.

Piano is a man's instrument.

Like Chopin and Liszt.

There're no women.

Don't tell Fuzjko she'll slap me.

（ "Moonlight Sonata" by Ludwig van Beethoven 1770 - 1827）

Isn't Ulf staying?

He took the bullet train home.

（Ponto-cho, Kyoto）

My cat died the other day.

The one I loved in Paris.

I'm devastated.

I'm talking about Chong chong.

He always healed me.

I'm here thanks to the cat.

Everyone says that happiness is marriage and kids.

Especially when the children are little and cute.

I see their point.

But I missed that chance...

I asked a church once

if I could adopt a child.

They said unmarried women can't.

That's the law.

So I got myself a cat.

Cats don't really change.

A human child at 13 or 14 becomes rebellious.

They're out of control and unlikable.

And eventually they leave you.

But cats stay the same until the end.

They're cute until they die

and always by your side.

Mother didn't want me to be on stage,

in the limelight.

But to be a piano teacher

so I could travel the world.

Everyone misunderstands my mother's intentions.

（Toako gave young Fuzjko lessons on this Blüthner piano.）

（She purchased it while she lived in Berlin.）

（It was made 110 years ago so it's worn both inside and out. Fuzjko had it overhauled and refitted to restore its original sound.）

Gorgeous.

See the angel?

And a cat.

It's good.

Excellent.

Listen to someone else's "La Campanella"

then listen to mine.

I'm better.

I'm that confident.

I say that because that tune exposes who you are.

It can't be faked.

You have to play it as if your life depends on it.

It reveals everything even if you don't want it to.

What you do each day. Both your outer and inner self.

Those who can see, will see.

The others won't.

I messed up.

I think it's kind of like people who can type.

Those who can type while they look away.

I can't type but

it's the same.

You don't have to put your heart and soul into typing

but I do, to make it sound beautiful.

Let's say you have a well crafted,

valuable bowl.

It's handed down over the generations for hundreds of years.

Even if it was chipped and cracked

it's still incredible.

But if it was cheap mass-produced porcelain

and it was cracked you wouldn't mind

throwing it out.

It's the same.

Even if I made a few mistakes it won't ruin it.

It's okay.

Sometimes I confess to the audience

but even Rubinstein said

he made a bucket of mistakes.

("Protecting small lives" Fuzjko Hemming Charity Concert)

（Fuzjko organizes events for animal welfare.）

（Tokyo Opera City: Takemitsu Memorial Concert Hall）

（ "La Campanella" by Franz Liszt 1811 - 1886）

I try to play so the sound doesn't distort.

I don't like it loud and shrieking.

Each sound has different tonality,

like paint for a painter.

I'm often told that the way I play is old-fashioned.

But look at old architecture.

They have wonderful statues

of angels and naked women.

Now everything looks like makeup packaging.

It's boring.

I have developed confidence.

I couldn't play if I compared myself to others unfavorably.

It sounds vain but

I play in the belief that

the music is supreme.

（18 concerts in 12 cities in 2 months. Fuzjko is in her 80s and going strong.）

Well...

how many more concerts can I do

in the short time I have left?

It worries me to think about that.

The applause makes me want to do it again but...

I feel like I'm walking in the darkness.

I have to play while I can.

I always think of her...

When I saw a cloud from my hotel room

I wondered how Mother is

and prayed for her.

I believe that everyone is alive

and I will see them again.

Come here, Mary!

（She plans to tour in Africa. Fuzjko's journey to meet pianos continues.）

When you die and go to heaven

every day would be a happy one.

But I think there should be sadness.

I like feeling sentimental.

(Ingrid Fuzjko Hemming)

（The NYK Maritime Museum Yokohama）

My father was not like me.

He liked to draw straight lines.

I took after my mother.

The colors!

（9A world cruise ad illustrated by Fuzjko's father.）

He was in his 20s when he did this.

He was not only talented but ambitious.

My mother told me that

a German friend introduced him to her （Gosta Georgii-Hemming's art was forgotten.）

as "a young genius." （Gosta Georgii-Hemming's art was forgotten.）

I guess he drew this when he lived in Hatagaya.

It hasn't faded...

（As the world discovered Fuzjko Hemming her father was rediscovered as an ad designer.）

He was always...

Never mind.

He'll be happy in heaven.

I guess he wasn't too bad a person

if he could draw this.

Let's go home.