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Shigeo Watanabe

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Shigeo Watanabe (June 26, 1941 – August 15, 1999) was a violinist who was active in Japan during the post-war reconstruction period. He is one of the so-called legendary musical prodigies.

upbringing

Born in Tokyo. He was born into a family of musicians, and Shigeo’s biological mother, Mitsue Suzuki, was a violinist. At the age of 4, he started learning violin at the music school (Watanabe Violin Studio) run by his maternal uncle Suehiko Watanabe (1909-2012). The following year, he was adopted by the Watanabe family after his parents divorced.

Birth of a boy genius

Entered Shiba Shirokane Elementary School in 1948 (age 7), but already in this year Mari Iwamoto praised her musical talent, gave her first recital in December, and held regular concerts every year from the following year onwards. conduct. Also, in 1949, he appeared in the movie “Ikoku no Oka” as a boy playing the violin. He showed an early interest in the creative side, and while studying music theory under Mareo Ishigeta, he also began composing and writing poetry, composing a violin concerto, an opera, and a violin sonata in the final year of elementary school.[1] ]. His work was highly praised by Klaus Pringsheim.

going to the United States

Entered Hyosung Junior High School in 1954 (13 years old). In the same year, he performed the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the British master conductor Malcolm Sargent. He visits David Oistrakh who came to Japan and performs. In May, thanks to Suehiko Watanabe’s efforts, he met Jascha Heifetz during his visit to Japan at the Imperial Hotel, and gave a performance that left a deep impression on Heifetz. [1] In June, he received an invitation from Heifetz, and decided to go to the United States at the urging of his parents. In March 1955, the director of the Juilliard School granted him admission without examination, “on the enthusiastic recommendation of Mr. Heifetz.” In July, he flew to the United States on the condition that he would not be taken on concert tours for a period of two years, receiving financial support from supporters in various fields (American military personnel, Asahi Shimbun, and other individuals).

bright future

(Age 14) While taking language training in California, she also received a scholarship to participate in a local summer music class. His genius and graceful demeanor soon attracted the attention of the Hungarian pianist György Sandor. At the end of August, he performed Beethoven’s concerto under the baton of Maurice Abravanel, and was acclaimed by a local newspaper in Santa Barbara. He also attends the farewell concert of the seminar and performs his own violin sonata. He arrived in New York in September and decided to study with Persian violinist Ivan Galamian at the Juilliard School. He began a homestay with a Japanese-American family, but later moved in with Garamian.

final glory

Attended high school in New Lincoln from 1956 (age 15). From around this time, his contact with Japan tends to be cut off (one theory is that he developed a dislike for Japan and the Japanese language). He performed Brahms’ Violin Sonata and Wieniewski’s ‘Concerto No. Attendees included Leonard Bernstein, Piatigorsky, and Leonard Rose, and Heifetz’s favorite conductor, Alfred Wallenstein, declared him the world’s best performer. In September of the new semester, he was selected as the youngest scholarship student in history at the Juilliard School, and he also received a full scholarship, which was stipulated as half-price. He left Professor Garamian’s house in the fall and changed his homestay. He was already at odds with Garamian.

The end of youth, the end of tragedy

In February 1957, he visited a psychiatric hospital complaining of emotional instability. He will change his homestay again in the spring. He has remained at the Juilliard School as an assistant since April, continuing his studies and treatments. He went on a summer vacation to California to visit his benefactor Heifetz and was raved about. In September, he re-enrolled at the Juilliard School, but was forced to live an enduring life due to meager remuneration and unreliable support, and found only poor living conditions (the amount of rations by the Japan Society, which sponsored him, was not appropriate). for the reason).

His parents sensed Shigeo’s sudden change as his dislike of others and alienation in a foreign land grew, and he even hinted at his suicidal thoughts. He requested the Japan Society to return to Japan as soon as possible, but the society did not break its policy of prioritizing Shigeo’s treatment. Finally, on November 2nd, Shigeo takes a large amount of sleeping pills, which minors are supposed to be prohibited from purchasing. On November 5th, a telegram arrived to inform his family in Japan of his critical condition. Although he survived, unfortunately he was left with a brain injury with no hope of recovery. In January of the following year, he was repatriated to Japan at the request of his family, and continued to receive home care for more than 40 years.

reassessment

In 1988, thanks to the efforts of his father Suehiko’s disciples and others concerned, a set of three CDs containing Shigeo’s former performances and voices was independently produced and distributed. In 1996, Toshiba EMI released a two-disc set of the above-mentioned CDs, “Prodigy “. This received a great response, and several documentary programs were produced, such as “Surprise Peach Tree 20th Century”, introducing his tragic life and (at the time of the broadcast) appearance in a semi-vegetative state. A second CD was released in the same year.

He died of acute respiratory failure on August 15, 1999 at the age of 58. Several CDs related to Shigeo have been released since his death.

In 2009, about 300 items, including two violins left behind by Shigeo and sheet music, were donated to the Museum of Modern Music in Japan by his father Suehiko.

Performance characteristics

Shigeo’s playing was already at a certain level of perfection before he joined Garamian, says his adoptive father, Suehiko. Despite showing excellent technical talent based on the Auer playing method, Garamian did not show an understanding of it, and Shigeo was under pressure to try to convert to his own playing method with his own strict instruction. It can be said that he continued to suffer. Shigeo’s adoptive father, Suehiko Watanabe (1909-June 10, 2012[2]) was a violin teacher, and many of his students are active as soloists and orchestra members in various parts of Japan and abroad. The boy Yukinobu Kurihara, known as “the other Shigeo Watanabe,” who has recently become a hot topic, is also a student of Suehiko Watanabe. Suehiko Watanabe devised his own method while reading the theory books of Karl Flesch and the writings of Leopold Auer, and like Anna Ono, he advocated the importance of early education.