Mitsuko Shirai & Michael Gees –Liedduo Recital–
| Date | Aug. 15, 2025 (Fri) 19:00 |
|---|---|
| Venue | The Harmony Hall |
| Ticket Price | ¥6,000 U-25：¥3,000（All seats reserved） ※U-25 Tickets are limited to 100 seats and are available exclusively as digital tickets via OMF Web Ticket service. |
| Duration | About 2 hours (Includes intermission) |
| Program | 【Schubert】 Der Winterabend Der Einsame Auflösung |
| 【R. Schumann】 Der Nussbaum Widmung Meine Rose |
|
| 【Brahms】 Wir wandelten Dein blaues Auge Wenn du nur zuweilen lächelst |
|
| 【Hugo Wolf】 Die ihr schwebet An eine Äolsharfe Kennst du das Land |
|
| And more, *The program is subject to change. | |
| Artists |
Mezzo-Soprano：Mitsuko Shirai Piano：Michael Gees |
The program will showcase songs by leading composers of the German Romantic era, such as Schubert, Schumann, and Wolf.
Artists
©Masanori Hotta
Mitsuko Shirai
Mezzo-Soprano
Winner of the prestigious Robert Schumann Prize at Schumann’s birthplace in 1982. Though a native Japanese, she is a leading singer of Germany, reputed to be top in the world. Born in Nagano Prefecture and studied at HMDK Stuttgart. Won several competitions including the 1973 Hugo Wolf International Art Song Competition and 1974 Robert Schumann Competition. She has been active as a world-class lieder singer, performing as a soloist in recitals, chamber music, religious music and symphonies with world-renowned orchestras. Her career as a lieder singer was recognized with the 1996 Idemitsu Music Award. She continues to captivate audiences by expanding the world of lied with her concentration and profound understanding of the German language.
Michael Gees
Piano
Born in 1953 in Bielefeld, Germany. Studied with Seydlhofer and David at the Vienna Musikhochschule and then in Detmold and Hannover. He acquired broad knowledge about singers and experience as an opera house pianist in Frankfurt. This musical background leads him to harness his characteristics as a chamber musician. He has performed in a duo with tenor Christoph Prégardien for many years, collaborating at Wigmore Hall, Teatro alla Scala, Carnegie Hall, among others. In Japan, they delivered a commanding performance of Schubert’s Winterreise at the Tokyo Summer Festival 2002. Since performing at Toppan Hall in 2009, he has been returning to Japan with Prégardien every three years.