2025
Mitsuko Shirai & Michael Gees –Liedduo Recital–
白井光子 & ミヒャエル・ゲース リートデュオ・リサイタル

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

Mitsuko Shirai
Mitsuko Shirai
©Masanori Hotta
Bio »

Mitsuko Shirai

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
Michael Gees
Bio »

Michael Gees

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.