It has been proven that among the many factors that influence the psychological state of a modern person, music is one of the leading ones. On June 8, Japanese piano virtuoso Tempei Nakamura, who is not the first to visit Ukraine to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, came to Kyiv on his current tour of Europe. A grateful audience was waiting for him at the Center for Culture and Arts of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. At the beginning of the concert, its hosts - Kateryna Luhovska, director of the Ukrainian-Japanese Center of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, and Vitaliy Fedianyn, director of the CAC of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute - reminded the audience that, unfortunately, 36 polytechnics have already given their lives for the liberation of their homeland from the enemy horde. A minute of silence. The guest from Japan can begin his speech.
However, according to the organizers' plan, the speech itself was somewhat delayed. Before Tempei Nakamura appeared on stage, a series of videos were shown on the big screen, showing the composer's meeting with the audience last year in a bomb shelter in one of our university dormitories during his previous visit to Kyiv on October 10, 2022. So, from the very first musical chords that poured out of the speakers of the spatial screen, it became clear that most students, teachers, and staff of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute are familiar with the performer's playing.
Loud applause after his appearance on the stage was evidence of the pianist's popularity. From the hosts' words, we learn that charity is an integral part of Tempei's activities. The artist started helping people when he was 14 years old, when his house was destroyed by an earthquake. It was then that he decided to dedicate his life to restoring the areas affected by the destructive power of the elements. In order to be of service to people, he studied at a music academy in his homeland and improved his artistic skills at universities in the United States. And then he worked, created, and toured. Now Tempei Nakamura lives in Tokyo and performs solo concerts all over the world.
... He captured the audience from the first chords. His repertoire includes the author's melody "Ichigo Ichie", born from the assimilation of the canons of the Japanese philosophical tradition, which originates in the tea ceremony. It is during this ritual, which is based on creating unforgettable moments to achieve aesthetic pleasure from drinking a healing drink, that the ability to appreciate every moment of life develops. Next, the audience was offered a wreath of the author's melodies from the solo albums "Tempeism", "Wings", "Phoenix", "Rising soul", in which, thanks to the intensity of feelings evoked by the music, the audience tuned in to the perception of deep musical lyrics.
Sometimes, a few life-affirming words from the stage are enough to make the audience feel inspired. This is exactly what happened. The musician delighted numerous spectators not only with his virtuoso performance of the pieces, but also revealed the motives that prompted their creation in short stories. The audience's attention was riveted on the virtuoso performance of the author's plays "Red Dragonfly", "Heavenly Castle", and the suite "Flight of the Soul". The audience was enthusiastic about the musical fantasies on the theme of Mykola Leontovych's world-famous "Shchedryk" and the famous Ukrainian song "What a Moonlit Night".
An hour and a half of the concert flew by. The last chord echoed through the auditorium. And in response, there was friendly applause and a loud "Bravo!"
Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Peace Council, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Honored Worker of Culture of Ukraine, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor Valeriy Tsybukh addressed Tempei Nakamura with a grateful speech. He expressed hope that the Japanese virtuoso pianist will continue to give Ukrainians temperamental, bright and inspiring melodies, supporting human souls disturbed by the war. After all, live music is a great way to prevent depression and apathy. Even in the most difficult times from a moral point of view, it can help to reboot, give strength to move forward, to a common victory over the enemy of Ukraine and the world.