Special interview for the "12th Fresh Concert"! Yui Yokomori & Naoki Kawada talk about a spectacular collaboration between up-and-coming young musicians

Up-and-coming young musicians take on Mozart's works

-Do you two have any special feelings about Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro," which will be performed at the Fresh Concert?

[Yokomori] I played the role of Susanna in the graduate school's regular opera performance. It was the first opera I studied in its entirety, so it's a memorable experience for me, and I'm very happy to be able to perform it again. I'd like to be fully prepared for the performance.

[Kawada] This is the first time I've had the chance to talk to Yokomori-san like this, but actually, I also participated in that opera as a chorus member.

[Yokomori] That's right. I remember. So it wasn't our first time meeting, it was our first time meeting on stage in two years... (laughs).

[Kawada] Yes, I can say that (laughs). My only experience performing The Marriage of Figaro in front of an audience has been as a choir member. So, it's a very fresh experience for me, and I want to approach it sincerely.

-What are the highlights of each song?

[Yokomori] Susanna's aria in Act 4, "At Last, Joyful Times," is a very graceful song that sings of her love for her lover, Figaro. I would like to express the warmth and kindness of Susanna's heart.

[Kawada] It's the scene before that, in the third act, "You won the lawsuit?" It's a scene in which a nobleman, the Count, is infuriated. How much of the raw emotion of an angry person can I convey? That was the hardest part, but I hope you can feel the realism of it.

-When you perform, do you ever find yourself rediscovering Mozart or his works?

[Yokomori] Mozart's works are simple and rich, and I think that's what makes them so great. Therefore, performing them requires advanced technique. His works are all really difficult, but they are worth pursuing and give a sense of accomplishment. I would say that he is refined in every aspect. He is a great composer.

[Kawada] It's also very "natural." Whether you want to feel energized or relax, Mozart's music is there for the listener.

The path to becoming a musician that began with a personal discovery

-I'd like to ask you about your activities up to now. First of all, what made you want to become musicians?

[Kawada] For me, it's very simple and just purely fun. However, I didn't really feel that way until I was in high school. Influenced by my mother and grandmother, I was familiar with music from an early age, but up until then, I only had a vague feeling about it. It all started with a class called "harmony." We learned about musical composition, and when I tried to apply the knowledge I gained there to the music I usually listen to, I was surprised and moved. From there, my interest deepened, and various other factors, such as my teacher's recommendation, added to it, and that's what started it all.

[Yokomori] In my case, my father was a vocal music major and my mother was a piano major, so music was always around me, but I didn't always aim to be a musician from a young age. When I was in the third year of junior high school, I saw the musical "Phantom of the Opera," which was what got me started singing. I had been studying classical ballet since I was a child, so I was interested in the stage, but musicals have both dancing and singing, and I was so excited by how interesting they were. After that, I started studying vocal music and aimed to go to a music college. I decided to major in opera when I entered graduate school. It's really difficult to sing while acting, but I want to become a singer who can perform on the opera stage.

-I heard that in addition to performing professionally, you are also involved in community-based activities.

[Kawada] I am the representative of Ebina Citizens Opera. We were able to launch the organization through a series of connections. I wanted participants to experience the change in how I saw opera after participating in the opera chorus. More than anything, I wanted to give back to my hometown through what I do. Many of the members are veterans, but they are all very full of vitality, and I find them inspiring.

[Yokomori] I am an active member of the Yokosuka Musicians Support Association (YMSA). Musicians from Yokosuka gather together and hold concerts in various locations. We hold concerts not only in concert halls, but also in community centers and art museums, and even people who are not familiar with classical music enjoy them very much. Recently, a New Year's concert was held at Yokosuka Cultural Center, and 40 members with ties to Yokosuka gathered. I feel really happy to have so many opportunities to perform in my hometown.

The big dream of a young musician who will play a part in the classical music world of the future

- With performances, practice, and community activities, you must be very busy. Is there anything you do to refresh yourself on your days off?

[Yokomori] For me, it's watching baseball games. A friend from university invited me to the Tokyo Dome, not knowing what to do... But it was so much fun that before I knew it, I was enjoying cheering for the team (laughs). When I think about it, I think that theater and baseball are similar. There's the open feeling of the baseball stadium, and also the feeling of being able to sing in a relaxed voice when a home run is hit and you say "Yes!" I often go to watch Giants games.

[Kawada] On the other hand, I spend a lot of time relaxing in my room. I like books, so I think reading refreshes me. And then... movies? I sometimes go to the cinema. I usually watch foreign films, but "Shin Godzilla" that came out in 2016 was really good. The density of information was so attractive that I went to the cinema four times when it was released (laughs).

-Finally, please tell us about your upcoming activities and dreams for the future.

[Kawada] I'm sorry that this isn't about performance, but... my immediate goal is to finish graduate school. I'm working to finish my thesis by December of this year and graduate successfully. After that, it'll be a new start. My dream for the future is to study vocal music in Italy. I also want to think about what it means to perform on stage as a Japanese person. I think the latter is a proposition we will have to go through eventually. Both songs and instruments are born from the climate of each country, so I want to explore what is unique to Japanese people.

[Yokomori] I am currently studying at the Tokyo Nikikai Opera Training Center. In the future, I would like to hone my vocal technique and improve my acting skills so that I can perform on the opera stage as well as in various concerts. I also like German works, so I would like to try my hand at fun operettas such as J. Strauss's "Die Fledermaus". I want to become a singer who can please the audience.