Three years have passed since the release of  for maria.

As you may know, this CD is dedicated to my late wife, Maria. It was my first solo piano album, and when it was released, I never imagined it would be heard by so many people or that the piano would come to occupy such a central role in my work.

At the time, I was in a state where it was difficult to continue working with a computer alone, and playing the piano was about all I could do. This was the main reason I created this album, but it was never about wanting to “pour my feelings into the piano” or anything like that. However, in hindsight, the result is an album that, when I listen to it now, sounds unbelievably quiet, like a sea without waves, and I think that’s a good thing. If asked to create something like this again, I’m sure I could never do it.

At the same time, over the three years since its release, each of the pieces has changed shape every time I play them. Especially the title track,  for maria. In the beginning, I could barely play it with trembling hands, switching between two chords and playing a melody that depicted her impression. But when I came up with the idea of mixing minimal sequences into the inner voices, I had a strange feeling of accomplishment, as if I had finally come this far.

As I wrote at the beginning, “Three years have passed since the release of  for maria.” The fact that this album has been heard by so many people, has become independent as a work, and will ensure her name is spoken, written, and never forgotten—I believe I have nearly achieved my purpose. I am deeply grateful to everyone who listened. Thank you so much.

This album originated from a concert of the same name that I held on September 11th, four years ago, which was just after she passed away, on her birthday. That concert wasn’t meant to be a memorial; rather, it was a birthday celebration, an idea I came up with in a somewhat insane moment, but my friends supported me and helped bring it to life. Ultimately, this led to the release of the album.

I have played the individual pieces from the album many times in concerts, but this September 11th, exactly three years after the album’s release, I had the idea of performing all the tracks from for maria in the same order as on the album.

The venue will be a hall in the basement of Hillside Terrace, my workplace, which only holds 200 people. I plan to place the piano at the center of the room, with the audience seating arranged in a circular shape around it. Surround sound speakers will be set up along the outermost circle. From the center of the room, the natural sound of the piano will be heard, while the entire space will be enveloped by the sound of the piano and its reverberation. I hope to create a concert where the listeners feel as though they are inside the piano, experiencing the concept of the album together in the concert. I strongly desire to experience the reverberation after playing all the pieces.

Keiichiro Shibuya