Mao Fujita’s new recording Crosses Continents and Eras with ‘72 Preludes’. Following his ‘consistently impressive’ (Gramophone) traversal of Mozart’s complete Piano Sonatas for Sony Classical - winner of an Opus Klassik Award - Japanese pianist Mao Fujita presents a similarly ambitious project: matching sets of 24 Preludes by three composers, Frédéric Chopin, Alexander Scriabin and Akio Yashiro. In so doing, Fujita unites the Europe in which he now lives with the Japan where he was born and raised.
The works incorporate a huge variety of moods and styles as their young composer explores varied harmonic and rhythmic devices with panache. When Fujita included Chopin encores in his acclaimed Mozart Sonata series at Wigmore Hall in London, The Guardian concluded that ‘an all-Chopin programme from Fujita is now a priority.’ Fujita mentions he was drawn to Chopin’s particular character of expression and believes he was ‘able to make something of this special sound; this melodic poetry and beautiful harmony.’ The allure of Scriabin’s 24 Preludes was no less strong: 'these are phenomenal pieces, with things you cannot find in Chopin,’ Fujita says.
