This evening I have just
arrived in Hiroshima in Japan from Warsaw on this is my first visit to the country. Such a long and tiring journey from Poland but worth every minute given the humanist aim. I intend to keep a daily internet journal of my
experiences here over the next four days as part of an
initiative known as the ‘Music for Peace’ project. Perhaps a few more personal observations as well.
The concept brings together
communities of different nations and cultures, in this case musicians from
Poland, France and Japan, performing together and engaged in workshops and commemorative activities with the Hiroshima Symphony
Orchestra. This laudable aim is to achieve closer international cooperation and
understanding. The passionate love of the music of Fryderyk Chopin in Japan scarcely need underlining. In the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition organised by the National Fryderyk Chopin Institute (NIFC) in 2015, of the 455 pianists from 45 countries who applied, 88 …