World-Renowned Brazilian Musician José Carlos Amaral Vieira Dedicates Composition to Daisaku Ikeda
Mr.Vieira (third from left) presenting the handwritten score of The Human Revolution—Musical Impressions and Emotions to Soka Gakkai Senior Vice President Hiromasa Ikeda (center) at the Min-On Culture Center in Tokyo
On May 21, 2024, José Carlos Amaral Vieira, an internationally acclaimed Brazilian composer and virtuoso pianist, presented the score of his new composition, a piano piece written in honor of Daisaku Ikeda (1928–2023), founder of the Min-On Concert Association, to Soka Gakkai Senior Vice President Hiromasa Ikeda, Mr. Ikeda’s son. The presentation of the handwritten score, titled The Human Revolution—Musical Impressions and Emotions, took place at a ceremony held at the Min-On Culture Center in Tokyo, Japan. Among the attendees were Mrs. Yara Vieira and Min-On Concert Association President Koji Yamaguchi.
Mr. Ikeda founded the Min-On Concert Association in 1963 to promote the global exchange of musical culture with the aim of fostering mutual understanding and respect among people of different cultures and nationalities.
On May 23, Mr. Vieira performed at the NHK Osaka Hall in Osaka, Japan. His performance culminated with the premiere of the composition dedicated to Mr. Ikeda. The concert marked the beginning of a tour organized by the Min-On Concert Association, spanning 11 cities across Japan from May 23 to June 9. This tour was Mr. Vieira’s 12th with Min-On since his first invitation to Japan in 1994.
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1952, Mr. Vieira
has performed all over the world and has actively promoted musical education
and classical music in his home country. He has held positions such as president
of the Brazilian Society for the Preservation of Classical Music and has
received over 50 awards from countries including Brazil, France, Germany,
Hungary and Japan. In 2008, he was honored with the Golden Laurel Award by the
Delian Society of America for his body of work.
Mr. Vieira performing at the NHK Osaka Hall in Osaka, Japan
Mr.
Vieira first learned of Mr. Ikeda in 1991 while on tour in Germany. He happened
to purchase a book by Mr. Ikeda at Frankfurt Airport to read on the flight back
to Brazil and felt a profound connection with Mr. Ikeda’s writings.
Serendipitously, Mr. Vieira was subsequently invited to the Museu de Arte de São Paulo to give the inaugural performance on a piano
donated by the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, founded by Mr. Ikeda. The director of the
Museu de Arte de São Paulo was a friend of President Ikeda’s, and in
1992, Mr. Vieira was able to meet Mr. Ikeda for the first time.
Recounting
this meeting, Mr. Vieira shared how Mr. Ikeda encouraged him to become an
ambassador of peace through music. He remarked, “This extremely valuable advice remains in my
heart as a priceless treasure.”
During
the presentation ceremony, Mr. Vieira stated, “I have spent each day hoping to
fulfill my mission as an ‘ambassador for peace through music.’ This piece is a
culmination of my music career which I composed with the intention of honoring
Mr. Ikeda’s great life and expressing my deepest appreciation to him.”
Inspired by Mr. Ikeda’s humanistic philosophy,
actions, poems and children’s stories, Mr. Vieira has composed some 20 pieces
of music dedicated to him. Some of these pieces have won the Symphony Award and
the Best Chamber Music Award from the São Paulo Association of Art Critics.
The most recent dedication, The Human Revolution—Musical Impressions and
Emotions, is a piano piece inspired by Mr. Ikeda’s novel The
Human Revolution. Through the powerful chords and lilting melody of the
composition, Mr. Vieira conveys Mr. Ikeda’s determination for world peace and
his unwavering sense of mission.
*Link to a
video of Mr. Vieira performing The
Human Revolution at the NHK Osaka Hall during his recent concert
tour: https://youtu.be/8hseDDz5BSg
(Japanese captions only)
[Adapted from an article in the May 22 and 24, 2024, issues of the Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai, Japan]
