Picture: AIMI KOBAYASHI, at age 15, Japan

Story Article By: Rick DesChênes McGrath

I have only rarely felt such deep emotional experiences while listening to performers interpret the sonatas and/or symphonies of great composers such as; Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Kabalevsky, Bach, Debussy, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and Schumann to name but a few. Among all performers, there are noticeably only a scarce few who can ‘speak’ a musical symphony’s language through the expression of their hearts onto a musical instrument. Nonetheless, I had never felt such a high level of intensity equal to that felt while watching and listening to Aimi Kobayashi playing Chopin’s 2nd concerto for piano at age 15 while accompanied by the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony orchestra or Mozart’s Piano Concerto #26 in Moscow which she so scintillatingly performed on December 24th of 2006 at the tender age of 11years of age. In that performance, she was lustrously accompanied by the Moscow Chamber Orchestra with Vladimir Spivakov conducting. Vladimir, a great and experienced performing musician himself, seconded Aimi in a most profound and professional manner, (pictures unavailable). When so brilliantly seconded by such high level orchestras, she most definitely brings these great composers back to life in an indescribable and supremely unique way. I could never tell you just how happy I am to have discovered this little Angel. She has truly become a ray of sunshine in my life.

When I discovered Aimi Kobayashi.

Aimi Kobayashi: Born September 23rd 1995, in Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan.

When her performance ended, I was utterly awestruck and in a complete state of admiration for this young performer I had just discovered, who had so brilliantly conveyed an ocean of soul onto a Steinway's expanse of ebony and ivory which had been gracefully beating its Harp strings. There were no words to describe what I had just experienced, and I could not believe what I had just witnessed. After all, I kept thinking about the fact that she had only just turned 15 a few weeks prior to that performance! I mean How could such a young lady play with the maturity of a 40 year old master pianist? I immediately scrambled to an internet search and began researching this Angel in hope of finding more about her.

I was in luck, there were quite a few videos and even some useful info about her that I absorbed as I would a cool latte on a hot summer day. I spent most of that night and all the next day, listening to her play from the tender age of only three , to her 15th birthday, downloading everything I could. I just couldn’t get enough of her talent and she was such a pleasantly beautiful young lady. Even throughout her youth, she was the cutest little Angel anyone could ever hope to meet.

This young Japanese girl has a level of musical maturity and mastery that is so uncommon it makes me wonder about reincarnation more than ever. I can’t explain what she does nor how she does it, however I know her to be the only one I’ve ever had such an intense emotional recognition for, deeply anchored inside my entire being. She is most definitely among the best ‘classical music soul channeling performers’ this planet has to offer and a wonderful gift to all of us here below, from our very loving conscious universe.

Aimi Kobayashi, performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 2, From TV Tokyo “Late Night Concert” with Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra Magnificently conducted by the renowned Kimbo Ishii-Eto on October 28th 2010. Venue: Hitomi Memorial Hall, Showa Women’s University, Tokyo.

Aimi Kobayashi: performing Mozart, Piano Concerto no. 26 in D major “Coronation”, Public televised concert, aired on the 25th of January 2006. From a performance with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra when she was only 10 years and 4 months old. The Distinguished Hirofumi Yoshida; energetically and Brilliantly Conducting, Venue; Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.

Recorded and arranged in 2008 by AADGT; and sponsored by Global Private Equity, in New York, USA; Her first CD is in my opinion “A gift from the universe” as is also her second CD (2010) Recorded in Japan both of which I highly recommend to any and all music lovers on the planet. They are an absolute ‘must-have’ in any respectable, true and complete musical library. If you wish to witness firsthand what I’m talking about when I say ‘Soul channeling performers’, You can pick up your copy at:

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=TOCE-56277 .

She's a legend in her own right and I’m impatiently waiting for her next apparition, concert, CD or DVD. In fact I’ll be the first to jump on whatever she produces in the future since the associated delightful listening experiences which will pack the media can only be heavenly. The product in itself will constitute a collector’s library ‘must-have’ item addition and it will inevitably contain a collection of the highest quality performances the market has to offer. Aimi Kobayashi is a true modern day prodigy by any definition of the term and her legacy is only beginning.

Now 21 she is still my favorite pianist for Chopin. I highly recommend listening to her more recent recitals and works... A jewel for any classical music lover!