Pianist Yoko Kikuchi’s latest album invites listeners to a dreamlike ballet stage with iconic ballet pieces

—Through your stunning performance, we can almost see the splendor of the ballet stage and the dancers’ graceful yet powerful “pas” (a general term for steps). Could you tell us about your connection with ballet?

Kikuchi　 More than ten years ago, I saw Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake performed by the Berlin State Ballet, and that experience sparked my fascination with ballet. I felt as if I had been taken into a dream world. What I found most enchanting was the “composite art”, where music and dance merge with costumes and stage design. After that, I began going to see ballet stages almost every night.

—Being a balletomane, you now perform with the Vienna State Ballet and on many other ballet stages.

Kikuchi　 As I saw many different ballet stages, I learned that some works are danced to live piano performance. From then on, I started telling people around me whenever I could that I wanted to collaborate with ballet. Eventually, I was invited to perform at productions such as those of the Tokyo Ballet, and I also had the opportunity to perform at the World Ballet Festival.

In 2021, I had the valuable chance to perform The Dying Swan together with Svetlana Zakharova*, which was an incredibly moving experience for me. I have also been given opportunities to perform with the Vienna State Ballet, and I will participate as a pianist in two productions this season as well.

*Svetlana Zakharova: A world-renowned dancer who has long served as principal at Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet

— Do you dance ballet yourself?

Kikuchi　 Not ballet—I used to take Japanese traditional dance classes. But my mother has been a keen ballet fan and apparently she always wished that if she ever had a daughter, she would make her become a ballerina. When I came to love ballet too and began playing piano for ballet productions, she was truly delighted and said, “Thank you for making my dream come true.”

— Did this CD come about because your connection with ballet has deepened?

Kikuchi　 That is certainly part of it, but I also recorded it as something like an “answer” to my 2023 CD Goldberg Variations. At that time, the world was filled with uncertainty because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the situations in Russia and Ukraine, and in Israel and Gaza. I wanted to create music that embodies both stillness and movement, woven with “song” and “dance” as they are essential to all human beings. I also gained an opportunity to reflect on myself through performing it. For that reason, the next recording, Lullaby Fantasy, and this new album, Ballet Fantasy, both feel like “variations” continuing from Goldberg Variations.

— This album features many masterpieces, such as Tchaikovsky’s three great ballets and Coppélia.

Kikuchi　 Of course I selected my favorites, but I also structured the album so that listeners can sense the relationships and influences among the composers themselves. Another highlight is a unique piece composed by the choreographer Balanchine. I was fortunate to obtain his score, which allowed me to record it for this album. It is a simple piece, but very charming. A piece from Japanese traditional dance, which is part of my own roots, is also included. Music lovers will make many new discoveries in this album, and I would be more than happy if it deepens ballet fans’ appreciation of classical music.