October 7, 2023

Himari Yoshimura ｜ Learn Real English

Learn Real English ｜ Himari Yoshimura

Himari Yoshimura, the young Japanese violin prodigy, has been impressing Japanese and international audiences since before she was seven-years-old.

In the first video lesson we’ll see a foreigner’s reaction to her 1st Grand Prize win at the International Grumiaux Competition in 2019. In the second video we’ll see her performance in Moscow in 2019, here the judge’s reaction, and then hear Himari answer several questions in English! We’ll learn some of the key phrases in both videos and how to use them. These are a must watch for any music fan!

日本の若き天才バイオリニストの吉村妃鞠さんは、7歳になる前から国内外の聴衆に感動を与えてきました。

最初の動画のレッスンでは、2019年のアルテュール・グリュミオー国際ヴァイオリンコンクールで第一位、特別グランプリを受賞した際の外国人の反応を、2つ目の動画では、2019年のモスクワでのコンクールの演奏、審査員の講評、妃鞠さんのインタビュー動画を見ていきます。そこより、重要なフレーズとその使い方を勉強していきましょう。音楽ファン必見の内容です！

Transcript ｜ Himari Yoshimura International Grumiaux Competition

English Stripped Bare - B. Bearington & Naomi Culture & Music: Himari Yoshimura Violin — Himari Yoshimura, 10-Years-Old In This Photo, Holding Her Violin (Hitoshi Iwakiri)

And I’m excited for it because I’m quite sure she’s going to impress us. The name is Himari Yoshimura.

See how she understands timing? I’ve never heard anyone do a whistle on the violin before.

This is very good work. At seven, she’s only had about seven years to practice.

It’s like the most impressive things you see on the internet it will be done children. Just to overly blow your mind.

The other time we saw, I think, a three-year-old boy lead an orchestra with the drums. Now we’re seeing her with a violin. This is crazy.

I’ve never heard anybody, professionals, adults, I’ve never heard anybody play like that. She understood the feeling, transition, speed, timing, everything. Like, that was just in your soul. Like in your spirits. Like, you know, you feel it deep. Yeah!

I would totally pay money to go see her. Yeah, I would totally pay money to go see that.

Huh. I’d like to see her newest video. She did that at seven-years-old. Trust me, seven-years-old is not a, um, a long time to practice. To get mastery in that level.

I mean, you’ve been doing your job for how long? How good are you at doing your job? I’m just saying. It’s not a shot at you. I’m just saying.

Transcript ｜ Himari Yoshimura Interview

I’m glad to play.

Look, I’m… I’m… I’m basically speechless. And um, why am, why I am is because this performance and also her personality took me…

Every time I listen to her it takes me on a travel, um… inside and I think about creation, and god, and angels. And all that sort of stuff.

And, um, I just, I… I… I’m just happy. Happy to… to… to be able to listen to… to something like her.

It is your first time here in Moscow?

Yes.

Um. What did you see here? What did you like here, in Moscow?

Food is very delicious and illumination is beautiful. So I like it.

How many competitions did you take part in?

Thirty-seven competitions.

Transcript ｜ Himari Yoshimura at the Curtis Institute of Music

Some people they see prodigies and kids her age play this well and they get discouraged by it.

Um, but I see it as a positive thing and she makes me love music.

If you’re listening to Himari and… and you close your eyes; you don’t realize her age. There’s… Inside Himari there’s an older person and a wise musician. And obviously she’s immensely talented. Just, I mean, on the level of genius. Really.

I think that I want to see her continue to develop just the way she’s developing right now. Um, so just an older version of Himari is what I want to see.

All my students were here listening to her and I looked around the room and I saw…

So, I remember when she came after she auditioned to Curtis (Curtis Institute of Music) she came to our studio class, Ida’s (Ida Kavafian) class, but never heard anything like that. She played it and we were all shocked and depressed. We couldn’t practice for days.

Himari? She’s amazing. She’s so… yeah. She’s great. She’s really… really a special musician.