Mari Kodama

Piano

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“The real justification lies in her beautifully-judged pianism”
BBC Music Magazine

Mari Kodama is consistently praised for her virtuosity in a wide range of repertoire, including orchestral, chamber and solo works by composers of all periods. She is also known for her natural musicality, tonal expressiveness with a clear form, and as a benchmark Beethoven interpreter.

In the 2024/25 Season, Mari Kodama showcases her diverse talents with various international concert appearances, including the opening concert with Le Cercle de l’Harmonie in Paris (Jérémie Rhorer) where she plays Beethoven Piano Concerto No.1 on fortepiano, and concerts with Würth Philharmoniker (Kent Nagano) and Filarmonica de Stat Transilvania (Lawrence Foster). For her recital activity, she performs a duo recital with Julian Prégardien and returns to Konzerthaus Blaibach to continue her series with all 32 Beethoven’s piano sonatas and new works written by Rodolphe Bruneau-Boulmier. Other recent highlights include an open-air concert with Philharmonischen Staatsorchesters Hamburg, three season-opening concerts with National Symphony Orchestra, Taiwan (Lan Shui), debut concerts with Orchestra Haydn of Bolzano and Trento, a return to Japan Philharmonic (Kahchun Wong), solo recital for Festival Louvre Lance as well as duo recitals with Momo Kodama in Japan and at Salle Bougie in Montreal.

As a further demonstration of her versatility, she plays a central part in the hugely successful ballet production ‘Beethoven Projekt II’ (John Neumeier) which re-opened the Staatsoper Hamburg after months of Covid-19 closures and which was revived in 2022/23 with eight performances. In recital, she collaborated with Markus Hinterhäuser featuring Messiaen’s Visions de l’Amen. She also organised the Beethoven Festival ‘A Life in a Day’ in San Francisco and presented all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas over two days by 14 different soloists.

Beethoven’s piano works form a focal point of Mari Kodama’s recording activities with Pentatone and Berlin Classics. She is one of few female pianists to record the composer’s complete sonatas, with her 2014 box set from Pentatone receiving critical acclaim. In fall 2019 she released Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.0 – 5, which together with his Rondo for Piano and Orchestra and his Eroica Variations for solo piano complement the Beethoven CD — Box with all of Beethoven’s piano concertos as well as the Triple Concerto together with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Kent Nagano (Berlin Classics). Kodama’s latest releases are Mozart’s Concertos for Three Pianos and Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos with Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and a nuanced portrait of Bruckner’s piano works on Pentatone (October 2024).

Through her performing activities, Mari Kodama has brought infrequently heard gems of the piano repertoire to global audiences. She has performed Stenhammer’s Piano Concerto No.2 in Gothenburg and New York and has also collaborated with Viviane Hagner on Alban Berg’s Chamber Concerto for Piano and Violin, which they performed with both the Jyväskylä Sinfonia and the DSO Berlin. Additionally, in 2013 Mari Kodama premiered Jean-Pascal Beinthus’ Double Piano Concerto together with Momo Kodama and Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo. Mari Kodama also performed in the Canadian premieres of Jörg Widmann’s Valse Bavaroise and Humoresken, both at the Canadian Orford Festival in summer 2010.

In addition to her performances, Mari Kodama also plays an active role as a music festival artistic director. She co-founded the Forest Hill Musical Days Festival, a chamber music festival in San Francisco, with her husband Kent Nagano, and she has also led the chamber music series at the Orford Music Festival. In 2018 she assumed artistic directorship at the Festival Tra Luce e Sogno in Postignano, Italy, for which she secured artists such as Christian Gerhaher, Matt Haimovitz and Gerold Huber, among others. Mari Kodama is a Steinway Artist.

Mari Kodama plays Stenhammar piano concerto in Gothenburg (excerpt)

Mari Kodama plays Ravel Sonatine on Erard (1880)

Mari Kodama, Kent Nagano, DSO Berlin - Beethoven: Piano Concertos 0-5 (Official Trailer)

Mari Kodama & Momo Kodama: Tchaikovsky Ballet Suites for Piano Duo

“Kodama’s nuanced performance, technical skill and sensitive interpretation make this recording a valuable contribution to the Bruckner anniversary year.”

Online Merker, October 2024

“Ever since I discovered her readings of Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas, I’ve been impressed with the way she combines all the features that make a great pianist: Pure sensitivity (call it feminine if you like, though some of her male colleagues have the same hard-to-define characteristic), poetic elegance, technically skilled virtuosity, well-balanced introvert and extrovert intelligence mark her ravishing readings from Beethoven to Poulenc.”

Blangy-le-Chateau, October 2024

“In the Bruckner year, this CD comes at just the right time, as it expands the discography with solid recordings of music that should not be missing from the master’s sonorous biography.”

Wilhelm Sinkovicz, Die Presse October 2024

“a well-founded programme made up entirely of pieces each as exciting and soaring as the next, admirably rendered with all the finesse, subtlety and expertise required. The complicity and savoir-faire of [Mari and Momo Kodama] are undeniable and sparkling.”

atuvu.ca, December 2023

“Fabulous, and heartfelt music making, beautifully recorded!”

NativeDSD, Bill Dodd, November 2023

“Kodama’s mature performance shows her sensitive touch and phrasing. Her refined phrasing and colourful sound are very pleasant. For Brahms’ Theme and Variations, Op.18b, Kodama’s interpretation of the theme makes listeners feel a tingle of anticipation and it is very touching.”

Tsutomu Nasuda, Record Geijutsu, May 2023

“Kodama demonstrates Brahms’ Piano Sonata No.1’s sharp energy through her strong attack and accent. She expresses Brahms’ emotion at his young age through her colourful sound and articulation. For Brahms’ Theme and Variations, Op.18b, her expression is deeply profound.”

Jiro Kusano, Record Geijutsu, May 2023

“Kodama captures that sense of scale in a performance that’s both fiery and thoughtful.”

BBC Music Magazine, 2023

“The real justification lies in her beautifully-judged pianism”

BBC Music Magazine, 2019

“Intelligently measured power and passionate conviction.”

The Los Angeles Times