Fuzjko Hemming: Eternal Tone Blu-ray

World-renowned pianist Fuzjko Hemming, who performed tirelessly around the globe and passed away at the age of ninety-two in April 2024, is the subject of the documentary Fuzjko Hemming: Eternal Tone, now available with additional footage.

Known as the “pianist of the soul”, her emotional, dynamic performances touched people in Japan and abroad, including those who were not classical music fans. Shoichiro Komatsu, who followed her for twelve years, including for the 2018 documentary Fuzjko Hemming: A Pianist of Silence and Solitude, reveals her little-known private self, her moving performances and the way she lived.

The film presents overwhelming performances of La Campanella, beloved classical masterpieces and rare original works by contemporary composers, including performances shown for the first time. Interviews with Hemming herself, her illustrated diaries and testimony from her half-sister Eva, whose existence is revealed in this film, and her actor brother Wolf shed new light on her life. Eva reveals the truth about their Swedish father, who returned to Sweden while Fuzjko was still a child.

Her extraordinary life unfolds through separation from her father in childhood, strict lessons from her mother, the difficulties of being stateless, poverty while studying abroad, an unforgettable love and the loss of her hearing. She overcame these hardships to gain recognition and become a celebrated pianist in her sixties. Encounters in Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Los Angeles and Yokohama help reveal the roots of her artistry and the secret of her distinctive sound.

The special music video Liebestraum opens with a passage from her diary. Its wistful images of a beautiful Christmas Eve in Sweden form a companion piece to the film. At the commemorative premiere, narrator Miho Kanno and Komatsu share stories heard nowhere else, offering another glimpse of Hemming’s charming personality. The theatrical trailer is also included.