photo by Yasu Yokoyama

At the start of 2024, I decided to embark on a project where I would learn all 53 of Haydn’s piano sonatas and attempt to play them all in a single day at Chozen-ji where I do Zen training. This was never meant to be a performance, but rather a Way to explore the unknown, and to push my limits physically, artistically, and spiritually. The event took place on Oct. 13, 2024.

Over the course of 10 months, I went through various stages of learning and relearning the sonatas one at a time, playing longer hours at home, and finally onsite at Chozen-ji anywhere between 3 to 7 hours. Many logistics required meticulous planning as well: from selecting the right instrument, to working out every single page-turn, to finding the most acoustically ideal placement for the instrument, and to designing set lists for the most ideal experience… just to name a few.

On the day of the event, Chozen-ji students who train in various forms of Martial Arts and Fine Arts joined in and did their own training alongside me, but most trained in Zazen (sitting meditation). Outside guests were also allowed to attend where they sat facing the unique and beautiful grounds of Chozen-ji and listened surrounded by nature.

For as long as I’ve been a professional musician, I have always questioned the context and environment in which musicians are asked to exist in. Although in our society we have designed the concert hall for performances that many of us have come to enjoy, I often wondered whether music can be experienced in more diverse ways and hold more diverse meanings. At Chozen-ji— training in the Fine Arts (as well as Martial Arts) is about developing the human spirit, cultivating fearlessness, and transcending self-imposed limits. This project is my way of deepening my training through leaping facedown, eyes wide-open, into the abyss, for the hope of discovering something new in my relationship to music and life.

Set Lists

Set 1

D major Hob. XVII:D1
c sharp minor Hob. XVI:36
G major Hob. XVI:G1
C major Hob. XVI:21
C major Hob. XVI:7
G major Hob. XVI:6
e minor Hob. XVI:47bis
D major Hob. XVI:37
F major Hob. XVI:29
D major Hob. XVI:42
F major Hob. XVI:9
E flat major Hob. XVI:38
B flat major Hob. XVI:18

Set 2

G major Hob. XVI:27
E flat major Hob. XVI:Es2
D major Hob. XVI:24
e minor Hob. XVI:34
G major Hob. XVI:39
C major Hob. XVI:3
E flat major Hob. XVI:Es3
A major Hob. XVI:5
D major Hob. XVI:19
E major Hob. XVI:13
G major Hob. XVI:8
D major Hob. XVI:33
E flat major Hob. XVI:52

Set 3

F major Hob. XVI:23
b minor Hob. XVI:32
D major Hob. XVI:4
E flat major Hob. XVI:28
B flat major Hob. XVI:41
E flat major Hob. XVI:16
C major Hob. XVI:48
A major Hob. XVI:26
E major Hob. XVI:31
E flat major Hob. XVI:45
C major Hob. XVI:1
g minor Hob. XVI:44
C major Hob. XVI:50
A flat major Hob. XVI:43

Set 4

E flat major Hob. XVI:49
A major Hob. XVI:12
D major Hob. XVI:51
E flat major Hob. XVI:25
B flat major Hob. XVI:2
A major Hob. XVI:30
E major Hob. XVI:22
A flat major Hob. XVI:46
C major Hob. XVI:10
D major Hob. XVI:14
C major Hob. XVI:35
c minor Hob. XVI:20
G major Hob. XVI:40