Nobu fever,' erupted immediately after Nobuyuki Tsujii's June '09 victory at the Van Cliburn Piano Competition.Tsujii, who is clearly relishing the newfound notoriety, said 'I don't think I myself have changed because of the 'fever.' But it has come as a surprise. I did not know I had become so famous and now, with so many offers to perform, I have to say 'no' for the first time.'Though classical music is more popular in Japan than in many other countries, there has never been anything like the mania there over a homegrown concert musician before, his agents said.National newspapers reported his Cliburn win on the front page -- the fact that China's Haochen Zhang shared top honors was hardly mentioned. More than 30 TV crews covered Tsujii's airport arrival, according to reports from Japan.Japan's Chopin Piano magazine issued a glossy, 78-page special issue about Tsujii's victory, and a publisher announced that his achievement would be noted in a new public-school textbook.Regarding his career, Tsujii expressed the hope that someday his style would be so distinctive that his renditions of Chopin or Beethoven would be recognized as carrying his personal stamp.His goal, he told the Japanese media, is to be viewed by audiences as a professional who can deal with a tough schedule, a less than perfect piano or problems with the hall's acoustics and yet turn in a first-class performance.
