Nunoya was magnetic...his polishing of details was impressive, he brought the softest dynamics down to the level of whispers...His delicate balancing with string instruments produced hauntingly luminous sounds... If the marimba were a more popular solo instrument, Fumito Nunoya would be headed toward a very successful solo career.

Agile and terrifically talented

Marimbist Fumito Nunoya is a stunning performer who is way overdue to be more widely recognized on the international scene. The depth of his musicianship rivals that of any solo percussionist I've heard."

Let’s talk about incredible accuracy; let’s talk about Fumito Nunoya and his unbelievable marimba playing. This CD is a combination of several different worlds—the traditional Western music of Bach sonatas and 20th-century Schwantner together with contemporary Japanese and Chinese compositions. This CD could be a standard-setting recording of the highest level of marimba performance coupled with a great selection of works displaying the true capabilities of the marimba. The two Bach sonatas are examples of absolute accuracy. While anyone may disagree with interpretation, no one would be anything but significantly impressed with the near-perfect renditions. Likewise, the Schwantner “Perpetual Motion” has never taken on such life in a performance, and this recording could set a standard for those wishing to study Schwantner’s work. The CD also contains several Chinese/Japanese works for marimba. Miki’s “Marimba Spiritual” stands as another example of a superior performance on this monumental CD. But the title work, “Red Dragonfly,” best demonstrates the true skills of this performer/arranger when Nunoya performs his own solo marimba arrangement of one of the most beloved songs in Japan. The original melody does not appear until the last part of the work, so with that exception, the material is based on a variation of the song…

I received the debut CD “Red Dragonfly,” including Marimba Spiritual, from Mr. Nunoya in the fall of 2006. I had been very busy, but finally, I made time to listen to the CD. I was planning to scan- listen the piece; however, I could not stop listening to the performance. I decided to focus on it from the beginning to the end. I was dazzled by the performance.

This piece has been performed more than 10,000 times all over the world, and in numerous CDs. However, the performance by Mr. Nunoya and his ensemble were truly amazing. It is one of the best performances I have heard. Their approach of this music is very serious. There is no bluff. The whole ensemble created an overflowing vitality. The marimba solo part was truly splendid, and I was fully satisfied.

I hope they will keep playing this piece, and impressing and satisfying more and more audiences.

I offer my most enthusiastic recommendation on behalf of Fumito Nunoya for his artistry and eloquent demeanor. I invited Fumito to the University of South Florida for a two day session to coach my ensemble, give lessons to advanced marimba students and perform a recital. I found Mr. Nunoya’s comments to be very insightful, helpful and creative. Fumito is sincere, friendly and extremely generous with his time. Fumito Nunoya’s recital was of the highest sense of artistic beauty, intellect and musicality. The students and I will welcome his return visit to Tampa with much anticipation!!!

黒い衣装をまとった布谷史人は、人を磁石のようにひきつけ、離さなかった。彼のマレットの使い方の巧妙さは、人々を魅了し、巨大なピアノのように横たわった楽器は、彼の手にかかれば容易く演奏されているかのよう。

布谷氏の洗練された細かな音への気配りは、感銘を与えた――彼の最も弱い音は、囁きのレヴェルまで落とされてあった。彼は本質的にはモノクロの音がするマリンバと、オーケストラとの対話にも抜け目の無い心遣いがあった――彼の繊細なオーケストラとのバランスが、時には忘れられないほどの輝きのある音だったりもした。

マリンバがピアノやヴァイオリンのように有名な楽器であったら、彼の名はトップクラスの音楽家として世界中に知れ渡るであろう。

布谷史人の演奏は機敏で活気がある、彼はものすごい才能を秘めている。

マリンバ奏者布谷史人は、既にその名が世界中に浸透しているべき、素晴らしい演奏家である。彼の持つ音楽性の深さに匹敵する奏者は、私はこれまで聴いたことが無い。

“不朽のCDである。”

昨秋送られてきた布谷史人のCD ”Red Dragonfly” に収められた”Marimba Spiritual”を、あまりの多忙のため数ヶ月空けることも出来なかったが、やっと時間を見つけて飛び飛びにでも聞こうとした。ところが途中から聞き流すことが出来なくて、もう一度頭に返り、集中して一気に最後まで通して聞いた。一切余分な想念に逸れず、引き込まれたまま感嘆の声を挙げた。この曲は世界で殆ど１万回も演奏されており、ＣＤも無数に出されていてたまに聞くが、布谷たちの演奏はその白眉、少なくとも指折り数える中の一つであることは間違いない。常に真正面から作品に取り組み、一切のハッタリがなく、アンサンブル全体から、溢れるような生気が漲って聞こえ、マリンバそのものの演奏もまことに立派で大満足した。度々演奏して、さまざまな聴衆にも感動と満足を与え続けてもらいたい。

私は布谷氏を、アンサンブルの指導、個人レッスン、そしてソロリサイタルのために2日間、南フロリダ大学に招待した。布谷氏の助言は、とても洞察力があり役に立つもので、なおかつ想像力に富んだものであった。彼はとても友好的で、時間を惜しまない。また、彼のリサイタルは、芸術的美しさ・知性・そして音楽性のすべてにおいて最も高いセンスのものであった。私と私の生徒は、布谷氏の再来を心より楽しみにしている。