Ingrid Fujiko Hemming, known for her rendition of Liszt's "La Campanella" and respectfully referred to as a "late-blooming pianist" who overcame a temporary loss of hearing, died on April 21, her foundation said Thursday. She was 92.
Fujiko Hemming, also written as Fuzjko, had arranged a return appearance at Carnegie Hall in New York this spring, but her plans were interrupted by a fall in November while at home in Tokyo, the foundation said. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March.
"Even amid her hospitalization, she found joy and solace in playing the piano," a statement read, adding that the foundation will later share details of plans for her farewell ceremony.
Born in Berlin to a Swedish architect father and a Japanese pianist mother, Hemming relocated to Japan as a child. She started learning piano from her mother at age five and later took lessons from influential teacher Leonid Kreutzer before winning prizes in competitions as a schoolgirl.
Having graduated from the Tokyo University of Arts, she returned to Europe at 28 and studied in Berlin and Vienna.
She overcame hardships including temporarily losing her hearing in one ear right before a recital, which forced her to withdraw to Stockholm. The temporary deafness was a side-effect of a treatment she was undergoing for the flu.
While receiving treatment for her ear, she was certified to teach at music academies, and since then continued to perform concerts in Europe while working as a teacher.
In 1999, her life was featured in an NHK documentary program and she gained fame in her late 60s.
Hemming's multi-million-sale debut album "La Campanella" won the Classical Album of the Year at Japan's Gold Disk Awards in 2000. She went on to win the prestigious prize three more times in her career.
The pianist actively performed many solo recitals and collaborated with international orchestras and musicians, including the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra.
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