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Mitsuko Shirai

しらい みつこ

Shirai Mitsuko

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1947-05-28 （Usuda, Minamisaku District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan (now Saku City)）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, German

Career

Occupations
vocalist (mezzo-soprano / soprano / alto), music educator
Active Years
1972-
Affiliations
Karlsruhe University of Music (professor), Mozarteum University Salzburg (professor), Osaka College of Music (visiting professor), Kunitachi College of Music (special visiting professor)
Influenced By
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

Education

Musashino College of Music
Vocal
Year of Graduation: 1972
Country: Japan
State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart
Vocal
Country: Germany
Studied on scholarship

Awards

Hugo Wolf Lied Competition — 1st Prize
1973
Result: winner
Robert Schumann International Competition for Pianists and Singers — 1st Prize
1974
Result: winner
Middelburg/'s-Hertogenbosch Competition — International Prize
1976
Result: winner
Robert Schumann Prize (city of Zwickau)
1982
Organization: City of Zwickau
Result: recipient
Idemitsu Music Award (6th) — Grand Prize
1996
Organization: Idemitsu Music Award
Result: winner
ABC International Music Award
1997
Result: recipient
Arts Encouragement Prize of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
2005
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan)
Result: recipient
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2008
Organization: Japan
Result: honor
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Cross of Merit on ribbon)
2010
Organization: Federal Republic of Germany
Result: honor
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays
2018
Organization: Japan
Result: honor
Honorary Doctorate (University of Victoria, Canada)
2018
Organization: University of Victoria (Canada)
Result: honorary degree

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Schubert: Winterreise (recording)

1996 Lieder recital / song cycle

A landmark recording of Schubert's song cycle in duet with Hartmut Höll; widely praised by critics.

German Liederlonelinessjourney

Schumann: Frauenliebe und -leben (recording)

1997 Lieder recital / song cycle

A noted recording of Schumann's song cycle, demonstrating Shirai's careful diction and expressive phrasing.

lovelifeGerman Romanticism

Selected Lieder by Strauss / Berg / Webern and others

2001 Lieder recital (modern / contemporary)

Representative albums covering repertoire from 20th-century modernists to late Romantic composers.

20th-century musicexpressionismsong interpretation

Bibliography

  • Schubert Lieder - Mitsuko Shirai & Hartmut Höll (1970)
  • Schubert: Winterreise - Mitsuko Shirai & Hartmut Höll (1996)
  • Schumann: Frauenliebe und -leben - Mitsuko Shirai & Hartmut Höll (1997)
  • Lieder Collection - Mitsuko Shirai & Hartmut Höll (2009)
  • Jubilee Edition - Mitsuko Shirai (2017)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Clear diction and strong narrative in German LiederDelicate, introspective expressivity
Recurring Motifs
Repertoire centered on German and Austrian LiederLied duo format (intimate piano-voice dialogue)

Health

  • Guillain–Barré syndrome
    2006-2008
    Stopped performing for about two years; returned to performance in 2008.

Legacy

Regarded as one of the leading interpreters of German Lieder internationally; influential through numerous recordings and pedagogical activities.

Quotes

  • Shirai's interpretation of Schubert's Winterreise is widely regarded as one of the finest recordings of the cycle.
    Source: International critics / reviews (1996)

Trivia

  • Formed a duo with Hartmut Höll and married him in 1973 (later divorced).
  • Has an extensive discography with numerous recordings.
  • Received an honorary doctorate from the University of Victoria (Canada).