Nobuyuki Tsujii’s poetic artistry, backed by his flawless technique and oceanic depths of feeling, appeals directly to the heart with its enchanting blend of spontaneity, expressive freedom, and emotional honesty. The blind Japanese pianist’s debut recital at the Verbier Festival confirms the jaw-dropping audacity of his pianism as well as its intimate, confessional beauty. Listen to way in which he sweeps aside the lilting, lyrical “Allegretto” of the “Moonlight” Sonata with an explosive upsurge of energy in the following “Presto agitato,” or the transition from wistful reverie to impassioned oratory that unfolds towards the close of Chopin’s Barcarolle. Like somebody dancing on the rim of a volcano, there’s a sense of daring that permeates Tsujii’s recital. Yet, as his heroic performance of Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 3 and astonishing account of Liszt’s “La campanella” testify, his creative risk-taking infuses the music with an irresistible, overwhelming life force.