*Takahiro Sonoda (園田高弘, Sonoda Takahiro, September 17, 1928 – October 7, 2004) was a Japanese classical pianist...............e met Marguerite Long, who briefly coached him privately.[3] In Berlin he was also coached by Helmut Roloff (an encounter the Japanese government cited in awarding Roloff the Order of the Sacred Treasure for contributions to Japanese music in 1990).[4]
In 1955 Sonoda returned to Japan and married a fellow international student. In 1954 Herbert von Karajan made his Japanese debut conducting the NHK Symphony Orchestra with Sonoda as soloist. Impressed by the young man's playing, Karajan persuaded Sonoda to study in Germany and wrote him a letter of recommendation. After his studies there, Sonoda debuted with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1959.[5][6] The following year he returned to Japan, becoming a professor at the Kyoto City University of Arts. In his later years he became part of the faculty at the Shōwa Academia Musicae.
Although admired for his performances of works by German classics such as Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, Sonoda maintained a keen interest in modern music. He was a member of the Shūzō Takiguchi-led Experimental Studio, along with friends Tōru Takemitsu and Toshirō Mayuzumi. In 1971 he premiered Makoto Moroi's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.