In the Takács Quartet's upcoming concert with blind pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, the whisper of a breath is the cue that sets in motion a musical story.

If not for the use of it, this renowned quartet could barely stay on the same musical plane on Schumann's Piano Quintet with 22-year-old Tsujii, the Japanese-born pianist who won a gold medal at the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Tsujii will appear with the quartet at the Mondavi Center in Davis on Saturday in a concert program that includes Joseph Haydn's String Quartet No. 3 in G minor and Béla Bartók's String Quartet No. 1 – a signature and bedrock work for the quartet.

Visual cues like nods and smiles are crucial links between chamber musicians.

"I listen to the music and catch the 'breath' of conductors and first violinists," wrote Tsujii via e-mail from an earthquake-rattled Tokyo.

Such forms of musical adaptation are not rare. Tsujii, who was born blind, is no different than a host of well-known musicians who have learned to deal with physical challenges. Virtuoso solo percussionist Evelynne Glennie, profoundly deaf since age 12, learned to use vibrated sound to hear the music.

"As I'm not that experienced, I always try to listen to that breath carefully, and learn as much as possible from the quartet," said Tsujii, who began playing at age 2 on a toy piano, as accompanist to his mother's singing. By age 10, Tsujii was already performing with a professional orchestra.

Fortunately, the Schumann work is well-suited to that approach. The piano begins three of its four movements – no cues needed. The final movement is the challenge.

"In the fourth movement, I will give Tsujii a slightly more kind of vocal upbeat to my entrance," said Edward Dusinberre, first violinist with the Takács Quartet.

"What is most difficult is the language barrier."

Tsujii speaks little English, and the Takács musicians speak absolutely no Japanese. This has created a paradigm where an interpreter familiar with the musical score is used during rehearsals.

"That creates its own musical dynamic," Dusinberre said. "When you have a translator, you're even more aware that things get lost in translation."

Dealing with language barriers is nothing new to members of the Takács Quartet, which was founded in 1975 at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary. In that incarnation, Hungarian was spoken among its musicians. After moving its home base to Boulder, Colo., in 1986, and with Dusinberre coming on board in 1993, the quartet went bilingual.

"When I joined, they were rehearsing in Hungarian," Dusinberre said. "And what we discovered over the years is that language is pretty unreliable for discussing musical ideas."

Dusinberre said that when explaining a musical idea, there is no substitute for hearing it. Overall, he is not a big fan of much talking in the chamber rehearsal format.

"Musical ideas do not sound that convincing when verbalized," he said.

This is why he asks student chamber musicians to face different corners of a room when performing in the master class setting.

The current Takács lineup includes original member violinist Károly Schranz and cellist András Fejér. Violist Geraldine Walther, a 29-year veteran of the San Francisco Symphony, joined in 2005.

The quartet first encountered Tsujii at the Van Cliburn. The competition is keen on bringing chamber music into the Van Cliburn fold. All of its semifinalists are required to perform a quintet. Tsujii performed the Schumann Quintet with them during the semifinal round in 2009.

"We were quite impressed with Tsujii. … He's an intense musician, and at the same time, he's humble. He's not flashy," said Dusinberre. "With the Schumann, Tsujii was good at the long musical line."

Tsujii's mystique at the Van Cliburn competition was heightened when word got out that he learns such daunting works as Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto and Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata by ear.

"He's very intuitive and sensitive," said violist Walther. "He's a big player, too, and has a big range of dynamics and colors."

After winning the Van Cliburn gold medal, which he shared with co-winner Haochen Zhang, Tsujii told reporters he never thought that blindness was a limitation for his musical abilities.

"Perhaps being blind makes one 'see' the world and music differently than if one has the gift of sight," Walther said. "I think he definitely has the gift of 'sight,' but it's a different one than usual."

Such praise bodes well for the young Tsujii, who will make his Carnegie Hall debut in New York in November.

Since winning the Van Cliburn, Tsujii has earned celebrity status in his native Japan. Up until 2009, no Japanese musician had ever won the competition.

"It's a little surprising to find myself being treated like a rock star," Tsujii said. "I must admit it has become difficult for me to go out with friends and enjoy a private dinner out."

But he says he doesn't mind.

"I feel very grateful and blessed to have had such a warm acceptance and support from the Japanese people," he said, "because they're the source of my inspiration."

TAKÁCS QUARTET WITH NOBUYUKI TSUJII, PIANO

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center, UC Davis

Tickets: $35-$68

Information: (530) 745-2787; www.MondaviArts.org

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