Yeah, exactly. I still think of Wang as an “entertainment” type of pianist (mind you, like Horowitz for instance) so Brahms might seem like an odd pairing, but there’s also a good amount of whole grain musicianship in her which serves her well in this kind of repertoire. I’m rather more suspicious about the Chopin Mazurkas I have to say. And Bach/Ravel are complete jokers in the deck - I have no clue what she’ll do with them.
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It is an exciting time to follow wang. (Because she can go in various directions) Oddly, I often would like to see Trif and Yuja switch programs. They seem better suited to each others rep tastes… op 111 not withstanding for both ; )
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Yeah she’s at a crosspoint somehow. On the one hand there’s that whole grain “completeness” to her she’s shown in modernists and several of the German composers - on the other hand there’s the teenage sentimentality which popped up in her Chopin Preludes for instance. I’m not really worried since one is much more likely to carry in to the future than the other with a 32 year old woman, but in the meantime she is very rep dependent. I’m almost sure I would have hated a Liebestod from her today - but I am optimistic this program will show her from her good side.
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Deffo intahrezted too, op. 87 iz on ov mah fav opussies ov all da zongz out dere
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i’m def interested in that berg son, hopefully somebody recs it
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I counted to 8 recordings of her recital program over the next few months. 
Unlike Volodos she does know how to pick her cities.
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I like the Wang program, but a few nits. First half of the program, the alternating Chopin/Brahms pieces seems a little too cute. And not sure if mazurkas are the right pairings. But at least she’s trying. The second half, also not sure of the logic of squeezing Berg in between Scriabin 4 and 5 except that 5 provides a more exciting finish than Berg. Honestly, if the program were supposed to be a journey, I think the Berg would be a more logical conclusion, and not just due to chronology.
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As you well know this is usually something we say to retards, not people earning 8 figures per annum.
‘Try again. Fail again. Whore yoself out for $$$s’ - Samuel Beckett
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Compared to nearly all the women posted on SDC, she’s a genius. Last night I watched a video her Zkri 5 which stayed on her hands. It’s amazing but that’s mostly because of the composition. About her it’s her hands, nothing about interp. Tru we’re talking highest of high levels, but what else are you going to do? For me she’s on the right side of the fence serious-wise, but skirting close enough to the BS side that I’m not interested. Maybe when she hits menopause something good’ll happen.
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Yuja’s a rock solid pianist
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I hope so on the tudes. They bring nice things out of meh pianists, with all the control and speed with that glassy mooosician backbone Yuja probably own them
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I don’t go to an - expensive - rectal of a popular pianist only because (s)he is solid, stable, professional and makes few mistakes…
From what I’ve heard and seen so far I doubt very much if I’ll ever have a "Brew"ian experience with her live.
Personally I think the program is an unfortunate mishmash of masterpieces.
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I don’t get this. I do NOT think she’s solid, stable, reliable etc - there’s plenty of mindless playing with her on the tube. Nor do I get how you can make that kind of classification with her. Whether good or bad there’s a ton of personality to what she does, I’ve never heard her give a boring conservatory style concert.
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Well that’s what a couple of mofos were writing here.
Personally I’d prefer going to concerts of young pianists whom I find more interesting, musically, whose musical personalities are more attractive to me - like Debargue, Rana, Avdeeva, Eckardstein, etc.
Tis a question of personal taste, I’ve never been attracted to YW’s playing…and I agree with you about the “mindless” part.
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Well I can agree to professional in the sense that she always shows up prepared and on top of what she plays. And to stability I suppose in the sense that when she’s good there are healthy musical aspirations and a rigorous training shining through. But I think she’s very day to day, and also very rep dependent. The worst rep I can think of for her right now are things like the Liebestod, D.946#2 etc where she gets an invitation to be “emotive”. That’s when I think the teenage girl is still shining through. There are exceptions but generally I think she’s been at her best in music which distances itself from emotion, or which is explorative and searching in what it does emotionally.
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I agree with all parts of the Yuja argument. Its hard to tell from tube stuff but live she locked in the zone right away no a second half wonder like even doc can be… Also right on the money with the sentimental stuff X. Sincere heart on sleeve pianists can bring me along through some tasteless moments but with Yuja, you can sense she knows better and isn’t bought in. I still think she’s cut from the serkin, pollini, cloth reaching for something different with her great facility. With that great memory and shrewdness wish she’d studied more with a Leon Fleisher or somebody like that. There is a good tube vid of what could of been. I forget where.
Found it. This mofo def not a fraud!
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Very cool Hamelin’s program about birds!
https://www.marcandrehamelin.com/performances-full/2020/3/27/heidelberger-spring-music-festival
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Hahaha, with suicide in an airplane towards the end. Tru they fly in to engines too.
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Btw. Friend of mine spoke with Hamelin few days ago. Unfortunately, he won’t record all of the Feiberg Sonatas, just first 6 which will come out soon.
His next cd will be with Liszt & Thalberg paraphrases.
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Fuk that’s too bad., but I figure he’ll record the remaining sonatas one day.
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