Showing posts with label Márquez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Márquez. Show all posts

Thursday, 21 April 2022

Artistry, focus and virtuosic fireworks from Yuja Wang in recital


Yuja Wang (© Ian Farrell)


Yuja Wang (piano)

7.30pm, Wednesday 20 April 2022

Royal Festival Hall, London

















Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827): Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major, 'Hunt', Op. 31 No. 3
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951): Suite, Op. 25
György Ligeti (1923-2006): Etude No. 6, 'Autumn à Varsovie' & Etude No. 13, 'L'escalier du diable'
Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915): Piano Sonata No. 3 in F sharp minor, Op. 23
Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909): Iberia, Bk 4: 'Málaga' & Bk 3: 'Lavapiés'
Nikolai Kapustin (1937-2020): Prelude in B major, Op. 53 No. 11 & Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 53 No. 10

Encores:
Philip Glass (b.1937): Etude No. 6
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV1067, Badinerie (arr. unknown)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Intermezzo in C sharp minor, Op. 117 No. 3
Arturo Márquez (b.1950): Danzón No. 2 (arr. unknown)
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Toccata in D minor, Op. 11
Vladimir Horowitz (1903-1989): Carmen Variations
Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Gretchen am Spinnrade, D118 (transcribed by Franz Liszt (1811-1886))
Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky (1840-1893): Swan Lake, Op. 20, Dance of the Little Swans (arr. Earl Wild (1915-2010))
Giovanni Scambati (1841-1914): Mélodie (transcribed from Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787): Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Orphée et Eurydice)

Yuja Wang (© Ian Farrell)
'While Wang more than delivered virtuosic fireworks, she gave so much more in her wide-ranging programme, showing phenomenal artistry and focus in well over two hours of performance'.

Schoenberg:
'Her Schoenberg that followed was, however, a revelation, with opening bite and edge followed by some remarkably delicate and intricate details'.

Ligeti:
'In ... Automne à Varsovie, Wang was into her astonishingly virtuosic stride, with hands at full stretch to either end of the keyboard. Yet it was her dynamic control that also impressed here'.

Scriabin:
'Wang’s dynamic control was impressive, with barely audible pianissimos expressing heartfelt longing'.

Encores:
'Dazzlingly rapid repetition in Glass followed by a crazy arrangement of ... Bach'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.