Marvelous Yuja!
- San Francisco concert review
Music by Russian composers, and the compositions of Frederyk Chopin were featured at the Louise Davies Hall in San Francisco, when amazing pianist Yuja Wang returned to San Francisco for an enjoyable recital.
Her program on Tuesday, October 15th, 2013 began with Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata #3. This is an early work “from old notebooks”, which the composer created in 1917. Three short movements are played without pause, and from the beginning I could see how Ms. Wang draws fire from the huge piano on the stage.
Although I was sitting in First Tier, the Bass sound from the piano was explosive. I just loved her playing, her passion, her stage presence, and the way she presented this 8-minute piece.
Much has been written about her tiny dresses and spiky heels. What is so amazing is how petite Ms. Wang achieves this contrast between her seemingly tiny body and the forcefulness she achieves at her instrument. That contrast creates drama and passion, which are so crucial to achieving a lasting experience for the listener.
And at this performance, Tuesday’s program also included Chopin’s memorable Sonata #3, Nocturne in C-Minor, and Ballade #3.
A jazzy, enjoyable work by Nikolai Kapustin called “Variations” was played by Ms. Wang to show us more fireworks as the second half of the concert began. This was a great change of pace from the two “older” works that occupied the first half.
Stravinsky’s “Three Movements from Petrushka” was the final work on the program, yet Ms. Wang honored her audience with several encores. The final encore was a memorable rendition of Rachmaninov’s “Vocalise”.
This was a collection of varied music, presented by Ms. Wang in a fine, well-prepared, and exciting manner that made it a totally great experience.
Here is an older video of Yuja Wang in Rachmaninov’s Vocalise op. 34 no. 14:
And next, here is Prokofiev’s sonata 6 Finale:
Tags: Yuja Wang, Concert Review, San Francisco, October 15 2013, Kapustin, Prokofiev, Chopin