“To perform one Rachmaninoff concerto requires the stamina of a linebacker, the dexterity of a surgeon, and the soul of an artist. To play all four—plus that brilliant joyride, the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini—would seem beyond human capacity. But if anybody could pull it off, Yuja Wang, with her impressively efficient technique and unwavering focus, could. And she did. Centered and balanced on the bench, with no wasted …
“Rachmaninov’s second concerto — composed in 1901 after a psychological breakdown and subsequent breakthrough — is as familiar as anything in the canon. Yet this interpretation began unfolding with a delighting freshness. In the first movement I heard witty textures, enlivening dynamic phrasing, a thrilling level of lucidity; in the second, a new emotional clarity and insight… I believe Rachmaninov offers a very beautiful and dignified sonic inquiry of everything …
“It was a momentous occasion as Wang played all five of Rachmaninoff’s works for piano and orchestra at Carnegie Hall for one show only. Yes, Yuja Wang did an encore. After playing, with electric mastery, all four of Rachmaninoff’s dizzyingly difficult piano concertos and his “Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini” on Saturday — the kind of feat for which the phrase “once in a lifetime” was invented — she …
Yuja Wang gives a dazzling solo performance in the world premiere recording of a major new work specially written for her by her friend Teddy Abrams. Although originally conceived as a short companion composition to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Abrams’ Piano Concerto blossomed to become a 35-minute standalone showpiece. Celebrating the richness of America’s musical culture and the sheer depth and breadth of Yuja Wang’s virtuosity, the work now features …
Financial Times “Lindberg[‘s]… third piano concerto was tailored for Yuja Wang’s dazzling virtuosity; on Thursday she played this formidable score from memory and sounded commanding throughout, from thunderous assertion to caressing lyricism. This concerto, Lindberg said in an interview, is “the biggest piece I’ve written”, 30 minutes long in three movements. The result is alternately grand and intimately beautiful. There is a true dialogue between soloist and orchestra, both of whom play …
New York Classical Review 1. Music of Beethoven, Schoenberg, Ligeti, Scriabin, Albéniz and Kapustin. Yuja Wang. Packing Carnegie Hall without even announcing what she was going to play, the performance phenomenon that is Yuja Wang lit up unexpected corners of piano music in April. Arnold Schoenberg, György Ligeti, and the Ukrainian jazz/classical pianist Nikolai Kapustin are not sure winners with lovers of the piano’s Romantic core repertoire, but when Wang applied her vast resources …
The Guardian If ever two musicians seemed to be in their own separate worlds when playing together, it’s the violinist Leonidas Kavakos and pianist Yuja Wang. And yet the level of shared detail and purpose in this recital – a generous programme of three meaty sonatas and three encores – was proof of the ongoing strength of the longstanding occasional partnership between these star soloists. Much of the music’s sense of propulsion …
