New York Classical Review Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-4 and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Yuja Wang with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin . How long can the Chinese pianist go on topping herself with one-of-a-kind musical events?  This year it was performing all of Rachmaninoff’s music for piano and orchestra—four concertos and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini—in one January afternoon (and evening) at Carnegie Hall. The marvel was not just Wang’s getting through it, but the vitality and insight she brought to every bar of the music. Any of these five …

“Wang debuted like a shot of espresso. She donned a sizzling bedazzled red romper and glittering Louboutin stilettos. Style and spectacle are basically Wang’s calling cards, and her outfit radiated fearlessness and ferocity. Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto, like all concertos, unfolds in three parts. “Allegro ma non tanto,“ the first section, begins deceptively straightforward as the pianist introduces a simple diatonic melody. As the section and concerto progress, however, the …

“The theme acts as a spirit, carrying within the piece in various form through harshness from the brass and the brightness of the upper strings. The beginning is of a slow nature within the orchestra coupled with a lightness in the piano. This doesn’t last long as it seamlessly builds up with intensity. In that moment, the composer is truly in control of us until finally, a release that gives …