# Yuja Wang. let's talk about her....



## Tarneem

I don't know man. when I listen to her I absolutely feel that she is a craft master and she knows what she is doing. but she never moves me to that sublime place where angels sings, when I hear her perform the piano, her music never reaches the depth of my soul. the whole thing seem bland... no flavor.

is it just me or do you guys feel the same???


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## bagpipers

She does dawn some risque outfits that's for sure ,never heard her play though.

EDIT 
I just listened to her ,I thought she was pretty good actually ,full of spirit,maybe not deep emotionally but full of spirit,very spirtited.Very talented for sure!


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## Op.123

Tarneem said:


> I don't know man. when I listen to her I absolutely feel that she is a craft master and she knows what she is doing. but she never moves me to that sublime place where angels sings, when I hear her perform the piano, her music never reaches the depth of my soul. the whole thing seem bland... no flavor.
> 
> is it just me or do you guys feel the same???


This is very much my response to her playing too


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## Animal the Drummer

I wonder whether that's a reflection of (a) her youth and (b) what she currently plays, as much as one of intrinsic musical quality or lack of it. There's no question that technically she's the real deal, so I'm reserving judgment on the depth of her interpretations until I've heard her in more musically demanding repertoire.


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## bagpipers

Op.123 said:


> This is very much my response to her playing too


She is not deep emotionally but very very spirited!


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## bharbeke

In my limited experiences so far with her recordings, the best thing I have heard her play was a Scarlatti piano sonata.


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## Hogwash

I'm a  of Yuja so much love for her. She's great, playful, a breath of fresh air. She puts on a show. Her showmanship is off the charts. I understand that some people are going to be turned off by the flashy stuff and that's fine. Not me. I'm loving it. She's the one pianist I would consider paying extra $$ just to sit close enough to the stage to toss a bouquet of flowers to her.


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## Highwayman

Her playing has a no-bs attitude to it that might go well with some composers like Rach (who has his own share of bs). I`m not necessarily a fan (yet) but she is well ahead of LL both at pianism and showmanship.


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## lextune

She is at her best in extremely technically demanding repertoire, where the most important aspect of the music is clearly delineating complex part writing, and/or just powering through incredibly virtuosic passages. 

Witness her absolutely jaw dropping version of Prokofiev's 2nd Piano Concerto. Never before has the 1st movement cadenza been played with such power, speed, and clarity. It is almost beyond belief.

(See also Bartok's 2nd, and similarly "extreme" works)

In works with "normal" levels of technical requirements, (Chopin Ballades, Waltzes, the Liszt Sonata, etc.) where a more singing line, or bare emotional delivery is called for, she seems much colder, or flat, or perhaps to put it more nicely, pedagogical.

She is still young though. I anticipate enjoying her more in the "standard" literature someday.


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## damianjb1

I think she's amazing. It frustrates me that a lot of people (not people here) can't hear past her clothes. She doesn't just pay the super flashy stuff. She plays chamber music and lieder. She played the Hammerklavier Sonata at Carnegie Hall (how's that for nerve). Her Rachmaninoff concerto's are my favourite recordings. She may not have quite the depth of Argerich or Zimmerman but I think we're bloody lucky to have her.


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## mikeh375

lextune said:


> She is at her best in extremely technically demanding repertoire, where the most important aspect of the music is clearly delineating complex part writing, and/or just powering through incredibly virtuosic passages.
> *Witness her absolutely jaw dropping version of Prokofiev's 2nd Piano Concerto. Never before has the 1st movement cadenza been played with such power, speed, and clarity. It is almost beyond belief.*
> (See also Bartok's 2nd, and similarly "extreme" works)


Hell yes, that cadenza in particular is immensely powerful under her fingers. She's also on YT playing his Toccata with superb clarity and precision for an encore. If you're in the mood also check out her 'Three Movements from Petrushka'. Her playing in the Stravinsky displays the usual precision, lots of sensitivity and a wonderful 'orchestral' awareness in how she balances the various layers of sound, as clearly heard in the canon at 12'54". (There are a 2 or 3 wrong notes in this section which is extremely rare for her).
For me, she is one of the most accomplished pianists alive.


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## lextune

Yes, Petruschka is another excellent example.

When pure technical virtuosity is part and parcel to making a piece musically appealing she is at her best.


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## Art Rock

This video was in my recommendations just now - I had not seen it before.

*The Evolution of Yuja Wang (9 to 33 years old)*


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