Gifted Chinese pianist Yuja Wang debuts on DG’s roster with an album featuring compositions by Chopin, Ligeti, Liszt, and Scriabin. Yuja Wang chooses pieces that, in her judgment, are refreshingly atypical of the customary musical perspectives of these composers. Exceptional artistry, technical perfection, and a rare ability to evoke an uncommonly vivid palette of rich colors from the instrument characterize Yuja Wang’s pianism
After blazing through Ravel’s Concerto for Left Hand, the Miami Herald wrote, “The evening’s spotlight belonged to Yuja Wang . . . [who] showed remarkable fire and iron-fingered power."
“The opening movement of Chopin’s Second Sonata certainly identifies qualities of youthful impetuosity, power and dexterity.” Daily Telegraph, 25th June 2009 ***
“The Scriabin (sonata no 2) flows nicely; in the Liszt B minor sonata she’s no empty virtuoso. A talent worth watching.” The Times, 23rd May 2009 ****
“…Yuja Wang… has all the equipment to be one of the most exciting pianists of her generation. As well as a stunning technique she has a fabulous range of sonority and colour… the two Ligeti Etudes, especially 'Fanfares', suit her dazzling fingerwork perfectly. Pianistically, parts of her Liszt Sonata are extraordinary, with blistering octaves, razor-sharp articulation and a wonderful tonal richness.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2009 ****
“…22-year-old Yuja Wang is a wondrously gifted pianist whose debut album… suggests a combination of blazing technique and a rare instinct for poetry. In Scriabin's Second Sonata she is beautifully sensitive to the moods, whether tranquil and starlit or tempestuous, reflecting the composer's love of the Baltic Sea. She is fiery but never reckless in Chopin's Second Sonata... As a crowning touch her Ligeti Etudes are both musicianly and dazzlingly incisive. In the words of the publicist, "a star is born".” Gramophone Magazine, August 2009
Gramophone Magazine
