Yuja Wang brings dazzling virtuosity to the Gilmore Festival

Yuja Wang

By Sam Jacobson, 12 May 2024

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“mirrored by the smile on Wang’s face, undaunted by the staggering technical demands”

Reviewed at Chenery Auditorium, Kalamazoo on 8 May 2024

Messiaen, Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus: Le baiser de l'enfant Jésus

Messiaen, Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus: Regard de l'esprit de joie

Debussy, L'Isle joyeuse, Op.26

Scriabin, Piano Sonata no. 8, Op.66

Chopin, Ballade no. 2 in F major, Op.38

Chopin, Ballade no. 3 in A flat major, Op.47

Chopin, Ballade no. 1 in G minor, Op.23

Chopin, Ballade no. 4 in F minor, Op.52

Shostakovich, Prelude and Fugue in D flat major, Op.87 no.15

Strauss II, An der schönen blauen Donau (The Blue Danube), Op.314 (trans. Cziffra)

Glinka, The Lark (trans. Balakirev)

Tchaikovsky, Symphony no. 6 in B minor, "Pathétique", Op.74: Allegro molto vivace (trans. Feinberg)

Márquez, Danzón no. 2 (trans. Gómez-Tagle)

Yuja Wang, Piano

Yuja Wang with the Mahler CO: between lyricism and volatility

Edward Sava-Segal, 1st May

Yuja Wang and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra frame Chopin’s E minor concerto with two Prokofiev works, the First Symphony and Second Piano Concerto.

****1

Shock, spectacle and endurance: Yuja Wang and Thomas Adès at full tilt

Laurence Vittes, 8th February

If Prokofiev’s original intention in his Second Piano Concerto was shock and awe, Yuja Wang gives exactly the right performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

***11

Thomas Adès and Yuja Wang offer contemporary works at the NY Phil

Sam Jacobson, 23rd January

Yuja Wang returns to the New York Philharmonic with Rautavaara’s dazzling First Piano Concerto in a probing program curated and conducted by Thomas Adès.

****1

Yuja Wang serves an iridescent musical feast in Cleveland

Sam Jacobson, 28th November

Yuja Wang does double duty in demanding piano concertos by Ravel and Ligeti, while conductor Petr Popelka shows his chemistry with the orchestra in Pictures at an Exhibition.

****1

Contemporary works populate Philadelphia Orchestra's opening night

Cameron Kelsall, 25th September

Audiences drawn in by Yuja Wang's performance of the Ravel Piano Concerto are also treated to Julia Wolfe and Arturo Márquez.

****1

Stormy weather: a wild ride with Berlioz and Yuja Wang at Tanglewood

Kevin Wells, 20th July

Yuja Wang’s verve and panache, combined with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra’s fearless, youthful energy, forge an incandescent, explosive performance.

****1

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Sam Jacobson

Sam Jacobson has been writing for Bachtrack since 2015 and is currently in Pittsburgh, having previously lived throughout the Midwest. A keen traveler, he endeavors to see all the great orchestras and opera houses across the US and abroad. Outside of music, he works as a software engineer. He also maintains a blog which can be read here.

Yuja Wang brings dazzling virtuosity and sensitive artistry to the Gilmore Festival