Work: Étude-tableau in B minor, Op.39 no.4

A truly remarkable display from a musical giant as Yuja Wang wows the Barbican. 

In the relatively recent past, Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky has featured impressively as an RSNO guest in concertos by two of his countrymen (Rachmaninov and Prokofiev). I was therefore very much looking forward to hearing him in the more intimate, less gladiatorial setting of an Edinburgh International Festival morning Queen’s Hall recital.

It’s hard to ignore Chinese pianist Yuja Wang, and sometimes for the wrong reasons: the controversy about That Dress (a daringly short designer frock paired with killer heels) ruffled some feathers amongst traditional classical music critics and concertgoers, and provoked a healthy debate about concert attire.