SONATAS & ETUDES By Yuja Wang

Despite a rave review from the NEW YORK TIMES I find it hard to warm up to Yuja Wang’s CD. Yuja Wang plays with great technique and energy. She cruises through Chopin’s “Piano Sonata #2 in B flat minor.” Yuja Wang even brings life to Chopin’s funeral march. In Legeti’s “Etude 4: Fanfares” Wang’s fingers fly across the keyboard. Her Scriabin “Piano Sonata #2 in G sharp minor” is precise. She wraps up the CD with a spirited version of Liszt’s “Piano Sonata in B minor.” But I don’t sense any joy in this music. Yes, it’s wonderfully played, but it sounds empty to me. GRADE: C+

4 thoughts on “SONATAS & ETUDES By Yuja Wang

  1. eketahuna

    Frankly I still haven’t finished listening to her Liszt Sonata, which I loathe and detest. However your C+ is way out of line. She’s only 22 and has admitted that technique has been her priority these last few years.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      If you like technique, then you’ll like Yuja Wang. But if you crave some color to the music, and maybe some joy, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

      Reply
  2. Rick Robinson

    Sounds like it’s all technique and no feeling for the music, just striking the notes in order. There’s a lot of that going around these days. I think Art Scott may have referred to that as Lang :ang syndrome or something like that.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      You’re right about that, Rick. There are plenty of musicians with talent to burn, but their music is joyless and sterile. Yuja Wang falls into that category.

      Reply

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