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Having missed Horowitz, Rubenstien, etc, she's the greatest phenomenon I've ever seen in classical music. I sat on the stage for a recent Carnegie recital and ended up kind of nauceous haha. Total sensory overload. god bless her, long life!
I have great respect for Yuja and have many fine cds of hers. She's certainly highly respected in the musical world but I suspect if she was say an Eastern European man she would have a much greater following. The fact that she is Asian sadly for some discounts her talent with immediate bias. I don't want to open a can of worms here but let's be honest. There's also another pianist I follow who is also a phenomenom. Her name is HJ Lim and has quite a number of recordings on youtube. She's Korean and ironically the same age of Yuja.
I suspect if she was say an Eastern European man she would have a much greater following. The fact that she is Asian sadly for some discounts her talent with immediate bias.
Many people have a preconceived perception of Asian pianists. They will assume that they have a good technique but limited musicianship and will play mechanically. If an Eastern European male had her technique and style people would be raving left and right. Since I'm a physician, years ago the CEO of the hospital asked me to interview a female orthopedist. Right of the back, I told him that she has to be good because it's an old boy's club and she would have to be significantly better than her peers to get into that residency.
Many people have a preconceived perception of Asian pianists. They will assume that they have a good technique but limited musicianship and will play mechanically. If an Eastern European male had her technique and style people would be raving left and right. Since I'm a physician, years ago the CEO of the hospital asked me to interview a female orthopedist.
As you wrote: "... many years ago..." Times are changing; times have changed. I see many more women in all the sciences now that there were "many years ago."
Originally Posted by kbrod1
Right of the back, I told him that she has to be good because it's an old boy's club and she would have to be significantly better than her peers to get into that residency.
If you don't mind my saying so, the expression is: "right off the bat."
You are correct times have changed but sadly a certain percentage of the masses have retained biased views and we can see many have been emboldened by certain leadership and I leave it at that. Yes, I'm familiar with the expression but my phone is not. I typed quickly in the parking lot and later on when I read it I noticed several errors including of instead of off but figured people would understand.
Some people might be interested in this recent Yuja Wang interview: But listen to how smooth her playing is, how natural free and easy, like ice calving from a glacier; precise like an AC power grid.
OT: when looking up "ice calving", I chanced upon the following documentary .. (I think Yuja wouldn't mind :-)
Maybe I am the minority but I am not really too impressed with her playing because her performances to me felt unconvincing and hollow. Her technique is great but there is something lacking to me. Today's audience seems to be all dazzled with pianists with great techniques and want the most difficult pieces performed...
Granted she is still very young, so she may mature into a more refined pianist later.
Maybe I am the minority but I am not really too impressed with her playing because her performances to me felt unconvincing and hollow. Her technique is great but there is something lacking to me. Today's audience seems to be all dazzled with pianists with great techniques and want the most difficult pieces performed...
Granted she is still very young, so she may mature into a more refined pianist later.
Not listened to her but have the same thoughts about Chenyin Li who does the pianist mag CD's. Certainly aiming for the technique!
Some people might be interested in this recent Yuja Wang interview: But listen to how smooth her playing is, how natural free and easy, like ice calving from a glacier; precise like an AC power grid.
OT: when looking up "ice calving", I chanced upon the following documentary .. (I think Yuja wouldn't mind :-)
OK; I'm being pedantic, but your examples are similes, not metaphors.
I wouldn't think ice would ever travel smoothly, and would it not likely be blocked in a rain gutter? Rain or water would travel smoothly along a rain gutter, wouldn't it?
[quote=phantomFive][...] [...]OK; I'm being pedantic, but your examples are similes, not metaphors.
I wouldn't think ice would ever travel smoothly, and would it not likely be blocked in a rain gutter? Rain or water would travel smoothly along a rain gutter, wouldn't it?
Regards,
In retrospect, I realize that that was not a very friendly post. My apologies.
Many people have a preconceived perception of Asian pianists. They will assume that they have a good technique but limited musicianship and will play mechanically. If an Eastern European male had her technique and style people would be raving left and right. Since I'm a physician, years ago the CEO of the hospital asked me to interview a female orthopedist. Right of the back, I told him that she has to be good because it's an old boy's club and she would have to be significantly better than her peers to get into that residency.
Well, Lang Lang didn't do much to improve this with his bombastic facial expressions, however I do know what you mean.
This will change though in time. People have preconceptions and stereotypes, and in this case, probably founded on something, like originally the Asians did chug out technique above musicianship, but that's changing, give it time. Yuja Wang will do her part in changing this.
Society changes slowly like that.
Also, how did this thread get from talking about the lovely Yuja Wang to talking about the intricacies of guttering?
Many people have a preconceived perception of Asian pianists. They will assume that they have a good technique but limited musicianship and will play mechanically. If an Eastern European male had her technique and style people would be raving left and right. Since I'm a physician, years ago the CEO of the hospital asked me to interview a female orthopedist. Right of the back, I told him that she has to be good because it's an old boy's club and she would have to be significantly better than her peers to get into that residency.
Well, Lang Lang didn't do much to improve this with his bombastic facial expressions, however I do know what you mean.
Lang Lang plays mechanically? I'd have thought his detractors would say he's OTT in his overtly emotional/expressive interpretations (and I'm not talking about his facial or body movements).
As for Yuja Wang, I never thought her playing had much personality. A lot of brilliance and fire, yes, but so do many other pianists (listen to her Rachmaninoff concertos, for instance). And I'm afraid she lost a lot of my respect when she poked fun at her colleagues (including Lang Lang, if I'm not mistaken) in one of her YT videos, which I thought displayed immaturity unworthy of a famous musician.
Whatever you might say about Lang Lang, he never disses other musicians publicly.
Lang Lang plays mechanically? I'd have thought his detractors would say he's OTT in his overtly emotional/expressive interpretations (and I'm not talking about his facial or body movements).
Hold your horses there Mr. Nevis!
What I meant was that a lot of Lang Lang's facial expressions can come off as rather fake - therefore suggesting to the onlooker a compensation for certain lack of emotion in his playing (which as you point out is, rather than being "fake", actually overcooked). I never said anything about his playing.
Sorry if that was unclear, it was one of my abstract moments.
As for Lang Lang never dissing other musicians publicly - are you suggesting that he only disses them privately?
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