Here is the promised part two of Joy in the Mail wherein we piano addicts take a look at two more upcoming releases by artists Yuja Wang and Behzod, Abduaimov.

Fantasia: Yuja Wang

Yuja Wang literally has her wings on for this new recording—black feathery ones to be exact. Fantasia is a collection of 18 small solo works and encores close to herself and her audiences.

With these miniatures, I hope I can capture a mood or a scent—a hint of atmosphere. That’s all you can do with small pieces, create a vignette of a memory, or a hope. It’s like a haiku… People assume that an encore is something showy, but for me , it’s a little moment of tenderness from the heart.

And capture she does: from Rachmaninov Etudes-tableau, to Scarlatti, to Scriabin, to Chopin’s Valse in C sharp minor, to transcriptions including the Gluck/Scambati Melodie from Orfeo ed Euridice, Bizet/Horowitz Variations on a theme from Carmen, Dukas/Staub Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Strauss/ Liszt Gretchen am Spinnrade, and Strauss/Cziffra Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka.

Each piece is its own little world. We daydream in some and are thrown right into the action in others. A great time indeed—with wings.

Fantasia will be available in the US beginning tomorrow April 10th on Deutsche Grammophon. A video is scheduled to be released soon.

 

Abduraimov: Behzod Abduraimov

Eighteen year old pianist Behzod Abduraimov’s career skyrocketed after his win in the 2009 London International Piano Competition. Now 21, he has performed all over the world. Abduraimov is his debut recording.

For all the drama, aural spectacle and electricity in his playing, it’ substantial, disciplined, and accurate. He doesn’t splash, he doesn’t fake, It’s real. (Michael White)

The electricity is evident in the Saint-Saens/ Liszt/Horowitz Danse Macabre, Prokofiev’s Suggestions Diabolique and Sonata No. 6, as well as, the Liszt Mehisto Waltz No. 1. Substantial is a also good word for the Prokofiev Sonata No. 6. The performance is very much the aural spectacle and full of the rhythmic irony and sarcasm vs. rich lyricism for which Prokofiev is so well known.

In the pieces from Liszt’s Benediction de Dieu dans la Solitude, we hear a much less dramatic, more contemplative and atmospheric side of Mr. Abduraimov. It is, none the less, as completely electrifying as the other pieces on the recording.

This is purely elegant playing. His elegance combined with the aforementioned electricity draws you in completely.

Abduraimov will be available in the US beginning April 24th on Decca.

 

Share