The next superstar pianist. Yuja Wang.

Why did you point that out then?

Is Li particularly good looking? And if we concede that his looks were a part of the "hype" (I'm not conceding that at all) does one person make a pattern? I would say no, there is not a pattern here. But it does seem to be a common prejudice in the classical world.

I think there is no logical reason to form any kind of opinion about Yuja Wang by connecting her to Li or Lang or any other young good looking artists, asian or not. . Li, Lang and Yuja are three distinctly different individuals. I don't think Li is the first person to be dropped by a label nor will he be the last. I just don't see the relevance. Would you be asking these questions about her artistic legitimacy if she were an old white dude? Old white dudes have also been dropped by labels over the years.

Again I don't see how "need" comes into play. Unless it is was a new composition, almost every recording mad in the modern stereo era was redundant in the same way. I'm pretty glad such redundancy exists in the world of classical music. Ultimately there is no redundancy since every interpretation is unique. So I don't know what is "needed" but I am glad we have new recordings by new artists of "warhorses." They are warhorses for a very good reason.

Wait, are they discouraging the ugly ones from playing Rach concertos and Beethoven sonatas? It's rhetorical question of course, I see ugly musicians playing warhorses all the time. Some doing it fairly well some not. I think the pattern that this is a "hottie" phenomenon is a result of pattern seeking not of the existence of an actual pattern.

 

I think we're addressing different issues. I'm not attacking her 'artistic legitimacy' as much as expressing a jaundiced view of how the majors do business. (Yes, they overrecord ugly, older artists, too, but that's another issue.)
DG's approach to the ever-deepening crisis of the industry is to find and market photogenic young talent and record them in as much warhorse-y repertory as they possibly can. Call it the Helene Grimaud Syndrome.

I have no idea if they would create lines out the doors of Disney Hall, but I'd sooner listen to artists who stand outside of the foregoing model, like Hamelin, Stephen Hough, Jenny Lin, Aimard... Artists who expand the repertory and thereby meet a need and advance the music. I suspect Jenny Lin has less interest than I do in how she might sound in Rach 3.

 

Well you kind of hit on an important issue here. What if she did care? What if playing Rach III was her thing? Then what?

 

Never knew Rachmaninov is nowadays regarded as a safe choice for a pianist ? I am a fan of hers since the first album dropped and since she is signed to DG she is playing the local venues since years with sold out concerts most of the time. She presents her self nice and humble and with something to say on quite a few tv specials on arte and various special interest magazines covering talent in arts. She always wear a red dress, that is her wardrobe her uniform for playing. Nothing else around her would make you think she is a diva, no extravagant styling, cosmetics or hairdo. She is a natural beauty, but not in an overly sexy manner. Just your nice young girl next door at 24 or so, if she did not have tht asian background. In Shanghai you find thousands looking a bit like her.
Beauty comes from within and quite a few female piano players do look beautiful like Ingrid Flitner. Reducing someone to his looks and worse ethinicity is wrong, plain wrong. What if she was overweight and needed pro active ? Wold that make her a better artist ?
The fact she is still progressing and loving the music makes me believe in her artistic honor and her deep interest in classical music. Didn't she play a lot of Scriabin last year ? Now don't tell me that his compositions are warhorses !
Let's face it : Looks is important in todays visual world - a nice looking woman may have a few more doors opened but if she does stop delivering quality playing she will be dropped by DG faster than an average looking artist. Some people seem to believe if a woman is attractive she can't be serious about arts. that is the other sde of that coin.
I am glad she still loves wat she does so good.

 

The Hollywood Bowl (wasn't there) & the resulting LA Times & TV clips cemented her box office & hubbub in la-la-land. How does she draw in Mexico City, or such? Is it the same sex-kitten on the keys? Got to admit, it is great showbiz gimmick & talent does help. But, as Janis sang, get it while you can.

 

Well, if you are asking...she is in demand all over the world and has reached the point where she picks and chooses her bookings and turns down most offers. She is fully booked as of right now three years in advance. Here is a look at her immediate schedule

ecital
3-6 April Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mo. Sakari Oramo
Armour Stage
PROKOFIEV: Piano Concerto No. 3
16 April Mito, Japan
Mito Geijutsukan
Recital
17 April Tokyo, Japan
Toppan Hall
Recital
18 April Yokohama, Japan
Kanagawa Kenritsu Ongakudo
Recital
19 April Kyoto, Japan
Kyoto Concert Hall
Recital
20 April Saitama, Japan
Sainokuni Saitama Geijutsu Gekijo
Recital
21 April Tokyo, Japan
Suntory Hall
Recital
27 April Dortmund, Germany
Konzerthaus Dortmund
Recital
28 April Wiesbaden, Germany
Kurhaus Wiesbaden
Recital
29 April Luxembourg
Philharmonie
Recital
30 April Mannheim, Germany
Rosengarten Mannheim
Recital
2 May Ravenna, Italy
Teatro Alighieri
Recital
3 May Sacile, Italy
Fazioli Concert Hall
Recital
5 May Salerno, Italy
Teatro Municipale G. Verdi
Recital
7 May Ferrara, Italy
Teatro Comunale Di Ferrara
Recital
8 May Chiasso, Italy
Cinema Teatro
Recital
9 May Brescia, Italy
Teatro Grande
Recital
10 May Bergamo, Italy
Teatro Donizetti
Recital
13 May Berlin, Germany
Philharmonie, Kammermusiksaal
Recital
16 May New York, New York
Carnegie Hall
Recital
21 May Barcelona, Spain
Auditori
Recital
22 May Girona, Spain
Auditori Palau de Congressos
Recital
24 May Arnhem, The Netherlands
Musis Sacrem
Recital
26 May Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Concertgebouw
Recital
29 May Vienna, Austria
Konzerthaus
Recital
7-9 June Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mo. Manfred Honeck
Heinz Hall
TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Concerto No. 1
12,13 June Toronto, Canada
Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mo. Peter Oundjian
Roy Thomson Hall
PROKOFIEV: Piano Concerto No. 2
15 June Toronto, Canada
Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mo. Peter Oundjian
Roy Thomson Hall
RACHMANINOV: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
27 June Tokyo, Japan
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mo. Charles Dutoit
Suntory Hall
CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 1
29 June Seoul, Korea
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mo. Charles Dutoit
Seoul Arts Centre
CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 1
2 July Suzhou, China
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mo. Charles Dutoit
Suzhou Culture and Arts Center
CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 1
4 July Tianjin, China
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mo. Charles Dutoit
Tianjin Grand Theatre
BEETHOVEN: Concerto No. 4
5 July Beijing, China
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mo. Charles Dutoit
National Centre for the Performing Arts
BEETHOVEN: Concerto No. 4
7 July Guangzhou, China
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mo. Charles Dutoit
Guangzhou Opera House
BEETHOVEN: Concerto No. 4
19 July Ruhr, Germany
Ruhrfestspielhaus
Recital
21 July Gmunden, Austria
Toscana Saal
Recital
24 July Rheingau, Germany
Schloss Johannisberg, Fürst-von-Metternich-Saal
Recital
28, 30 July & 1, 3 August Verbier, Switzerland
Recital & Chamber programs
30 July Recital with Gautier Capuçon
1 August Recital with Leonidas Kavakos
9 August Jacksonville, Oregon
Britt Orchestra conducted by Mo. Teddy Abrams
Britt Pavilion
GERSHWIN: Concerto in F
28 August St-Prex, Switzerland
Place de l’Horloge
Recital with Gautier Capuçon

Not sure how she does in Mexico City but I am pretty sure she has offers to go there.

I got news for ya. she didn't sell out Disney Hall because of her wardrobe. Standing ovation at intermission......

 

Well, great. But her playing will get compared to everyone else who's played and recorded the work. For some artists whose chops far outstrip their artistic maturity, e.g. Lang Lang, the effort to make a buck comes at the expense of their long-term development. For others, like Grimaud, the results are respectable but forgettable against the background of the performance history of such a work.

You know that DG will pair this artist with the likes of Abbado, and that Gramophone will give her records no less than polite reviews. But having a very young artist wade into the basic repertory immediately is a high-risk strategy. Ask Li, or Midori.

 

Yes it will. How is that a problem?

Again a reference to Lang Lang. He is irrelevant. Grimaud? Has Grimaud been dropped by the label? Last time I checked she's been having a pretty good go of it as a classical pianist.

I looked at Midori's webpage for kicks and read her bio. I don't see any sense of regret for any of her career choices.
http://www.gotomidori.com/english/

Looks like the press been pretty kind to such a poor unfortunate victim of being so misguided at a young age
http://www.gotomidori.com/english/

Do tell me just how Midori is an example of this alleged high risk strategy going bad? Seems to me she has had a long and successful career.

You might be surprised by who determines the pairings for the recordings. Yuja already has recorded with Abbado but DG didn't pair them. That was their own choice. The reviews were anything but polite. They were quite polarized.

 

Midori has had a fine career as an educator and a performing artist. At the risk of dating myself, I bought her Sony recording of the Bartok concertos when it came out (w/ Mehta/BPO), put it aside for about two decades, and listened to it again a year or two ago. It's a fine record, more light than shade as one might expect. But a strong performance.

Good thing we got her in Bartok 2, because Sony and the Philharmoniker haven't, and presumably won't come calling. Like so many heavily-hyped prodigies, she was tossed into a recording schedule heavy with warhorses, made a few records (and presumably money for the label), and got passed over for someone else, just as Li got passed over in favor of Wang. Wouldn't it be great to get a much more mature Midori in Bartok or Prokofiev or anything else?

To repeat myself: the point is not that Wang is a lousy artist, or that she'll flame out, or that whe won't stick around and prove herself the "superstar" you claim her to be. Maybe she'll be another Argerich or Zimerman, to name two artists who stuck around. But maybe she'll prove to be another Li or another Kissin or another Andreszewski or another (God help her!) Pogorelich. Because however lucky she may be with her 5-CD DG contract, she'll have to overcome the burden of the gorge-and-puke cycle of major label marketing. Meaningless product differentiation being a hallmark of late capitalism, there will, of course, be another Wang-- many others-- bearing the mantle of the "next superstar". (By which you mean, what? The next Argerich? Richter? Cortot? Rachmaninoff?)

From a listener's perspective, we end up with small major-label discographies for these serial prodigies, with many a Liszt sonata and Chopin Op. 22 clogging the online equivalent of the cut-out bins. Which is too bad, because I suspect Wang will have a lot more to say about Brahms, Chopin and Liszt many years down the road-- when no one is paying any attention, preoccupied instead with the then-"superstar" du jour.

 

??? When was Midori dropped by her label?

Hold on here. Now you are just making stuff up. DG's decision to drop Li had nothing to do with their decision to sign Yuja. This is just nonsense.

Apparently she is busy recording new compositions instead of such allegedly tired war horses. ironic no?

Last time I checked Kissin and Pgorelich were both critically acclaimed and highly successful artists who have had pretty long careers that are still going strong. your examples are consistently failing to prove your point.

her contract was already extended. It wasn't luck.

By next superstar I meant next superstar. it doesn't need to be misinterpreted. Surely you know what a super star is do you not?

No the next superstar. Her own self just as those you listed were all their own selves.

And others on this forum suspected she was so much the flavor of the month that she would already have faded away by now. Go figure.[/quote][/quote][/quote][/quote][/quote]

 

Well, time will tell. If she's the superstar you think she is, we all win. But the ground is thick with prodigies who have failed, for personal or market-related reasons, to sustain a major career.

 

new release featuring Yuja on Piano. Really nice music. Quite a departure for Yuja.

http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Februa...-spell&keywords=summer+in+feburary+soundtrack

 

If you live in the San Diego area tickets for Yuja's recital in October went on sale today
http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=22672&schedule=list

 

Yuja Wang @5:15 http://www.summerinfebruary.com/music.html

 

http://www.medici.tv/#!/daniel-harding-yuja-wang-menahem-pressler-verbier-festival

 

http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/d/dgg791304a.php

"I would have to rank Wang's Rachmaninov Third with the finest past efforts by Glemser, Janis, and Mogilevsky. Her Prokofiev Second reaches similar high plateaus, joining such formidable company as Gutierrez, Ashkenazy, Beroff, Yundi Li and the recent and very convincing Anna Vinnitskaya (Naïve V5238). Wang's CD is a must for those interested in 20th-century piano concerto repertory. Highest recommendations!"

 

Luv me some Yuja. Have all of her CDs. Luv Anna too!

 

Oy. If the Wang recording ranks with a whole bunch of other ones of Rach 3/Prokofiev 2, how can it be a "must" for anyone interested in that repertory?

Or perhaps logic and internal coherence are too much to expect from a reviewer, or at least one content passively to consume whatever the fast-vanishing major labels decide to foist on him.

 

Replace Wang with Led Zeppelin and all the other artists with Zep's bretheren and this would
just be another SHF defend your favorite artist thread. I'm really enjoying this one. Scott is too
close to his subject to back down - it's why I stay out of most of the threads involving my favorite
artists........

 

Let's take the specifics out of the equation and address the heart of your question. If any new recording of a particular piece ranks with the best how could it *not* be a must for anyone interested in that piece?

I am kind of curious how it would be illogical to recommend a new recording of any classical music if the reviewer considers both pieces to be among the best versions ever recorded. How is that not logical?

 

Yes I am way too close. That is why I don't offer my own reviews at this point. But it's kind of hard to stay away from a thread that I started. Especially when I was so clearly right in predicting Yuja's meteoric rise to stardom.

 

I took the reviewer to state the record was a "must" for fans of 20th C. concerto repertoire, not just collectors of Rach. 3/Prokofiev 2. Basically, the review tells *me* that Wang has tremendous chops and can surmount any technical challenge. I hope DG/Universal does well by her, but I'd be concerned she'll be chewed up and spit out in her label's efforts to find and market the Next Big Young Thing in over-recorded repertoire.

Someone who can ace Rach. 3 *and* give us great late Schubert, or contribute to a lesser-known corner of the repertoire, would really be grounds for excitement. And maybe Wang is that artist. It's hard not to suspect, though, that DG is unlikely to permit her that sort of freedom or sustain a long-term commitment to her. We'll see.

 

This article discusses the proliferating-virtuosi issue:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/a...ew-piano-generation.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

 

I guess we will see. But for now I don't see any issue. This particular recording has been the top seller in classical music since it's release. Yuja is actually in the studio as we speak recording with Leonidas Kavakos on his next CD for Decca. Yuja is now receiving top billing at the major concert halls across the world. At Disney Hall this season she is the only soloist to completely sell out the hall for a recital. She also sold out four straight days for the Rach 3 concerto. Not much reason for DG to try to get out of their recently extended contract with Yuja that I can see. At 26 I think she is doing about as well as anyone possibly could. She is critically acclaimed and hugely popular. So I am not really sure how she gets chewed up ad spit out by DG at this point. Not even sure what that actually means.

The only thing she can do to move upwards from where she is now is to become one of those now very rare break out artists who become bigger than classical music itself. How many artists have done that in the past 30 years? About 5 or 6? To me that is the big question. Does she rise to that level of popularity? I think she will.

 

Yeah I read this article when it first came out and I agree that pianism has improved substantially over the years. I think this has been a difficult pill for a lot of classical fans to swallow.Ones that like to hold on to their childhood heroes and believe they really were better than today's stars. We see the same thing in sports too.