SinceIt was founded in 1961. Young Concert Artists has supported emerging musicians who win its annual competition — including offering a coveted New York recital. ButDuring the pandemic, these recitals were made virtually.
On ThursdayThe organization was the most recent New Yorkinstitution to resume in person concerts Zhu WangA 24-year-old pianist from ChinaAt the recital, he gave an outstanding performance Zankel Hall. ZhuHis apologies. New Yorkdebut performed a challenging 90-minute program with no intermission.
WithThis is an uncommonly exciting and adventurous collection of pieces. ZhuHe was a sensitive, thoughtful performer. HeWith Bach’s arrangement for keyboard of Alessandro Marcello’s Oboe ConcertoIn D minor; this was Bach’s pragmatic way of getting to know the latest currents in Italianmusic from the inside. A flowing, fluid first movement leads to a plaintive AdagioFollowing was bustling Presto finale. ZhuBalanced lyrical warmth with crisp clarity
HeThen it was to Schumann’s “Humoreske,” a 30-minute suite in seven movements. PerformancesThis remarkable piece is a rare find. Perhaps it’s because of its unpredictable mood swings and flight of fancy that it can seem somewhat baffling. ZhuThe music was conveyed passionately by a rhapsodic sweep, mercurial passion and clarity of sound. HeIt was particularly impressive during episodes that featured wistful, poetic tenderness.
HeThe audience was then informed about the next project. Zhang Zhao’s “Pi Huang (MomentsIn Beijing Opera),” which he said offered impressions of ChineseOpera is a combination of music, dance, and even martial arts, as well as acrobatics. TheA short, spectacular piece that was filled with trills, tremolos and rustling arpeggios as well as beguiling tunes. There were also jittery segments of dance music. BartokianCluster chords
Daniel KelloggPresident of Young Concert ArtistsWhen Susan WadsworthIts founder, who retired in 2019, was on stage with Nina Shekhar, the organization’s composer in residence, to introduce her “Vocalise.” (ShekharOrchestral works will be performed by the New York PhilharmonicIn May.)
TheThe term vocalise means a song with no words. InShe adapted the concept to the piano for this premiere. ThisThis 12-minute ruminative score is inspired by a elegiac melodies. HindustaniMusical styles ThereThese are long, boring blocks chords that combine lyrical lines with mysterious sounds and delicate strands to create a compelling combination. Zhu’s account.
HeWith Liszt — choosing not some overtly virtuosic piece, but that composer’s teeming, imaginative “Réminiscences de Norma,” a fascinating reflection on Bellini’s opera in which its melodies are transformed into piano music, by turns contemplative and exciting.
ZhuYou did it beautifully. And Young Concert ArtistsIt is back.
Young Concert Artists
The bass-baritone William SocolofIt appears on Dec. 9 at Merkin Concert Hall, Manhattan; yca.org.
Source: NY Times
