Yuja Wang – Transformation: Stravinsky, Scarlatti, Brahms & Ravel

On the heels of her impressive Deutsche Grammophon debut recital album, pianist Yuja Wang’s return recording for the label – Transformation – categorically demonstrates that she is a young master of the Steinway.

Her new album excites with a demanding recital that includes some of the most electrifying pieces of piano literature – Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka, Brahms’s Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Scarlatti’s Sonatas in E and B minor, and Ravel’s La Valse.

Yuja Wang’s ability to take her music by storm is tempered by a sophisticated musicality that never distorts the line.

Transformation highlights Yuja Wang’s penchant for piecing together high concept programs the public adores. As The New York Times observes, “She seems to have everything: speed, flexibility, pianistic thunder, and interpretive nuance.”

Reviews

BBC Music Magazine July 2010

“The Petrushka movements…have a unique fizz and excitement and quite the most orchestral range of colour I’ve heard…Her poise in the two Scarlatti sonatas is admirable, the textures beautifully transparent, the interplay of voices superbly balanced…Altogether one of the most stimulating recitals I’ve heard this year. – 5 out of 5 stars

Gramophone Magazine July 2010

“Wang makes light of even the fiercest complexity…she has a dazzling way of lightening even the heaviest textures so that her entire performance gleams with an astonishing brilliance and verve….you will find her as musically beguiling as she is breathtakingly fleet.

The Times 29th May 2010

“The brilliant Chinese pianist dazzles with more than technical panache. She understands what she plays; she’s sensitive and has poise. She’s also a clever programme builder, successfully mixing shape-shifting works by Stravinsky, Brahms and Ravel with two Scarlatti sonatas. – 4 out of 5 stars

New York Times 26th November 2010

“[Wang] approaches repertory staples with original, illuminating ideas. Her sharp articulation and the deftness with which she moves between thunder and sparkle yield vivid performances of Stravinsky and Ravel, a searching account of Brahms’s Variations on a Theme of Paganini and uncommonly graceful readings of two Scarlatti sonatas.