Comments by "Classical LP Vault" (@classicallpvault8251) on "The Impossible Virtuosity of Yuja Wang" video.

  1. Something else compared to what standard of performance? Is she a better pianist than, let's say, Arsentiy Kharitonov, Khatia Buniatishvili, Daniil Trifonov, or Bertrand Chamayou? No. They're all in the same league technique- and musicality-wise. I could mention Marc-André Hamelin as well but that's not a fair comparison as he's had 24 years more to build his massive repertoire so I'll stick to pianists of roughly the same generation. Is she far more popular than all them? Absolutely. Why? Marketing. Given that at the very top, everyone is a technically superb virtuoso with total control over dynamics and tone, what matters more is wether someone has a highly individual style and/or repertoire. I don't find any particular stilistic idiosyncracy that stands out, nor does she play ANYTHING outside of the run-of-the-mill standard repertoire and I've searched for anything from any relatively unknown composer I know of. She doesn't even play any Alkan, who has become more or less standard repertoire. That's a bit of a let-down and the dark side of being a super star: if you're expected to make a shitload of money for your impresario and your publisher you'll be compelled to record the same repertoire that has been recorded umpteen times already. At least for example Arsentiy Kharitonov recorded Ornstein's complete piano works and is a highly gifted and prolific composer and performer of his own works. Her incredible virtuosity and fame comes at a price.
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  2.  @nickk8416  I assure you that Rachmaninoff never recorded this. It's Györgi Cziffra's transcription. He was a young man serving in the Hungarian army in WWII when Rachmaninoff died.
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  3. This video really should have featured her performance of 'Scarbo' from 'Gaspard de la nuit' from the Verbier festival instead. Flight Of The Bumblebee isn't a particularly beautiful piece of music and really is just a circus act for virtuosi no matter how insanely difficult this transcription is and how insanely well she plays it. 'Scarbo' is both incredibly difficult AND a superb piece of music.
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