Yuja Wang apologises for cancelled tour

Yuja Wang apologises for cancelled tour

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norman lebrecht

May 06, 2018

Love means never having to say….

Comments

  • Dennis Throggmorton says:

    Burnout from 120 concerts per year?

  • Karen says:

    Since when do you suddenly care about her concertizing activities? I thought the only thing you care about was what dresses she wore.

    Two posts about her cancellations, yet nothing on the pianist for the rest of our lives, the most astounding pianist of our time, who cancelled in short notice and without apology his appearances with Seattle SO where he is due to play Scriabin piano concerto? Isn’t a cancellation from such a piano genius much more newsworthy on Slipped Disc?

    A pity, since I was looking forward to a broadcast of the piece from Seattle. Apparently only Berlin Philharmonic will do for him now.

    • Doug says:

      I didn’t realize Wang was gender fluid. Is it “her” or “him”?

    • David says:

      No doubt Trifonov is the real deal, but I can’t understand why you should be so dismissive of Wang. She has a genuine way with the Russians—her Paganini Rhapsody can stand up to Trifonov’s any day—and has proven herself to be a musician of serious intelligence, the perennial B.S. about her wardrobe notwithstanding.

      • Karen says:

        I easily prefer her Paganini Rhapsody over Trifonov’s. I’m not the one who writes Trifonov’s concert blurbs in which coming to hear “the greatest” is the main attraction. The bias on this site is getting a tad absurd.

        • Petros Linardos says:

          I agree. If the frequency of coverage were correlated with artistic merit, I could easily come up with a long list of great living and active artists, male and female, who deserve better.

          • ANON says:

            Your idea of “deserve better” is getting more coverage on Slipped Disc? Strange idea … I’d rather them left untouched. Didn’t Sokolov renounce an award precisely because of the coverage of him on Slipped Disc?

          • Petros Linardos says:

            Excellent point!

        • Olassus says:

          Trifonov is often mannered, whereas Wang is conventional.

          I think NL covers Wang more because her people are constantly sending out tidbits. The strategy is to keep her name out there, all the time. No huge claims are made about her artistry, so it becomes more about what she has just said or is wearing.

          Perahia, Schiff, Kissin offer more satisfaction musically.

          • Olassus says:

            … a good example is this “sorry” story, twittered hither and yon. No one needed an apology.

          • Karen says:

            “I think NL covers Wang more because her people are constantly sending out tidbits.”

            I’m afraid that is not true. The vast majority of things posted about her has nothing to do with what she or “her people” said on social media. Her dresses are only as newsworthy as you wish to make it. No one is exactly begging for news on her latest wardrobe update.

            “No huge claims are made about her artistry”

            No such claims are made about anyone except Trifonov. The way he is marketed is just bizarre.

            “Perahia, Schiff, Kissin offer more satisfaction musically.”

            Depends on the repertoire: it’s not helpful to compare Prokofiev with Bach. I do like all of them, and maybe it’s not a conincidence they are all “conventional”.

            “No one needed an apology.”

            It’s better to apologize than to take the audience for granted. Though maybe a significant number of people have become masochistic enough over the years that it’s no longer necessary.

          • Thomasina says:

            Yes, except that the apology (or it’s not a apology but “I regret”) on Twitter is for her fans who possess the tickets. I have not read all the comments on Twitter (I have a recital ticket on May 15th), but they are affectionate and warm.

          • Thomasina says:

            My comment was to Olassus.

          • geoff says:

            BTW where does Gregory Sokolov belong on this pianist featured article.

          • Sue says:

            Something is lacking in Wang, IMO. Virtuosity for its own sake is never enough; it has to serve the music. I’m finding Wang is a lost musical soul.

  • Bruce says:

    I agree, it is a little disconcerting to see a mention of Wang here without mention of her concert wear.

    Also, it’s still strange to me when people think that liking one musician means all other musicians must be disparaged. If you love Trifonov (which is totally understandable), then Wang has to be terrible for some reason. It’s so common that it must be just a part of human nature; but I still don’t understand it.

  • Karen says:

    “If you love Trifonov (which is totally understandable), then Wang has to be terrible for some reason.”

    Ask the blog owner.

  • Patrick Gillot says:

    Now we are back to it. Trifonov is better, no its Kissin or wait Perahia. Wang skirt is too short…. Yawn ! I love all these artists as they reveal some side of the greatest musicians to all of us, mere mortals….

  • Tony Sanderson says:

    Yuja Wang, Nelson Friere, Martha Argerich, Trifonov, Grigory Sokolov, Murray Perahia, Benjamin Groveenor, Marc-André Hamelin, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Maurizio Pollini, Daniel Barenboim, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Peter Donohoe and Stephen Hough – I am grateful for them all.

    • Barry Guerrero says:

      Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell, T. Monk, Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, Horace Silver, Herbie Hancock, Jackie Byard, Teddy Wilson, Ahmad Jamal, Marian McPartland, McCoy Tyner, Wynton Kelly, Hank Jones, Jason Moran – I am grateful for them all.

      • Paul says:

        …. and Mal Waldron. I think 50 years from now classical music stations, in whatever form they exist; will make little distinction between classical and jazz piano music or pianists. Be-bop is American classical music. None better than Thelonius Monk

  • Paul says:

    Debates within the classical music world are silly. Perhaps part of it is the quality of classical music in general has degraded. Even the great Tommasini criticized Yuja because Murray Perahia struggled through the the Hammerklavier and she made it look easy. Of course Argerich and Kissin and several others are “better” than Wang or Trifonov. They have much greater depth and breadth of experience. But Wang and Trifonov have greater talent and potential than all of them. Time will tell. In the meantime, having Yuja and Daniil in the concert halls at the same time make it a great time to be alive. Between them? Daniil takes on more daunting technical challenges, but Yuja has her own unique developed sound and great taste in her choices. Joshua Kosman called it

  • Barry Guerrero says:

    J.K. had to be told by Sarah Cahill that a certain encore played after someone’s recital in Berkeley (I forget who’s) was, “Clair de lune”.

  • Lewis Blackwell says:

    FEAR NOT! Your constant and very obvious dedication to your talent and genuine affection for your audience is reason enough for you to NEVER need to offer apology for withdrawing from performances due to a difficulty!
    On the contrary, WE, who appreciate your heroic study and scintillating presentation of beautiful music, should be humbled with concern for YOU, as you experience difficulty!
    Be well. Take care of YOU: no one can take better care of you than YOU.
    Love to you, from all the rows clear to the back wall of the World Concert Halls everywhere.

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