Oh no, Yuja messes up again

Oh no, Yuja messes up again

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norman lebrecht

December 20, 2018

We’ve tried to keep you up to date with the confusion since the glitzy pianist Yuja Wang was dumped by her boutique agent for being too high maintenance, but the story won’t stand still.

First, Yuja put her Asian and French careers in the hands of Kajimoto.

Then she had it announced that she would be managed worldwide by Intermusica, based in London.

Only now she has changed her mind again.

As of this morning, Yuja is represented in North America by the been-there-done-that agent Earl Blackburn.

Her picture has been hastily added to his roster.

Elsewhere, she is with Kajimoto in Japan, and has separate arrangements in Spain and Italy. Full list here.

A mess?

You could say so.

Comments

  • Petros Linardos says:

    In this space we can count on negative postings about Yuja Wang and Lang Lang, and only positive ones about Yundi Li. Just an observation, nothing to do with my personal opinions of the above artists.

    • V.Lind says:

      And yet so many orchestras and conductors of considerable repute continue to work with these people. Amazing, innit?

    • NicktheFirst says:

      And there is a very good reason for it!! I am sure you know, Petros.

      • Petros Linardos says:

        I am not sure enough to write anything down. That would not be appropriate, even though it’s done all the time.

    • Vovka Ashkenazy says:

      Such postings be saved for LL and YL; YW is on another level, and deserves the greatest of respect and admiration for her playing. Terrible clothes-sense, however.

      • Saxon Broken says:

        I don’t think it is the clothes that cause comment, more like that sometimes she forgets to fully get dressed before she goes on stage. Perhaps being a “true artist”, her mind is on the music, so we should forgive her.

  • Miguel Esteban says:

    Dearest Norman,

    Oh, such a river of digital ink gone to waste!

    The only thing that has changed is (a) Yuja’s worldwide management and, now, (b) the addition of North American representation.

    Here is what her contacts page looked like at the beginning of the year: https://web.archive.org/web/20180107161601/http://yujawang.com:80/contact.

    Earl Blackburn, her “new” North American agent, was in fact her worldwide manager since around 2003 (when he was employed by ICM Artists, which later became Opus 3 Artists) before she moved over to Mark Newbanks in 2014, I believe. Everyone else was already there. It seems that Kajimoto only covers Japan, not all of Asia.

    For people in the business, it is unpleasant when a change of management occurs, but it is part of the cycle of artistic life. It fortunately does not happen too frequently. I think we all agree that the most important thing is that audiences will continue to have the pleasure of enjoying Yuja’s performances.

    But why I am I writing all of this to you, a seasoned expert like you, you barely disguised muckraker, you? 😉

    All the best,

    Miguel

  • Thomasina says:

    Yuja’s relationship with Kajimoto isn’t new. At least when l went to her recital in 2013, she was already with Kajimoto. They also have the offices in Paris and Beijing.

  • Fliszt says:

    Congrats to Earl Blackburn, who started Yuja on her career in the first place. Now, everybody sing along with Earl:
    Hello, Yuja
    Well hello, Yuja
    It’s so nice to have you back where you belong!

  • Joe Gallagher says:

    Mr. Lebrecht,
    Your continuing lightly disguised antipathy toward Ms. wang is becoming a bore.

  • Rgiarola says:

    I hope Mirga and Dudamel don’t mess with the wrong one, cause they are so often here in SD than Yuja. However recently she isn’t darling anymore.

  • David A. Boxwell says:

    What was she wearing when this mess occurred?

  • M McAlpine says:

    Calling her ‘glitzy pianist Yuja Wang’. You might also (if you have bothered to listen to her) have added ‘brilliant young pianist who has attracted thousands to listen to her.’ Why is it always so necessary to be negative about success?

    • NicktheFirst says:

      I wholeheartedly agree! But now it is the time when hatred of everything positive is in fashion, particularly on the left of the political spectrum.

  • Nickthefirst says:

    Oh, Norman,

    you should not worry about Yuja Wang. Any artist only wishes to be in a “mess” like hers. She is doing just fine and a little better. She plays like 2-3 people in the world can, she is a probing musician, one of the greatest instrumentalists of our time, she is charismatic, young and attractive. All these are pluses only and that is why every management wants her on their roster. If one idiot “dumps” HER, or rather, is being dumped BY HER, it does not mean that she is in a “mess”. She is a primadonna assoluta! Period.
    There is no artist who would refuse different representations in different parts of the world. Most artists are lucky to have one or two and most are hardly making ends meet.
    Let’s give credit where credit is due: YUJA WANG rules!!

  • Jack says:

    I have a feeling, Yuja will be just fine, your best efforts to trash her notwithstanding. High maintenance? Did she turn you down for an interview?

  • muslit says:

    If she stopped performing, it wouldn’t be a great loss. So who cares?

  • Karen says:

    Please, to everyone who is saying our gracious host is getting boring, don’t deprive future generations of their Lexicon of Musical Invective of our time! These posts are going to look deeply amusing. Mr. Lebrecht, you may even be able to earn yourself a spot in her biography, if you are lucky enough! 😛

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