Yuja goes label hopping

Yuja goes label hopping

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norman lebrecht

November 15, 2019

She has a recital album out on Warner with Gautier Capucon, by special permission of Deutsche Grammophon.

The dress is the longest ever.

Review coming up here.

 

Comments

  • Fan says:

    It was recorded live on April 14 this year at Toronto’s Koerner Hall. Not sure the superb and very long encore, Piazzolla’s Le Grand Tango will be included on disc or not: This is the concept review: https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/review/2019/04/14/finesse-and-fire-from-a-starry-musical-duo.html

  • Petros Linardos says:

    We look forward to the review.

    When it comes to the Franck sonata, I only want the violin. Personal taste. Am I alone?

    • Bruce says:

      I like it on the cello, and pretty well on the flute. The main thing, though, is that it needs two musicians with very strong individual voices.

      Capucon played with us several years ago. Beautiful, smooth, full, shiny hair. I don’t remember anything about the playing.

    • Paul Carlile says:

      Agreed, the violin expresses the piece to the utmost, the maximum possible whereas the cello, richer and warmer, love it tho i do, cannot “soar” in quite the same way; the cello’s intensity is of a different order.

      It’s a tribute to the genius of the work that a number of trancriptions have been attempted but, for me, all fall short however interesting they be; flute misses all the deeper emotional expression- beauty of sound and line is just not enough…(sorry Bruce!). Personal opinion and taste of course.

      Yuja is doing well so far with her different versions but surely has some way to go to match Martha who’s played and recorded violin, cello and flute versions, mostly stunning, with several different distinguished partners.

      Having heard both these artists live several times, tho never together, i’d guess that the sound would be lighter in color anyway, both (IMO) with a treble rather than bass tendency.

      • Bruce says:

        No offense taken, Paul — I don’t feel like the flute is quite up to the piece either. Many flutists, as musicians, are up to the challenge, but the instrument doesn’t have the range (only 3 octaves and a bit) to really do justice to the piece. Tonally I think the flute is capable of the necessary range of expression, but it has a big disadvantage in that you can’t make as many faces while you play, so people don’t have any way to tell how musical you are. (Joking, sort of)

        Agreeing with your comment about the cello’s intensity being of a different odder, I almost — almost — prefer the piece on cello, due to the warmer, mellower sound. (The cello doesn’t have an E string.)

        Have never heard it played on double bass, although I know a couple of bassists who want to do it… one is a couple thousand miles away, so I’d have an excuse not to go to his recital, but the other one is a friend who lives right here… I’ve heard of it being played on saxophone, but if I ever get the chance to hear it, I plan to pass it up.

      • M2N2K says:

        For me, the Franck can be as satisfying with a good cellist as in original version, and GC is a very talented musician who should be able to succeed in it. Other attempts that I have heard – flute and double bass – were both well short of either violin or cello.

  • hsy says:

    > The dress is the longest ever.

    That is not a dress.

    https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zpJmAt_e13g/maxresdefault.jpg

    I’m surprised you could get this wrong. Don’t you pay a lot of attention to women’s fashion?

    • Bruce says:

      No, only to their skin.

      • V. Lind says:

        He’s wrong, anyway. As I have reported here before, I used to see Yuja a fair bit in the years between 2010-2014. She always wore long evening dresses of the sort usually used by female concert soloists in those days. I suspect her change in style came about the time SD started reporting on it. When there was less material and, as you say, more skin.

      • Mick the Knife says:

        Thats not completely true. A woman who dresses well gets a man’s attention, even if there is only some skin showing. By well I mean highlights what is underneath.

    • Sue Sonata Form says:

      She looks stunning in that!!

  • Tamino says:

    I don’t know why they bother with these other small print names.
    Who are “Franck” and “Chopin” anyway?

  • Alan Morrow says:

    Labels? What are they? Do you mean classical music imprints that on average sell under 5,000 units for even the biggest names in classical music?

  • David A, Boxwell says:

    I’m more looking forward to the Yuja Wang/Jakub Jozef Orlinski cover.

  • Peter says:

    “The dress is the longest ever”…

    Remember Norman, this tries to be a music blog. Stick to music, where you are better informed.

  • Grabenassel says:

    …reminds me of Gabetta/Grimaud….another couple put together just for the sake of music…..

  • homework says:

    I have ordered and look forward to this cello version of the Franck, adding it to the Barenboim/Du Pre I have. But for those wanting a violin version, may I recommend the Argerich/Ivry Gitlis recording, hard to find but totally outstanding and wonderfully “French”. Listen and you’ll see what I mean!

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