Yuja Wang ditches London orchestral fiasco
NewsThe plan to bring two orchestras to London to perform Strauss under Andris Nelsons fell apart when the Boston Symphony withdrew for unexplained ‘logistical’ reasons.
The Leipzig Gewandhaus leg is still going ahead, though without its star attraction.
Last night, this went out:
We are sorry to announce that pianist Yuja Wang has had to withdraw from her tour with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, which includes a concert at the Barbican on 10 May. We are grateful to Rudolf Buchbinder for stepping in for the solo part in Richard Strauss’ Burleske.
Once again, no reason given.
Yuja is a box-office draw. Buchbinder has very little profile in London.
This whole scheme has proved a disaster for all involved.
Personaly I prefer without any doubts a concert with Rudy Buchbinder my favorit male pianist.
I don’t go that far, but those who attend will not be disappointed.
I have seen miss Wang 3 times in concerts. I have respect for the artist but Rudy is Rudy. I ‘am very happy that he has lately the attention he deserved before. I like so much the Beethoven concertos edition he did with DG last year.
The only time I have seen Buchbinder in concert is a performance of Rachmaninoff Rhapsody with Cleveland Orchestra. Perhaps it was an off night, but he struggled to keep up, And Burleske certainly isn’t easier.
Funny that you talk about Buchbinder and Rachmaninoff. He’s not at all a specialist of this composer; it”s like Pollini with Ravel… Buchbinder is more a specialist of Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart.
Exactly.
RB is bloody terrific.
Write on Youtube “Mozart Buchbinder” it’s simply Irresistible
Saw Rudy in Philadelphia last year. Part of his aura is he brings his monstrous Boesendorfer ultra Grand wherever he performs. It has A unique non-Steinway voice.
What could be going on behind the scenes to cause Boston and Wang to withdraw? Bounced cheques? Sketchy management? Inquiring minds want to know.
Brexit maybe…. The dates in Paris are not cancelled for Boston.
How Brexit can affect a Boston orchestra ? It’s time to move on, Brexit is there to stay.
If you travel from outside Europe with 150 people and go in a country outside UE and with strange rules at a moment the C-19 is not dead it could be more complicated than to have a date in Paris…
Now if they could only ‘brexit’ Boris Johnson…
What IS the point of him, by the way? He could go and work in Europe in a sinecure and re-name himself “Hair Flick”.
A non musical comment. Why is it necessary in these difficult times to spread words which enhance nobody? Music is magical and has the power to lift people up into the highest elevation state. Our words can do the same if we use them for this purpose….
Norman talks about a “scheme” — sounds like he thinks conspiracy.
Buchbinder and Wang cannot be compared! Buchbinder is a real Musician (with the big M) and Wang just a pop-starlet with a capability to move her fingers very fast. Exactly like Lang-Lang. So it would be just great to cancel Wang completely from the lists of at least European concert halls, and those who still think she can be called “a pianist” are welcome to organize her performances at the stadium.
Odd how so many women seem to share your opinion of YW.
Not odd at all. There are many insecure women terrified of the suggestion that they might be a pretty face without substance. The internalized sexism would suggest to them that if a woman flout her physical appearance then it immediately follows that she must be an empty-head. Furthermore they will resent her and perceive her as a setback to “women’s cause”. Needless to say some men share that view too.
“Flaunt” not “flout”. The remainder I agree with.
Insecure men, too. Equality means that the bad as well as the good finds equal distributions.
Yuja Wang looks gorgeous and has talent in spades. What an endowment for her; looks, talent and intelligence. The complete trifecta.
But, I actually think Ms. Wang ‘hides’ behind her fancy and fashionable livery.
In reality Wang doesn’t look that gorgeous. She’s (if you will) charismatic, but that’s not the same thing.
Gorgeous? Ridiculuous. She looks cheap and cultivated men would not show any interest to get acquainted with her. Nor would I, being a woman
Agree with HSY. At my work we once had a new staff member in her early 20s and strikingly beautiful and dressed provocatively. Without mentioning her appearance, I told my 3 sons that the other females at work had nothing good to sa6about her and asked my boys if they could tell me anything about her. They all said, “she’s gorgeous!”
I bet Buchbinder would cringe if he read your comment…
Jealous? FYI, in terms of artistry, Lang Lang doesn’t even rise to the height of Yuja’s ankles! Yuja is a responsible musician – there’s a serious brain working those fingers.
What a snide and stupid thing to say. Ever consider sharing your opinion or criticism of someone without having to take them down?
MEOW….
I have to disagree about Wang. She is a wonderful pianist who obscures her reputation with some starlet demeanor.
Nice try …
Yuja is 35 … Rudy is in his 70’s. She may grow into her physical skills with time. If adulation hasn’t taken its toll.
Amen.
Yuja is old enough to sound more mature than when she burst into the scene, 15 years ago. Does she? I think and hope so, but haven’t heard her live. Other opinions?
“Exactly like Lang-Lang” identifies the commenter as a definite non-player of the piano.
Exactly. The cheap and Reeperbahn-alike looks of her rather remind me of her being Kim Kardashian than being a cultivated musician.
Anyone who can unthinkingly compare Mr Lang with Ms Wang has no ears and perhaps no ability to apreciate music at all. The former is a boorish showman with little perceivable musical sensibility; the latter is one of the great talents of the day, blessed with a natural musicianship and a refined sense of touch and phrase reminiscent of Horowitz. On this site she is mostly noted for her dress code, which is an obvious provocation to the emptiness of the music “business”, as if to say “those with ears to hear, let them hear”.
Buchbinder is indeed a real “Musician” too, of course a very different one. It’s possible to admire both him and Wang, if one has ears and puts one’s prejudices aside.
Sad for Yuja wang who had to suspend her concert activities due to that silly Covid nonsense!
I heard Yuja Wang play Brahms 2 and for me Gilels is the benchmark but her performance came very close particularly in terms of tempo and structure. She’s a fine musician.
…but Buchbinder is a superb pianist.
Yuja or Buchbinder? Hobson’s choice for me.
Buchbinder legs are definitely no match for Yuja Wang’s but in front of a piano he is not bad either…
Rudolf Buchbinder is an amazing musician!
Audience will be enraptured.
What? A story about Yuja Wang without a picture of her legs?
The standards are certainly slipping.
Yuja Wang is due to appear at the Royal Festival Hall in April changing a Beethoven and JS Bach concert to Beethoven, Ligeti and Kasputin.
Yuja Wang is featured in the forthcoming DG box set of Richard Strauss-works conducted by Nelsons.
That Yuja Wang is appearing at the RFH indicates that her withdrawal from the Barbican concert has nothing to do with Brexit, especially as she appeared with the Czech Philharmonic at the Barbican earlier this month.
I think international artists still appear in Switzerland which has never been in the EU. Nobody seems to accuse Geneva of being a cultural backwater.
I think blaming every hiccup on Brexit is OTT.
Let’s just allow music to spread love and hope to all in these dark days.
Rudolf just doesn’t look as good in a leather minidress.
For unknown reason, also Italian concerts are cancelled
As far as i know, it’s because of Italian regulations requiring everyone to have 3 vaccine doses (most restrictions will be lifted from May 1, unfortunately her dates were in April)
Buchbinder is way better than Wang.
The notion of women as catty backbiters may be a trope without merit. However, having been historically in a socially and economically inferior position to men, women may tend to view each other as competitors in the jungle of survival rather than as mentors.
YW has, reportedly with great regret, cancelled two concerts, on 8.5. in Munich, on 12. 5. in Hamburg.
Did she overdo it because she played ten encores, e.g. in Vienna?