Yuja Wang is NY Phil’s artist in residence
NewsThe orchestra has just rolled out its 24-25 season with a dozen premieres, a focus on Schoenberg, Boulez and Ravel and a modest fistful of new conductors. At the box-office, meanwhile:
Yuja Wang has been named The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence for the 2024–25 season. The acclaimed pianist performs varied repertoire in orchestral programs. Yuja Wang leads the Orchestra from the piano in a program that includes Janáček’s Capriccio for Piano Left Hand and Winds, Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments, and the original jazz-band version of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue; January 23–25, 2025. Yuja Wang also appears as soloist in Ravel’s two piano concertos on the same concert: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand and Piano Concerto in G major, March 13–16, 2025, conducted by
Gustavo Dudamel.
Yuja Wang has a longstanding association with the New York Philharmonic, having appeared with the Orchestra as soloist in more than 30 concerts, beginning with her NY Phil debut at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival in July 2006.
Pretty creepy and weird that that’s your preferred photo to use of Yuja on this blog… you’ve used it in several articles now.
Agreed. But it looks to me as an AI generated image, not a photo. Offensive, no matter what one thinks of her playing.
Unfortunately, it is indeed a real photo – neither Art. nor particularly Int….
Oh, please…it’s what she puts out there. If she didn’t want the photos, she’d dress like a nun. She happens to carry off the look without appearing cheap.
Regardless, an exciting musician.
“She happens to carry off the look without appearing cheap.”
Well, the couture appears to be expensive. That much is true.
“Regardless, an exciting musician.”
Really? I would require an artist to be able to move the friends of music. She, as a musician, dazzles with her skills.
I doubt she would have worn the outfit if it was such a problem. It appears that she has some kind of leotard or swimsuit bottom on. I’ve seen Taylor Swift wear similar things on stage…No big deal.
As Freud would say if he was alive today (assuming the original quote was his) “Sometimes a photo is just a photo.”
Nowadays, every photo and video will be suspect. Thanks, Kate.
AI could add some taste, so this photo must be real, unfortunately.
Nonetheless, welcome to the world of Liberal Logic: The outfit is not offensive, the photo is…
Nope . It’s real
I saw it in LA . I sort of remember the playing.
Respect a woman’s choice, don’t be paternalistic, she wore it, if it doesn’t bother her why does it bother you?
You (and the 116+ upvotes) are different only in degree from the Taliban, to say it’s creepy and weird to see women not covered from head to toe in a sack.
What next, are you shocked she is walking across the stage alone unaccompanied by a male relative?
You guys are a bunch of creeps. She is simply wearing pants that under the light from afar appear to be nylon leggings, but she is wearing pants. Stop it already.
For me as one of the 110+ “taliban upvoters” the problem is not the outfit per sé (a conscious choice by Ms Wang) but rather the choice of the picture (which is also rather poor, as if made with a phone) as if this was the only one available of ms. Wang.
I guess you too would find unusual if, in an article talking about a famous person (artist/politician/athlet etc) the picture used o represent him/her doesn’t not even show the face of the subject (regardless of the outfit).
Now, let’s try to ask ourselves why this particular picture was used. As the website owner is obviously a very skilled professional communicator, to me the answer is rather obvious: proof is that most of the comments here are about the outfit/photo and not the actual content of the original post.
Totally agree
No, what is creepy is appearing on classical concert stages with the cheeks of your derriere in people’s faces and other, er, naked bids for stares and attention . . but then self-righteously playing the feminist and gender discrimination card when people notice and comment about it.
I point this out as one who enjoys this musician’s playing much of the time and applauds their repertoire choices almost all of the time. But the dishonesty and hypocrisy about the sartorial shenanigans is quite, um, transparent.
It makes sense – she lives down the block. Personally I can’t wait to hear Dudamel conduct Ameriques…………
“Dudamel conduct Ameriques…”
Oh, wow! That would be quite a treat.
It’s rarely done. I heard it once by Dohnanyi and the Clevelanders. A real racket, fire siren and all. And so much fun. It will be a real test for the normally super conservative NYPO audience. I saw about 20 people run out within 5 minutes of the opening of the Miraculous Mandarin a few years back…………..and Ameriques is opening the concert with Yuja after that…………
I heard Boulez conduct it with the Los Angeles Philharmonic sometime in the late 70s or early 80s…it was one of those nights when Boulez was “on”, and I thought the roof would cave in at UCLA’s Royce Hall. A great performance.
Taylor Swift…NO!…Beyoncé…NO!…YUJA WANG…YES!!
For sex appeal, Yuja leaves Taylor and Beyoncé in the dust.
What was the question again?
NY Phil’s A*se in residence.
The fact that the comment was even published shows how low Slippedisc has slipped on a slippery slope!
Blomstedt in late February 2025!
He has a week scheduled in San Francisco around the same time. He is scheduled to conduct Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in Vienna in two months. I hope I am wrong, but I don’t think any of this will actually happen.
Why?
He is already 96 and turns 97 in July. Forget 2025.
Can we please have some conductors under 75?
Aha…so you’re ageist and think that experience doesn’t matter???
We have plenty BUT Blomstedt was absolutely fantastic a couple of years back (94) in Nielsen 4 and an absolutely wonderful Beethoven 5 (a work I considered myself thoroughly bored with)……
I will never forget a 1991 recital by Mieczysław Horszowski (1892-1993).
But for what reason?
The problem is not age per se, but the fact that he clearly is not in his full powers (nothing wrong with that). Remember, he recently fell.
That said, the Bruckner 4th last year in Philly was marvelous. But that was before the fall.
Let’s wish him healthy more years and leave it at that.
Not going to happen.
Unlikely then that she’ll ever be named artist in residence in Chicago, that’s why musicians should never date each other…
Presumably that photo is a fake?
If so, your standards seem far lower than those of the MSM agencies which boycotted the Princess of Wales’s photo, Mr Lebrecht.
Did you check the metadata, prior to use?
It’s genuine. Go check for yourself
Where? I have never seen it anywhere – thank heavens! Thanks for your reply, BTW.
All in all it looks like a pretty good season, which is more than I often say about the Philharmonic.
The Yuja play/conduct program also has the virtue of giving most of the string players the week off.
Yes, excellent season, in my opinion.
The photo is what happens when they put audience around and behind the stage like all the new concert halls designed in the last 20 years.
I heard the original jazz version of Rhapsody at the Hollywood Bowl last summer (played by jazz pianist Makoto Ozone.) It was twice as long and way more fun than the standard version!!
Same number of bars… so no.
I guess you don’t understand jazz. It’s twice as long due to improvisation. I doubt Yuja will be as effective as a real jazz pianist like Ozone.
Better than recent years, for sure.
She’s now selling her soul to advertise for brands. Seeing that she now will be spending more time in NYC, she can put out a Wangwear line for juniors.
Five overtures!
NY Phil is lucky to have Yuja she’s wang in a million.
Is this what the Classical Music world has come to – talking about a cheeky photo? A pity that Ms. Wang’s self-esteem has plunged so low – certainly she never needed to resort to tits and ass to boost her career.
I wish Yuja would learn how to bow more gracefully. And her wardrobe choices (yuck!) leave little to the imagination!That said, for me, she is indisputably one of, if not THE best among today’s younger crop of pianists!