The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: Could Yuja Wang be a case of early burnout or overexposure? I doubt it. So where in the world is she? What is she playing? What is she doing? What is she recording? And what is she wearing?

By Jacob Stockinger

For a while there, about a year ago, the young Chinese-born and American-trained pianist Yuja Wang (below) was setting the classical world on fire. She is very exciting, as you can see at the bottom in a YouTube video.

With four Deutsche Grammophon recordings to her credit, the photogenic and virtuosic young Wang, now 26, also had garnered two Grammy nominations.

Her Carnegie Hall debut (below) got a rave review from Anthony Tommasini, the choosy senior critic for The New York Times:

https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2011/10/30/classical-music-qa-and-review-is-yuja-wang-the-new-horowitz-in-her-carnegie-hall-recital-debut-she-seems-the-successor-to-martha-argerich-as-both-her-playing-and-dress-get-raves-from-the-new-y/

And she also gave the Times a great interview:

https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/classical-music-phenom-pianist-and-fashion-plate-yuja-wang-reveals-her-openness-her-artistic-goals-and-her-personal-lifestyle-to-the-new-york-times/

And Wang’s penchant for sexy concert attire – either the red micro-skirt (below top) at the Hollywood Bowl or the slit-thigh black gown (bottom) at Carnegie Hall – had stirred comments and controversy.

https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2011/11/12/classical-music-pianist-yuja-wang-isn’t-alone-in-using-her-sexy-good-looks-chic-fashion-and-in-your-face-media-remarks-to-create-controversy-and-controversy-to-advance-her-career/

https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/classical-music-poll-was-yuja-wang’s-concert-skirt-too-short-what-is-inappropriate-concert-attire-for-a-performer-male-or-female/

So I recently wondered what Yuja Wang was up to.

I searched for news, and found precious little except for a rave review of her recent solo recital debut last Sunday in Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Hall:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-yuja-wang-review-20130326,0,2575431.story?track=rss

I also checked out her website (www.yujawang.com) — it seems quite out of date — and found nothing later than her going to Mumbai, India to dedicate a new Steinway concert grand. That old news! Two years old!

I also found nothing about her next recording project, although I suspect it will be Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 coupled maybe with Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3. (After a fine recording of two Rachmaninoff Concertos with Claudio Abbado, she put out “Fantasia,”an album of miniatures and encores that I was not so thrilled about. Below is a link to my review.)

https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/classical-music-review-phenom-pianist-yuja-wangs-new-fantasia-cd-is-more-nightmare-than-dream-and-a-waste-of-a-major-keyboard-talent/

So at my wit’s end, I am putting out a call to all readers:

DO ANY OF YOU HAVE UPDATES ABOUT YUJA WANG?

HAVE YOU HEARD HER PLAY LIVE LATELY?

WHERE IS SHE?

WHAT IS SHE DOING?

WHAT IS PLAYING?

WHAT IS SHE RECORDING?

AND WHAT IS SHE WEARING?

Yuja Wang is far too talented to fall off the radar. So …

The Ear wants to hear.