Yesterday I saw Yuja Wang in Chicago give what I would say is the most dynamic classical performance I have ever seen. I was just floored by the entire performance. The program included Beethoven, Scriabin, Ligiti, Albeniz, Schoenberg, and Kapustin. My date is someone who is not familiar with the classical repertoire, and it was a wonderful set of music to show someone just how varied the genre can be. She was astounded by her virtuosity, and actually enjoyed Schoenberg a great deal - something I wasn't sure about going in.That was the scheduled program, but there was literally an entire 1/2 of a concert left as an encore. She kept coming back, playing varied pieces from Glass and Grieg and Bizet, and then finally after the 5th time coming back out she sat down and just nailed the 3rd movement from the War Sonata by Prokofiev.I thought ending the entire program on the bombastic Prokofiev piece was perfect, but a couple of minutes of the audience refusing to stop the applause, she came out again and played two more pieces. My date was just floored, and commented that she was starting to feel sorry for the poor women because she couldn't understand how someone could continue to physically do what she was doing without passing out. I saw Yuja this fall in a chamber concert with Kavakos, and while it was a terrific performance it did not allow her to really shine like she did yesterday. I have certainly not seen a solo performance like this anywhere, and I'm thinking this might be the greatest musical performance I have ever seen live. Also, the dresses were appreciated. Her stage presence was off the charts. She is now officially my favorite current pianist.
Topic: Yuja Wang: Chicago performance 