Concert review: Yuja Wang with the RPO

Every so often, a
“game-changing” concert comes along. Not only was the Rochester Philharmonic
Orchestra’s Thursday program one such concert, but its
brilliance was reprised on Saturday along with a pivotal performance from one
of classical music’s greatest active soloists.

Whether with hushed
urgency or in bold and sultry tones, the orchestra’s performance of Camille
Saint-Saens’ “Danse Bacchanale”
(from the opera “Samson and Delilah”) snuck up on the listener with a thrilling
blend of power and beauty. The thoroughly nimble string section and its
exquisite legato phrasing was impressive.

In Sergei Rachmaninoff’s
“Symphonic Dances,” Music Director Ward Stare and the ensemble exhibited such
clarity of tone, unanimity of expression, and seamless blend of textures, that
the performance was close to flawless. This commanding tour-de-force featured
as comfortable a chemistry as I’ve ever heard among
the RPO musicians. In the three years I’ve covered this orchestra, this is the
absolute best it’s ever sounded.

In nearly any other
set of performances, the orchestra would have been the story. And yet this was the week that Chinese pianist Yuja Wang made her Rochester debut, playing Bartok’s Piano Concertos
Nos. 1 and 3 for the first time in her career. Wang is an undeniable
international sensation.

On Thursday, the
moments leading up to Yuja Wang’s emergence from the
wings lagged under the weight of anticipation. Expectations were high, and
questions hung in the air. Would Wang and Stare have a natural rapport and
chemistry? Would the orchestra feed off of the famous young pianist’s energy
and intensity? But one question loomed the largest: What would Wang’s take on the Bartok concertos sound like?

Composed in 1926, Bartok’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is still savage and modern.
Unabashed in its exploration of the piano’s percussive possibilities, the work
is tailor-made for Wang’s piquant articulations and ecstatic runs, both of
which require extraordinary dexterity. The RPO had played Concerto No. 1 only
once, nearly 45 years ago.

Admittedly, it was
difficult at first to acclimate to Wang’s use of sheet music and a page
turner’s assistance, though it was completely understandable given that these
were the pianist’s inaugural performances of the works. That said, it did take some of the air out of the first several
minutes of Piano Concerto No. 1’s “Allegro moderato.” Wang’s signature energy
and panache seemed missing somehow. At a certain point, Stare and the
orchestra, as if hanging on for dear life to Wang’s tempo, seemed dangerously
close to coming detached from the soloist.

The performance was
valiant, and the uncertainty of it all was thrilling. Here was a musician at
the top of her field, not merely performing, but crafting an interpretation in
real time — a rare treat for classical concertgoers.

It was clear that
Wang was getting acquainted with the concerto and the RPO simultaneously, and
flashes of brilliance broke through even in the precarious moments. By the time
the second movement arrived, Wang’s intuitive emotional connection to the notes
had caught up to her excellent mechanics. A commanding performer, the pianist
pulled the listener into the spare, idiosyncratic elegance of Bartok’s music as she became more and more in sync with the
orchestra.

Wang navigated the
tension between dissonance and melodic beauty with a rare charisma. Her
precision was unparalleled by any musician I’ve ever heard play live.

At the end of the
piece, the Rochester audience seemed mesmerized, as if slowly coming out of an
inexplicably wondrous and lucid dream. There was a palpable, stunned silence
that lingered for a few moments before an enthusiastic standing ovation took
hold.

In contrast to Bartok’s first piano concerto, the composer wrote No. 3 in
1945, at the end of his life. Its use of serpentine melodies and long
harmonically rich phrases make for a much different work. Still, it retains Bartok’s signature angular melodic style while tempering it
with more lyricism.

During Saturday
night’s performance of Piano Concerto No. 3, Wang was hyper-articulate in her
playing, giving each note its due attention. A distinct and sparking sound was
the refreshing result. The soloist had certainly settled in with the
orchestra, and any uneasiness from the previous performance had dissipated
completely. Wang’s style was assertive and matter-of-fact; her concentration
and poise helped propel her exceedingly fleet fingers all over the keyboard.

Ultimately, the pair
of concerts felt like a turning point for both Stare’s RPO and its phenomenal
guest pianist. Wang will perform Piano Concerto No. 1 with conductor Esa-PekkaSalonen and the Swedish
Radio Symphony Orchestra in August, and she’ll join the Los Angeles
Philharmonic and its Music Director Gustavo Dudamel
for Piano Concerto No. 3 next June. But Stare, the RPO, and the local music
community as a whole can say with unequivocal pride that she played them here
first.

This article appears in Apr 13-19, 2016.