Zhang Youyou, a 23-year-old young Chinese woman pianist
challenged Johannes Brahms' piano concerto No. Two on Friday,
interpreting the colossal music piece with her uniquely charming
and solid skills.
Collaborating with the North Penn Symphony Orchestra, Zhang
transformed effortlessly from peaceful mood to stormy
aggressivenes, presenting a enchanting rendering of the four
movements of the lengthy piece, widely deemed as one of the largest
and the most sophisticated piano concertos. "She played such
maturity.
The execution is flawless," one of the audience lauded. "I think
she broke the piano. It was beautiful." Allan R. Scott, music
director and conductor of the North Penn Symphony Orchestra, said
Brahms wa really difficult since it was hard to get Brahms'
sound.
"It is delicate and sometimes rich," said Scott, who did not
touch Brahms's works in the first three years of his cooperation
with the orchestra. Zhang, born and raised in Shanghai, is
recognized as one of the most outstanding young pianists today. She
has been studying in the United States since 1998.
She first attended Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia,
studying with pianist Seymour Lipkin. At graduation from Curtis,
she was honored as the best student in the piano department. Now
she is enrolled at The Juilliard School for her Master's Degree,
studying with Dr. Veda Kaplinsky.
Last year, she won the first award in a campus piano
competition. "It is the best performance I have ever made," Zhang
said of Friday's solo performance. "I think I am a music messenger.
I need to interpret the obscure music into something that my
audience can understand." Brahms' Concerto No. Two was called by
renowned pianist Vladimir Horowitz as the greatest music ever
composed for piano.
?Zhang listened to different versions of the work by other
pianists, such as Leon Fleisher and Emanuel Ax before flexing her
muscles. "I think we will be hearing Youyou's name," said Shirley
W. Hamme, who used to be a clarinetist of the orchestra.
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(Xinhua News Agency April 1, 2007)