Yuja Wang - Prokofiev: Piano concerto no.2 op.16

[@rmac1042]

I’m an 81 year-old jazz pianist and composer and in all my years in music, I’ve never heard a performance of the cadenza in the 1st movement played so brilliantly! Simply astounding! Simply put, in my humble opinion, Yuja Wang is a genius with not only astounding technique but she is sensitive and emotional in passages of any work-not just this one! Incredible artist!

[@tommartin8700]

Yes. GENIUS!

[@emilioarvizu3533]

Horacio Gutierrez is better

[@antoniopanameno6355]

Prokofiev was the composer, so he was the genius!

[@tommartin8700]

@@antoniopanameno6355 It takes two to tango!

[@meredith218461]

She gives a superb account of this fiercely challenging work. Having said that I recall attending a live performance of this concerto given by a young Ashkenazy during the mid 1960s in London, his mastery was simply awesome. In my opinion this performance by Yuga Wang is equally stunning.

[@thatdude3827]

0:38 I. Andantino-Allegretto 11:50 II. Scherzo (Vivace) 14:16 III. Intermezzo (Allegro moderato) 20:50 IV. Finale (Allegro tempestoso)

[@dion1949]

Thanks, I needed that.

[@charles.e.g.]

I have heard Yuja perform this concerto at least a dozen times, and they were all wonderful. But this performance is so phenomenally inspired, that it leaves me speechless. Absolutely stunning. ❤

[@Desireyso58]

CADENZA at 6:00 Stunning! Yuja Stands Out and Owns this Concerto!!! I Love Her!!!

[@gailhausmann1329]

Beautiful performance! .. Yuja can play anything with her "Magical Fingers...... Such a moving piece... Great orchestra as well... Thanks for posting. 🙏😄

[@daveluttinen2547]

This is one of the finest recordings of Prokofiev 2 I have listened to. She brought out some phrasing that I had not heard before and while this is quite a technical piece with fireworks gymnastics it is also terrifically musical. Ms. Yang brought new dimensions that are appreciated. jmho.Bravo!

[@themajortec9]

Couldn’t have expressed my inner most thoughts any better ! ❤

[@paulmoon3347]

Wang

[@paulmoon3347]

Oh my god..f****g hell😮

[@suppiahpakrisamy7328]

O

[@greengreen3961]

Amazing performance. Thank you to all musicians. You guys make earth more beautiful. Thank you to Yuja Wang. What a wonderful display of virtuosity. Bravo 🎉🎉🎉

[@markknego5743]

I discovered classical music a few years ago after a lifetime of being a jazz, rock, world music fan. Then I found Yuja Wang. I have never heard anything this beautiful, majestic and engaging in my life. What an extraordinary, beyond human talent. I cannot get enough. Thank you, Ms. Wang.

[@Alex-u2m7x]

Having studied pianists playing over 180 piano concertos I must say I am stunned and absolutely struck by the complexity and insane variety within this 32 minutes of otherworldly intensity and challenge. Both Sergei Prokofiev and Yuja Wang are at the top in their respective positions in the music world. If I was cast to a desert island I would only need this one recording to get me through ! !

[@1trschaefer78]

My favorite of the Prokofiev Piano Concertos. So dramatic! And so difficult! She plays it divinely.

[@naphtanaptha]

at a loss for words... pianist, conductor, orchestra - breathtaking altogether. one of the if not the best recordings ive heard

[@Sweet_Jazz]

She poured her soul into this one. Special performance by a special talent.

[@jsfriedberg]

Words cannot do justice. Kudos to Yuja Wang / Lionel Bringuier / Tonhalle Orchester Zürich!!

[@rousygetmey5617]

Завораживает, восхищает глубиной исполняемых произведений, виртуозностью игры и своей красотой.

[@deborahfogacaminicz8090]

Simply wonderful! This concert has a dense and stormy atmosphere that the great pianist Yuja Wang interprets with energy and total control of emotions.

[@lenamcginnis5168]

Please check out Yundi Li most fantastic performance ever Coda the best

[@falkeprophet]

This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard

[@paulmoon3347]

I was a classically tutored pianist. I don't know how on earth Ms Wang can do what she does. Always such clarity. Amazing in every way ❤❤

[@michaelschefold3299]

This was one of the best renditions of the piano concerto with the most difficult cadenza. Some years later together with Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Paavo Järvi she played it even better...this one is by far the best rendition ever. ❤❤❤

[@fa-la-mi-mi-re]

I agree-I have all her renditions (at least I think so!🙃 The ones with Charles Dutoit are also good.SO is the Paavo rendition but the LA audio rendition is overwhelming-(a pity it is not with video).Each of these has a "best" part . This one shows the prchestral members-including the conductor- enjoying it-not merely playing their part. And what lovely dress.

[@michaelschefold3299]

@@fa-la-mi-mi-re The one with Dutoit she played at Verbier was very good...especially the camera-work during the insane difficult cadenza!

[@fa-la-mi-mi-re]

@@michaelschefold3299 Absolutely!

[@thepianocornertpc]

What is the score doing in/on the piano at 12:50? I wasn't there at the start of the 2nd.movement. Also the color grading of that particular moment is different from the rest of the video. Explain genius.

[@barryutub1]

@@thepianocornertpc There were three concerts during this set in Zürich. 10, 11, and 13 September 2014. One was obviously videoed and a second was probably covered with video cameras as backup. The video editor probably grabbed a wide shot from the backup video at that moment, and it looks like Yuja had a score on the piano during that concert. Note that in all wide shots without the score with the piano's single leg showing, there is an electrical cable behind the wheel. In the shot with the score on the piano, there is no wire behind the wheel. It was obviously a shot from a different concert from this set, or from a short pre-concert rehearsal.

[@NINOABSNABSN]

At 10:20 a brilliant orchestration. The frantic strings and solid brass. Yuja is always the same, hyper-speed of interpretation and perfect clarity of notes.

[@katsan88]

Takes your breath away

[@MADHIKER777]

Magnificent Wang! Tell me that this woman is not an athlete! She has the body of a gymnast and the heart of an artist and combines those traits to perform keyboard gymnastics!

[@tedtombling2770]

I was there! As always, a live performance of this quality is worth the money.

[@j.p.bumstead1174]

This was my first time hearing/watching this concerto. What an astounding and demanding piece of work for anybody to play as a soloist, and with such a disciplined and willing orchestra. The conductor worked with great sensitivity, and Ms. Wang was stellar. It is also great fun to watch her face play the part as her fingers travel over the keys.

[@cecilgriffiths6399]

Frighteningly brilliant & beautiful at the same time! Yujas’ interpretation, feeling and virtuosity quite out of this world! Orchestra & conductor not too bad either!! 🙏🙏❤️

[@marcusanthonyPOV]

This is now the definitive version.

[@robertwalker3591]

I love this performance!! Yuja is so in tune with the orchestra. Timing, intonation, expression and all of those things. Phenomenal!!! 💖💖💖

[@walternicolich895]

I listened to this concert a number of times, and each time …….genius……but GENIUS, THANK YOU YUJA.

[@DonaldF73]

Is Yuja the only one in the world that can play Prokofiev so brilliantly with a depth of so much feeling and animation

[@ultrablue97]

No one deserves the insane genius title in classical music more than Prokofiev.

[@NoferTrunions]

I'm 71, Prok to me is Prokofiev, The Destroyer, he mutates classical forms every chance he gets. The result is exquisite since the connection with the original form is still apparent. Those that followed wanted nothing of that connection - it's chaos I say! just rearranging Prok's rubble! Prok's convolution of repeated patterns is diabolical to memorize and play - it defies muscle memory.

[@Pseudify]

I think Prokofiev understood the pianoforte better than anyone. Its percussive nature, dynamic limitations, dynamic possibilities, peculiar mechanics, and so on. He seems to be alone in this regard. Where other composers seem to compose music that can be played on a piano, Prokofiev composed with the piano’s limitations and possibilities first and foremost in mind.

[@daithimacdomhnaill]

I might have already listened to this stunning performance of the cadenza approximately one thousand times (as well as the whole concerto uninterrupted about 400 times).

[@WillemFritz]

I don't think I've heard anything so mesmerising. Genius!

[@serlal-s3b]

Qu'on ne me dise pas que ce n'est pas physique de jouer ce concerto! On voit qu'au moment de saluer, elle est quasi-épuisée! Quelle maestria! mille bravos!

[@Smudgie]

I wish classical crowds would give the full throated roar of a heavy metal crowd after a performance like that. Polite applause and the odd "Bravo" always seems so insulting.

[@ssbuzeno]

It's not insulting at all. Playing classical music should get classical applause. Should always take into account the context.

[@daisverrisson7167]

This has to be my favorite interpretation of this extremely difficult concerto. Phenomenal technique and majestic virtuosity! Thank you so very much for this splendid performance.

[@impromptube7111]

definitely the best interpretation of this concerto. THE BEST❤❤❤❤❤

[@luismiguelfontes]

A truly piano workout! I loved it! Yuja is s genius ❤

[@denisjaricot762]

if there is one thing is the world you need to follow is YUJA

[@johnfrobin]

Yuja Wang goes beast mode with the cadenza. It’s absolutely terrifying, exhilarating, and beautiful. Jaw-dropping. I wonder whether they needed to rebuild the piano after that. Of course, the rest of the performance was superb, too.

[@norwalltino]

From heaven down to the face of this planet into our hearts, such an art endeavor enhancing us back to heaven, perfect circle, the leading star: Yuja Wang💫💫💫

[@DIOULASSO]

What poetry!

[@lenamcginnis5168]

Yundi Li in Germany fantastic even better Please listen to it thanks

[@Kingsofoblivion]

Beautifully said.

[@boredgrass]

Where performances of Prokofiev's harmonies create a feeling of being overwhelmed, one can discover and enjoy here the beauty of new colours and feel their shine. The most surprising aspect of this experience is that it seems to be the result of impeccable precise play, of the "classical" ideal of perfection. Where in jazz freedom from "conventions" create exitement, it is the precision which appears to kindle the fire and liberate the ear. Jazz through precision. A remeinder that classic and jazz are two sides of a "many-sided" coin...

[@BritinIsrael]

That 1st. movt. cadenza! Yuja Wang is from another planet. Sheer technical brilliance. The whole concerto is Prokofiev after he's taken his insanity steroids. ( and i mean that in a positive way). What an absolutely amazing composition. Prokofiev has to be one of the all time greats of the 20th Century.

[@acevaptsarov8410]

So so so many chills... What a piece... And what a performance. Jaw dropping and also so emotional too! Height of music right here!

[@walternicolich895]

My god, Yuja at her best. ……magnificent

[@Desireyso58]

I Love YUJA WANG!!! Graceful, charm, sweet, funny, BEAUTIFUL, and So Talented Lady!!! The Stunning Cadenza it's performed just Flawless!!!

[@antoniofurnari9558]

Un magnifique Prokofiev joué par la splendide pianiste Yuja Wang 👏👏👏👏.

[@ОльгаСобакина-с7ц]

She is the Best Pianist!!!! Perfect in the All)

[@michaellaconte8338]

Awesome orchestra music and awesome pianist ❤

[@j.r.1210]

Of course the performance here is superb, remarkable. Yuja Wang is the master of this fiendish concerto, and the orchestra is wonderful as well. But the technical quality of this video also deserves mention. The sound is great, and the photography -- let's call it cinematography! -- is beautiful. No doubt Prokofiev is enjoying the show.

[@vicgeorge7502]

💯Absolutely wonderful! Perfect. Yuja is a genius. No music sheets. WOW! Very, very, very impressive. And, super orchestra. Very, very good. Superb. Thanks for this piece of Heaven, every musician. Well performed.

[@waynejohn8]

Totally, totally wonderful. Well done.

[@cyrilgerardon1999]

Œuvre très difficile pour la pianiste et l’orchestre, et quelle réussite ici ! Difficile à égaler. Bravo !

[@jormalaitala3740]

I feel that this amazing lady lives for music.

[@gerardbegni2806]

Absolutely outstanding rendering of this second concerto. It is quite difficult to find the right style, as here

[@PhilippeColpaert]

Sa cadence est phénoménale, elle est la seule à donner le sentiment de panique que nécessite cette oeuvre, bravo Yuja ❤

[@katsan88]

I need to see this exact concerto live before I die!

[@tanjakretschmann7999]

You've never seen Yuya Wang like this before, very good performance. At the end you can see how exhausted she is, she's sweating so much!

[@jorgegalvez9025]

Yuja, eres simplemente un portento musical, de una calidad interpretativa excelsa, combinas una técnica perfecta con una intuición musical que te acerca magistralmente a la intención y el discurso musical del autor de este concierto maravilloso!

[@ВиталийРаздоров]

Да, техника, конечно потрясающая, из ряда вон выходящая, наконец этот концерт достойно исполнен во всём блеске. Но как была сыграна самая первая тема! Вот где гений этой пианистки. Действительно, и поразительный пианизм но и духовная зрелость и попадание в точку.

[@ronl7131]

Inimitable YW. Precision, touch,& strength

[@jibbig3137]

L'impression qu'elle dépasse la vitesse du son....j'en pleure

[@m.moonsie]

Literally getting goosebumps during the cadenza up to when the orchestra joins again.

[@jnc3880]

Every. Single. Time.

[@drsandor]

Yuja you are a fantastic talent.

[@Guiruci82]

With her decidedly quirky sense of humor, she'll appreciate your feedback. She will tell you: "I'm happy, thank you so much for your comment." 12:30

[@curtkuhns]

I am not trained in music, but I am an engineer. At times I could swear that her fingertips are breaking the sound barrier. -Curt Kuhns

[@notkenhung]

this was such an experience, thank you 😊

[@raymondtakacs1325]

I always said what Prokofiev’s piano concerto no.2 really needs is to be played in 100 degree heat.

[@luismiguelfontes]

I keep coming to listen this concert once more time. I really think Yuja Wang is out of this world! Her musicality and skills on the piano are astonishing! Of course she had to work a lot and had to has lot of descipline but her capacites as an individual are not common. ❤

[@rgarlinyc]

Absolutely wonderful. As ever! 👏👏( Yuja Wang could just practice her scales and I would still sit at her feet and gaze at her, utterly enthralled! 💞💕)

[@thomassnider6691]

I have to admit I didn't like this concerto the first time I heard it, but now I love it. Yuja Wang really does a great job with Prokofiev, and it looked like she had a lot of fun playing this. She's also great playing the 3rd Piano Concerto (the audience even clapped after the first movement).

[@50custodio]

Sempre magnífica sensibilidade e brilho espetacular. ❤

[@johnnj3858]

A master piece, I'm far from an expert, this was mesmerizing.

[@ChalumeauLOL]

Beautiful performance! 😁

[@nicolehourcade]

She is breathtaking 😮😮😮😮😮

[@KristaporAttarian.Composer]

Yuja is excellent as always

[@federicofielitz7673]

Yuja Wang para mi la mejor pianista del mundo sin dudas. UNICA.

[@walternicolich895]

POWERFUL AND BEAUTIFULLY PLAYED

[@loveispatient0808]

And beautifully dressed!🎉😊

[@claredelamer7940]

Stunning.

[@bondjames417]

最高の一言に尽きる😊😊😊

[@raggajagga8648]

Очень женственная интерпретация, на контрасте после Луганского особенно заметно. Мой любимый концерт у Сергея Сергеевича.

[@paulmoon3347]

That's a very bizarre comment

[@mikesierra8156]

Quelle beauté!

[@Usefulmusic]

I'm exhausted.

[@paulmoon3347]

This is beyond words

[@kathng8354]

Amazing.wish life beautiful like classic music . ❤❤❤

[@markallen2536]

She literally becomes the music😮

[@art7695]

Brava at max level. What to say more❤

[@tonyventura4605]

Fantastic!

[@JanSlack-y2x]

I'm 70 but I'm gonna dance this song

[@TitiLatulipe]

Trop bien ! Seconde moitié de la cadence | 08:55

[@docbailey3265]

Dreamlike and desultory, enigmatic and enervating, something for everyone.

[@iancarr962]

Incredible

[@Barichter74318]

Best Prok 2 I've heard

[@matinsajad5449]

this is the first time i listened to prokofiev concerto my way of poor worthless naive composing will change after this i think (i wrote this because if some day i became someone who can compose something unworthless maybe ill see this comment again and remember the first time i heard prokofievs concerto)

[@karespratt5131]

Prokofiev suits Yuja well 🔥

[@geofffreeburn868]

Juja is pure genius

[@NoferTrunions]

Her ability to memorize itself is a marvel. Read somewhere she maintains 10 (or 20?) memorized concertos at any given time.

[@gunwookim4047]

This is so good

[@creationfied]

13:40 they are having fun with it lol

[@paulwarren796]

YUJA'S SPUMANTE GLITTERING BEADS OF PERSPIRATION-SO BEAUTIFUL YET SCARY.... IT MAKES A SOUL ALMOST SCREAM OUT YOU NEEDN'T DIE TO EXPEND YOURSELF INTO A FRENZY SO OFTEN!!!!! TOO EXCELLENT TO DIE YOUNG AT THE KEYBOARD.......

[@aziragoramo]

WHERE DID HER PROKOFIEV 2 WITH BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER GO?????

[@NoferTrunions]

Is it me, but does anyone hear fragments of No. 3 throughout? In many cases just 2 notes in the same context? No. 3 is just so iconic with it's sounds and themes.

[@willemvandoesselare7959]

Unbelievebel.

[@jaimebondoc5619]

Glorious

[@olyaddewo2379]

My favorite Russian piece ever

[@tigranbabasyan4045]

Diva, majestic, victorious! Divine gift to humanity.

[@Doozy_Titter]

She must have had a teacher work with her on this. It's much better than all her previous performances of this concerto, wow

[@Angel333piano]

She has it all memorized too omg