Yuja Wang plays Schumann's "The Smuggler" on a Steinway Spirio

[@thegreenpianist7683]

The clarity and the touch are out of this world

[@ramind10001]

TheGreenPianist If you hear it on a spirio your mind will be blown EVEN MORE

[@NickHorse]

She is asian!

[@eckarteckart]

I exactly know, what you mean. I guess, you are a bit too generalizing. There are exceptions. And Yuja is for sure of them.

[@jamien.5528]

Cobblie stereotyping at its finest 🙄

[@Mr.X2]

A steinway and a perfect asian player. Clearness is to he achieved

[@jordidewaard2937]

While the piano sounds amazing, we must not forget the clarity that is being achieved by miss Wang here. The way she switches from loud to soft, in such short spans is just incredible. I wish I could voice half as well as she can

[@janetsimmons6969]

U

[@thomasschellekens5084]

Exactly. This is a great commercial. For Yuja Wang xD

[@NadyaPena-01]

this is the only commercial I ever watch over and over again voluntarily.

[@sliversilver]

she always manages to make difficult pieces look so easy.... magical!

[@NoxLegend1]

This is beyond difficult

[@alainspiteri502]

She's above all technic .

[@Jeremy73950]

But the real question should always be "can she make difficult pieces sound good"

[@AsinT.]

@@Jeremy73950 she does?

[@selfissimo]

@@Jeremy73950 i see you can type, but can you hear?

[@tedl7538]

The finesse of her touch on this piece is exquisite.

[@mikec2250]

Please check out Stephen Hough for a superior performance!

[@dani3l658]

mikec his performance is a little too fast, in my opinion this is one of the best in clarity and preferable tempo.

[@mencken8]

Ted L I appreciate the compact and incredible accuracy of her playing. Cf. Stephanie Trick performing “Keep Your Temper” by Fats Waller.

[@scottalbers2518]

It really is.

[@germanbigdaddy]

seconded

[@Kim-fv5bn]

One Of My favorite pianists... she has a unique style and can show jazzy soul but never be out of classic....

[@JOHN-tk6vl]

FAVOURITE

[@gretareinarsson7461]

She is totally one in a million. A brilliant pianist.

[@albert-uj8ci]

"one in a million"? There are 7 billion people on the planet. She's a lot rarer than that.

[@mindormood1]

so there are about 8000 wang yujia in the world

[@ricf9592]

One in? well, the rest of us.

[@musicsky2050]

Yes, even better than Lang Lang now, in my humble opinion.

[@echowong915]

talented

[@thomasm5714]

This was played on a Steinway, in case you didn't notice.

[@lamenamethefirst]

This is on Steinway's channel, in case you didn't notice.

[@Kassiusday]

@@lamenamethefirst yes thank you to remind it to us .... sounds divine ... may be too good to be real ... cheers .. we are maybe victim of collective hallucination !!

[@marukchozt6744]

loll

[@MetaView7]

because this piece is so bright, i think it would sound better (or just as good) on a yamaha, or kawai

[@thibomeurkens2296]

Wow thanks I thought it was played on a Nokia 😶

[@jiaxinli437]

passionate but accurate performance. she has the unmatched skill and sophisticated understanding of music of the younger generation pianist

[@cmw9876]

An old fellow is delighted to see in a new generation. May they flourish.❤❤❤

[@avamei6208]

So much respect for Yuja Wang

[@gregturner2363]

It is one thing to be able to play so fast, but when you can play that fast and have each note played perfectly - OMG - perfection!

[@cmw9876]

It seems Yuja really can give the "D" a belting - sceptics and technology be damned. The kid can play! (The Spirio is an "M")

[@jimpenning1886]

Perfect.

[@meggiel.512]

Exactly ! Unlike L.L. who brave enough to run master class to fool people .....

[@andyanderson9824]

And she is far better looking too!

[@farhadbozorgmehr1173]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZoSXgmlsfKeJmtk

[@jeremyngpiano]

I love those dancing fingers. Such a pleasure to watch.

[@karendeng6061]

Jeremy Ng I saw her videos when she was very young. I love that she was so serious about the fingers and strictly and accurately played.

[@mariodisarli1022]

THE NEW YORKER by Janet Malcolm " What is one to think of the clothes the twenty-nine-year-old pianist Yuja Wang wears when she performs-extremely short and tight dresses that ride up as she plays, so that she has to tug at them when she has a free hand, or clinging backless gowns that give an impression of near-nakedness (accompanied in all cases by four-inch-high stiletto heels)? In 2011, Mark Swed, the music critic of the L.A. Times, referring to the short and tight orange dress Yuja wore when she played Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto at the Hollywood Bowl, wrote that “had there been any less of it, the Bowl might have been forced to restrict admission to any music lover under 18 not accompanied by an adult.” Two years later, the New Criterion critic Jay Nordlinger characterized the “shorter-than-short red dress, barely covering her rear,” that Yuja wore for a Carnegie Hall recital as “stripper-wear.” Never has the relationship between what we see at a concert and what we hear come under such perplexing scrutiny. Is the seeing part a distraction (Glenn Gould thought it was) or is it-can it be-a heightening of the musical experience? During the intermission of a recital at Carnegie Hall in May, Yuja changed from the relatively conventional long gold sequinned gown she had worn for the first half, two Brahms Ballades and Schumann’s “Kreisleriana,” into something more characteristically outré. For the second half, Beethoven’s extremely long and difficult Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat, known as the “Hammerklavier,” she wore a dress that was neither short nor long but both: a dark-blue-green number, also sequinned, with a long train on one side-the side not facing the audience-and nothing on the other, so that her right thigh and leg were completely exposed. As she performed, the thigh, splayed by the weight of the torso and the action of the toe working the pedal, looked startlingly large, almost fat, though Yuja is a very slender woman. Her back was bare, thin straps crossing it. She looked like a dominatrix or a lion tamer’s assistant. She had come to tame the beast of a piece, this half-naked woman in sadistic high heels. Take that, and that, Beethoven! ..." player.vimeo.com/video/57468088?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=d30000&api=1&player_id=media-player

[@L.M1792]

Mario DiSarli but where are the variations with a Persian/Mexican history? These I think would give our next generation of listeners that something sultry to learn from rather than merely these wonderous masterpieces.

[@annalehmus1505]

Jeremy Ng Liszt Funeraille

[@L.M1792]

I found this piece played by Bernard Lemmens. the base strings sound loosely strung, or maybe its all in my imagination, perhaps he simply has the foot down. not quite what I was meaning with the Persian/Mexican reference. thanks for the nudge in the Liszt direction.

[@victoriaelizabethwhitimaxw1613]

she's amazing and light as air when she plays

[@MrKlashmaster]

Beautiful, both the woman and her skillful playing. Truly magnificent.

[@DigDug513]

I have recently discovered Yuja Wang and she is a phenomenally talented pianist. She makes it seem so effortless but her ability to express the music is exceptional. I'm definitely a fan now. 🥰🥰🥰

[@uriahmrache8336]

Just saw her live. She was literally flawless.

[@FanGali]

Great ad ! I immediatly got my credit card out, and then realised i was 119 000 dollars short. Nice try Steinway...!

[@Thatfanboi17]

dang

[@jamesrawlins735]

Great news - you can get the Model B room size one for just $86,000! It's a STEAL

[@dehanbadenhorst1398]

If you switch to violin you need 16m for a strad

[@mhuten]

@@dehanbadenhorst1398 what if he does nt want strad?

[@gsm5104]

Dehan Badenhorst But that’s the thing, you can hear the difference between higher priced pianos and lower priced pianos. They did a study where violinists were unable to see which kind of violin was a being played, a strad or a fairly good quality professional violin. They couldn’t tell the difference. The cost of the stad is just for the name.

[@pauliberg3492]

oh my world.. what pianist..just be blessed in the future.You and your hands..the way you play music..the way you make music ..is out of heaven..

[@pauliberg3492]

this is just pure magic..absolute magic..

[@gaiabandini8145]

She IS the piano. Absolute symbiosis.

[@jonathanwelsh2119]

Has anyone mentioned that this is a transcription by Carl Tausig? If not, I just did!!

[@sprechendemulltonne5051]

Jonathan Welsh Thank you! Maestro Tausig has to be mentioned in this video. ;) Greetings from Germany

[@raymondgood2359]

I knew immediately that this was not written by schumann-not his style not at all!!

[@jinminggeng6177]

It is not that important to know. "-"

[@jameswilson807]

@@jinminggeng6177 well, Tausig was a virtuoso. He was not (and never has been) berry well known, most of his work was lost in the fire bombing of Dresden, and he died in poverty. The guy deserves some recognition.

[@EFDNora]

@@jameswilson807 I'm a huge fan of Tausig btw

[@sambaransarkar5551]

She's getting more and more magical, maturity coming with age. Love Yuja.

[@pauliberg3492]

this is more than magic..I just seem to never get enough from Yuja.wonderful!!!

[@mikec2250]

This performance is not bad. Emil Gilels and Stephen Hough are in another league...

[@user-jj4zl3wv4t]

@@mikec2250 Here we go again. Seems to me that you are in a league of your own!

[@sigma_z]

Amazing performance, great understanding of musical lines, voicing and the God like technique to pull it off. Really gifted. Bravo!

[@adastefaniu2602]

Who does not like?.... OMG, she's an extraordinary pianist. LIKE!!!!

[@joelosnoss5371]

Beautiful on so many levels.

[@perpetualmotion319]

it´s a pleasure to watch her play

[@narrowjay0]

I am truly blessed to hear such a wonderful piano player.

[@Briguy1027]

So amazing how smooth and even she plays. As a rank amateur pianist I'm always stunned by her virtuosity.

[@Zhiar]

She's amazing..

[@fernando197477]

Wonderful music and a beautiful pianist

[@karenistalking5774]

I've been around Classical music for over 50 yrs but have never heard of such a piano piece. It is a total delight seeing and hearing it played under her glib light fingers. Am going back for the second round.

[@legamature]

Me too. The music is so good I don't know why it is not played more.

[@ershenlin1774]

@@legamature Because they can't! BTW, this is not the fastest playing by Y. Wang.

[@legamature]

@@ershenlin1774 Difficult yes, but there are others who could play it. Schumann could not.

[@ershenlin1774]

@@legamature I did not imply that only Yujia can play it, but for many they find it not worthy to invest the time to learn the piece. And it's not the most difficult or the fastest one Yujia has played so far. I don't care so much about which piece is the most difficult, that's why I rarely listen to Horowitz.

[@legamature]

@@ershenlin1774 Thanks for the answer. Do you have a favorite pianist?

[@parule]

Beautiful, joyful, wonderful!

[@mikec2250]

Please check out Stephen Hough for a superior performance!

[@asoftraiden]

There is a limit to human being`s neural reflexes and impulse speed, it looks like these limits do not apply on Yuja Wang neurons, she played this piece so fast without showing any sign of struggle, a piece of cake for her !

[@ohilo558]

its not a piece of cake. it was hard work and dedication

[@pianoforteyt]

No it still applies, every human has reflexes and neurons are you dumb,

[@johncarpenter624]

Gilels played it faster, and just as accurately. In fact, she left out notes, if you see the score.

[@spanqueluv9er]

@@johncarpenter624 Incorrect. Jesus- how’s that whole jealousy thing working out for you? Dumbfuq.🖕🖕💩🤡🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🙄

[@christianduerig2720]

Wow ! That's what classical music could be. Speedy, vital, joyful, ... jokingly ! I am glad, that we can listen to Yuji Wang. It is so refreshing !!!

[@JohnHelfgott]

PERFECT PIANO, PERFECT PIANIST, PERFECT LADY.

[@onlymyrailgununknown2960]

just perfect

[@GreatSculptorZ]

perfect likes on that comment

[@uwuwuwu525]

Fagner Pereira i am in love

[@asoftraiden]

Fake playing though

[@mikec2250]

I'll take Stephen Hough over this, any day.

[@cmw9876]

The purest distillation of one minute and fifty four second of piano music magic. I'm reminded of a brilliant fragment of poetry ... Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" - try "And on her Dulcimer she play'd" - or maybe "His flashing eyes, his floating hair!" - Yuja's flashing fingers? This is the purest distillation of one minute and fifty four second of piano music I have ever heard. Magical. ❤❤❤

[@michaelschefold3299]

Artist of the year and one of the greatest pianists of all times!

[@mikec2250]

Maybe. Some day. Right now artists such as Richter, Gilels and Perahia are in another league from her (for example). I've seen them all and, sorry, she's not there.

[@user-jj4zl3wv4t]

@@mikec2250 Wow, it must be so if you say so!

[@L1102]

@@user-jj4zl3wv4t learn to accept other people's opinions.

[@cdfanto6094]

Shapes and carves images into the air, through the imagination; such a sublimely gifted artist, matched exquisitely with this divine instrument !!

[@Mercy_Pants]

The harmonics and warmth of a Steinway are simply unmatched. I see why most artists choose it

[@mirihawk]

It sounds almost like bells! So light and bouncy, like a tiny drop of water.

[@fulcherpj]

An unbelievable pianist in our time!!

[@andyanderson9824]

Another excellent contribution from Miss Wang. Even the sound recordists did her skills proud.

[@thibomeurkens2296]

I’ve listened/watched this about 8 times today and it keeps being incredible!

[@heronmyer3780]

you need to pan to the steinway logo 10 more times in case we don't know it's a steinway

[@alwayswithjc]

Heron Myer hahahaha cant help but LOL

[@GreyWind]

Unless it’s a Steinway we can’t play music on it

[@axolotl7918]

I know right!? What kind of advertisement would display the product that's being advertised?

[@devinhood7340]

It's A Steinway you say? 🎶

[@wingnutofcoolness]

Its the Steinway Spirio, kind of a modern high tech player piano.

[@MichaelAChang]

It's actually remarkable that a piano exists which will facilitate Yuja Wang's musical expression at such a high level.

[@nottingham_ChrisAllison]

Sooooooo well articulated and delivered..just amazing!

[@liuby33]

When I had a chance to visit a Steinway showroom and spotted a Spirio, I immediately selected this piece to listen it in person. I was simply held speechless by the shear power of the piano and Yuja's finest touch and control. In person, this piece is way louder, but meanwhile not a bit irretating. It was amazing.

[@spanqueluv9er]

@liuby33 ^*hear it in person, not listen it ^*sheer, not shear ^*irritating, not irretating

[@liuby33]

@@spanqueluv9er "How annoying do you want to be?" "Yes"

[@pauliberg3492]

I AM WATCHING AGAIN AND AGAIN , HUNDREDS OF TIMES AND STILL , SEEING IS BELIEVING ---!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@JDS0409]

We love Yuja!!

[@ryanmoorhouse5697]

Heard this piece at Steinway in London yesterday. Unbelievable technology it's like she was there playing it in front of you!

[@NoxLegend1]

How exactly does that work. Can I look this up? What is the technology called.

[@robertcohn8858]

A jewel of a piece.

[@MedtNERD]

Actually, that is NOT a piece by Schumann, but a transcription of Schumann's piece by Carl Tausig.

[@Flies_the_limit]

Well done.

[@helenlundeberg]

I was thinking this doesn't sound like Schumann at all

[@wojtas2524]

@@helenlundeberg it is Schumann, he just didn't write it for piano

[@flyingpenandpaper6119]

@@wojtas2524 I think the convention is then to write Schumann-Tausig, as in "The Smuggler" - Schumann-Tausig, in the same style as the Bach-Busoni Chaconne or Liebesleid, Kreisler-Rachmaninoff.

[@flyingpenandpaper6119]

@Herr Ainstein Transcription is the word used usually for when one composer converts music written for one instrument (or many or even an orchestra!) into music written for another set of instruments. For example, listen to Liebesleid, Kreisler (written for violin and piano) and then Liebesleid, Kreisler-Rachmaninoff (written for piano solo). Another example is Vocalise, Rachmaninoff, which is often transcribed for piano solo. Vyacheslav Gryaznov is a great transcriber who has reduced many orchestral works, such as Prélude a l'après-midi d'un faune for piano solo. It can also go the other way-Ravel transcribed his own piece, Une barque sur l'océan, which was written for piano, for an orchestra. Transcriptions are often meant to be faithful, like an interpreter translating text from one language to another, but many aren't-often, the transcriber will add their own little twists or radically change the piece. This is more accurately called arranging, but it's a type of transcription. Interpretation, on the other hand, has connotations of performance, so in this video, it is Yuja Wang interpreting the piece, not Tausig. You can have people arranging other composers' works for the same instrument e.g. Godowsky's Studies on Chopin's Études, which are written for piano, when the original Chopin Études were written for piano. This is more of a case of transcribing and modifying the actual musical idea, rather than the music on the page. I'm not sure what instruments "The Smuggler" was written for originally, but I hope I answered your question.

[@Kougeru]

Watching her play always brings tears to my eyes

[@pedroballadares5253]

Such a talented woman , she doesn’t need a long concert , just a piece of music to show how great is her talent is , thanks for share!!

[@jennifer86010]

In addition to Yuja's incredible technique and amazing chops, the sound she's getting from this piano is remarkable. She's playing a Steinway model "M" seen in the piano's golden plate triangle in the baritone section of the keyboard at 0:11. A model "M" (medium) is 5 feet 7 inches long, which is an appropriate size grand piano for a home, rarely a performance venue. Usually, grand pianos which are under 6 feet in length, do not have a very robust baritone or bass section sound, yet this model "M" has a very bold and distinctively resonant baritone section. It's particularly noticeable at 0:45 through 0:56. Since this video is a Steinway advertisement, the piano is in perfect tune, and the hammers have been voiced really well. Due to the tight close-up camera work, It is difficult to determine the size of the room, but there are lamps and tables glimpsed at times. The recording has a bit of reverb added to enlarge the overall sound of the piano and the the size of the room, which creates aural depth. I've seen Yuja's past practice piano in her New York apartment, and it appeared to be a medium-sized Steinway grand. She practiced and played it as many classical pianists do, with the lid completely closed, and a thick quilted cover over the entire piano (except the keyboard) with the music desk placed on top of the cover. This helps deaden the sound to neighbors, but it also creates more pressure on the keyboard, since the sound is trapped inside the closed case and cover. With this added pressure, the keys require more effort to play, which is exactly what baseball players do when they warm up by swinging two bats before they approach the plate. A pianist will be able to play a difficult work more easily after practicing on a keyboard which requires more effort. This is why most organ players find it difficult and uncomfortable to play piano very well, since organ keyboard actions are extremely light and springy, whereas piano actions, especially 9-foot concert grand piano actions, are heavy and demanding. It takes practice to get used to the heavier piano action. In terms of fingers and hands, pianists' hands may range in size from tiny feminine hands, to hands the size of a baseball glove, with fingers the size of big cucumbers. In fact, the hands make up only a small part of a pianist's ability to play the piano. It is actually the brain and the heart which really play the piano.

[@JW-br5nd]

Interesting, thank you!

[@guymandudely324]

Her rendering of dynamics and melody are so beyond normal that there don't seem to be superlatives that even apply to her.

[@jacquesprevert1902]

Out of this world. Amazing clarity and touch

[@HaziqMuhyidin]

This deserves so much more than 6K++ views!

[@pj8752]

HaziqMuhyidin No worries lmao

[@lolind3383]

This deserves some million views.

[@jfbarbosaboro]

Only quality does not bring veiws... unfortunately...

[@darkygaming5241]

now it has more almost 900k

[@rudolphmcneill515]

Wow. She plays so effortlessly. I love how her hands appear to be dancing. Absolutely BRILLIANT. What a beautiful instrument.

[@fanllawf]

Her hands, or the piano?

[@rudolphmcneill515]

@@fanllawf her hands and ease of her immense technique and musicality.

[@VanoArts]

this video is pure magic

[@antonioperillo1182]

Juja plays with a virtuosistic technic that make her one of the best pianist in the world, really!!!!👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@pauliberg3492]

ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE..

[@intervalkid]

That is tight and beautiful playing. She is not only gorgeous looks but playing as well.

[@ricardiodestroyerofanuses4638]

@@mikec2250 "sexist"

[@michieldpiano]

Tight has NOTHING to do with Schumann.

[@louisraphael2567]

This is in fact just beautiful!

[@GuitarAtWork]

Yuja is my absolute favourite! So great. 😊

[@colinmurphy2214]

Very fluid playing made possible by the good people at Steinway. The Incredibly bright voicing of this piano is quite well suited for this piece

[@spanqueluv9er]

@colinmurphy2214 ^*Very fluid playing made possible by Yuja’s practicing.🤡🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@anyezvanrozenburg3383]

Every comment I read about Yuja Wang proves my feeling of her: She is unsurpassed in combining every possible quality a pianist can have, among them effortless virtuosity, musicality and touch. She leaves you in awe and moved. There are more great pianists, young and old, but Yuja is simply phenomenal. .

[@Summer-lb7tr]

This is the best music I heard, by far. The combination of an amazing piano player mixed with a world-class piano is more than wonderful.

[@Delbauldelosrecuerdos]

Example of PERFECTION

[@guilhermesantos2803]

It's clear. It's so beautiful. Thank you Yunja

[@Ianthe22]

Shit that was perfect. Not only her playing and her, but the pairing with this steinway also.

[@brynjarhoff5101]

Hello musicklovers! I say it again.: Thank Good for this Lady!! Brynjar Hoff

[@philipgregorysougles1744]

Tausig always made things so Grande!!

[@an4contre]

This video is perfect in every aspect

[@Andres020202]

26 people were smugglers back in the days

[@salmanezar7584]

Well, they’re 98 now.

[@markh7484]

Her tecnique so MILES ahead of any piece she might play, it's effortlessly perfect.

[@crazytx01]

love the shoes!

[@noahm7922]

Christian Louboutin

[@MsBettyRubble]

So fun to watch and a joy to hear. 😄

[@ruthsalgado6775]

Yuja’s playing is worth more than the most expensive Steinway and Sons piano :)

[@luky46]

I love this composition. Thank you for posting

[@GrzegorzNowacki]

Awesome playing !!♫ ♫😻

[@mikec2250]

Please check out Stephen Hough for a superior performance!

[@CapetownCarework]

YW does a super job of bringing to light unknown pieces and transcriptions, and good enough for them to be remembered

[@razzerraw1108]

How was the audio recorded so perfectly?

[@yifuliu547]

It's technology.

[@tedl7538]

I believe they used electron flow.

[@yifuliu547]

***** You find more information about spirio at www.steinway.com/spirio

[@razzerraw1108]

Yifu Liu I meant to say what Mic's were used to capture the great quality

[@NNMB]

Steinway Spiro is the technology, its not just a case of an 'excellent mic'.

[@pauliberg3492]

a new day is about to break..and I am doing it with Yuja Wang..please more of her music.When is she doing Brahms live and Beethoven.we need to see and hear.What a talent.

[@mariateresa5380]

Superb and amazing, as always. Gunpowder fingers! 🔥

[@andremaia1961]

Those hands have proper life!

[@fredhoupt4078]

Wow oh wow. Not heard this before. Great technique, fabulous piano. What a performance!

[@danielwildegger7501]

Awesome. It sounds like feathers pushing down the keys.

[@יצחקבןיהוידע-ל3נ]

I love her playing !!!

[@maestroadam]

Ear-bending audio quality -- wow.

[@PinkPanther4958]

nothing to describe but grace and beauty.

[@pazazz4]

Camera man, you're fired!

[@payingtoplay]

he’s hired for me, they filmed it like a beautiful short movie ^•^

[@jiwang5330]

She is a masterpiece 😮

[@HaruMikawa]

Fit Woman + Piano, *we know what were expecting*

[@esterleng860]

I’m just here, in love with the sound omg

[@tedl7538]

A goddess indeed.

[@patriciagraham222]

Magic fingers indeed. WOW! Absolutely stunning.

[@alfreire]

Awesome...!!!

[@morikopall1137]

Fantastic, Yuja! Thank you! ❤️

[@elliottgyll8453]

My mum is wondering why I'm kneeling in front of the computer rn

[@randomcubing7106]

oh, then your mum is non musician confirmed