Fantasia

Fantasia

by Yuja WangYuja Wang

Overview

While the outer appearance of Yuja Wang's Fantasia might make it appear to be an album of mysterious, delicate, or fanciful piano music, it is actually a high-powered collection of showstoppers that have been favorites of this pianist for many years. Wang's experience shows, too, because these are assured and dynamic performances that demonstrate her thorough knowledge of the music, her great physical prowess, and her impressive technical chops. She obviously enjoys taking on three of Rachmaninov's challenging "Études-Tableaux" and Horowitz's ferociously difficult "Carmen Variations," and she makes the Liszt-Horowitz transcription of Saint-Saëns' "Danse macabre" an encore to beat all encores. But not everything is programmed for showing off, because Wang plays with considerable restraint and taste in the Scarlatti "Sonata in G major, K. 455," and the Mélodie from Gluck's "Orfeo ed Euridice," and her most expressive and compelling playing is on display in the selections by Alexander Scriabin, evidently one of her favorite composers. With Deutsche Grammophon's exceptional reproduction, Wang presents the music with a wide dynamic range, which ranges from the soft magical passages of the Schubert-Liszt "Gretchen am Spinnrade" to the steadily building crescendo of Dukas' "L'apprenti sorcier," so this is an impressive demonstration of what she can do at the keyboard.

Product Details

Release Date: 04/10/2012
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
UPC: 0028947900528
catalogNumber: 001660602
Rank: 9333

Tracks

  1. Etudes-Tableaux, for piano, Op. 39: No. 6 in A minor

    1. No. 6 in A minor  (02:31)

  2. Etudes-Tableaux, for piano, Op. 39: No. 4 in B minor

    1. No. 4 in B minor  (02:30)

  3. Morceaux de fantaisie (5), for piano, Op. 3: Élégie in E flat minor

    1. Élégie in E flat minor  (04:44)

  4. Etudes-Tableaux, for piano, Op. 39: No. 5 in E flat minor

    1. No. 5 in E flat minor  (04:36)
  5. Sonata for keyboard in G major, K. 455 (L. 209)  (01:44)
  6. Mélodie (Dance of the Blessed Spirits, from Gluck's Orphee ed Euridice)  (03:01)

  7. Iberia Suite for piano, B. 47, Book 2: Triana

    1. Triana  (05:25)
  8. Variations on a Theme from Bizet's "Carmen", for piano  (03:39)
  9. Gretchen am Spinnrade ("Meine Ruh'..."), song for voice & piano, D. 118 (Op. 2)  (03:35)
  10. Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka (Chit-Chat Polka), for orchestra, Op. 214 (RV 214)  (03:20)
  11. Waltz for piano No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 64/2, CT. 213  (03:49)
  12. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (L'apprenti sorcier), symphonic scherzo for orchestra  (09:49)
  13. Prelude for piano in B major, Op. 11/11  (01:31)
  14. Prelude for piano in B minor, Op. 13/6  (01:17)
  15. Prelude for piano in G sharp minor, Op. 11/12  (01:30)
  16. Etude for piano in G sharp minor, Op. 8/9  (04:30)
  17. Poème for piano in F sharp major, Op. 32/1  (03:22)
  18. Danse macabre, for piano (after Liszt transcription)  (07:51)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Yuja Wang   Primary Artist

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