Teatro de la Maestranza: Yuja Wang

About the Event

Experience an evening of extraordinary music as the eminent pianist Yuja Wang graces the grand stage of Teatro de la Maestranza.

Every virtuoso decides how to connect with their audience. In contrast to the unassuming performers like Sviatoslav Richter—who would illuminate himself with a desk lamp so that listeners could focus solely on the music—there are those who turn every performance into a spectacle where other attractions complement the music. This tradition dates back as far as the great Franz Liszt, who, alongside Paganini, pioneered the high‐end musical spectacle. Yuja Wang has talent, technique, and musicality to spare. Her artistry would shine just as brightly under the pale light of a desk lamp. It’s just that the Chinese pianist has decided to adopt a different style.

Exceptional ever since she began playing the instrument as a child, her definitive international breakthrough came in 2007, at age 20, when she had to replace none other than Martha Argerich—whose legendary status is enhanced by a stage presence that Wang, in a way, elevates to a new dimension. Although she has at times had to endure the prejudice of those who judge by appearances alone, audiences and critics alike repeatedly praise her astonishing technique, her interpretive freedom, and that pursuit of musical spontaneity that belongs only to the greatest.