# Yuja Wang at Davies Symphony Hall, December 1, 2014

[San Francisco Performances](http://sfperformances.org/performances/1415/YujaWang.html) presents a solo recital by [Yuja Wang](http://www.yujawang.com/)  
2014-12-01  
[Davies Symphony Hall](http://www.sfsymphony.org)  
[201 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=201+Van+Ness,+San+Francisco,+CA&hl=en)  
7:30 PM, Monday, December 1, 2014

[[:2014:2014-11:2014-11-30_2|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2014|Up to the 2014 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2014#December_events|Up to the 2014 event list!]] ☸  [[2014-12-04|On to the next event!]]

## Tentative Program

### Original Program

  * Chopin: Fantasie in F minor, Op. 49
  * Scriabin: Impromptu à la Mazur in C Major, Op. 2, No. 3
  * Scriabin: Etude in C-sharp minor, Op. 42, No. 5
  * Scriabin: Etude in B-flat minor, Op. 8, No. 11
  * Scriabin: Etude in D-sharp minor, Op. 8, No. 12
  * Scriabin: Sonata No. 9, Op. 68 Black Mass
  * Granados: Goyescas: El fandango de candil
  * Albéniz: Iberia: Málaga
  * Schubert: Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960

### Updated Program (incomplete)

  * Schubert-Liszt: Gretchen am Spinnrade S.558/8
  * Mozart: “Turkish March” from Sonata in A, K.332 (arr. Arcadi Volodos)
  * possibly including other works by Mompou, Granados, Albeniz and Scriabin

### Updated Program (11/6/14)

  * Schubert/Liszt: Selections from Schwanengesang, D.957
  * Schubert/Liszt: Die schöne Müllerin, D.795
  * Schubert: Sonata in A Major, D.959
  * Scriabin: Prelude for the Left Hand Op. 9, No. 1
  * Scriabin: Prelude Op.11, No. 8 in F sharp minor
  * Scriabin: Fantasie in B minor, Op. 28
  * Scriabin: Prelude Op. 37, No. 1 in B flat minor
  * Scriabin: 2 Poèmes, Op. 63
  * Scriabin: Sonata No. 9, Op. 68 “Black Mass”
  * Mily Balakirev: Islamey

## Set One

[7:35 PM lights down, announcements]

### Schubert/Liszt: Selections from Schwanengesang, D.957; and Die schöne Müllerin, D.795

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Selections from _Schwanengesang_ (Swan song), D.957, (1828) arranged for piano by Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

01. [7:37 PM] I. _Liebesbotschaft_ (Message of Love), S.560/10
02. [7:40 PM] V. _Aufenthalt_ (Dwelling Place), S.560/3

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): from Die schöne Müllerin (the Lovely Maid of the Mill), Op. 25, D.795 (1824); arranged for piano by Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

03. [7:43 PM] XIX. _Der Müller und der Bach_ (The Miller and the Brook), in G minor, S.565/2  
[segment ends 7:47 PM; ovation then off for a couple minutes]

### Schubert: Sonata in A Major, D.959

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Sonata in A Major, Op. Posth., D.959 (1828)

01. [7:50 PM] Allegro
02. [8:02 PM] Andantino
03. [8:10 PM] Scherzo: Allegro vivace -- Trio: Un poco più lento
04. [8:14 PM] Rondo: Allegretto -- Presto  
[set ends 8:25 PM; applause and bows and then off for set break at 8:27 PM]

## Set Two

[8:49 PM lights down]

### Selected works by Scriabin

Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915): Selected works

01. [8:50 PM] Prelude for the Left Hand Op. 9, No. 1 (1894)
02. [8:53 PM] Prelude Op.11, No. 8 in F sharp minor; Allegro agitato
03. [8:55 PM] Fantasie in B minor, Op. 28 (1900)  
[segment ends 9:04 PM; pause for applause]
04. [9:04 PM] Prelude Op. 37, No. 1 in B flat minor (1903); Mesto
05. [9:06 PM] _Étrangeté_ (Strangeness), 2 Poèmes, Op. 63/2 (1911)
06. [9:08 PM] _Masques_, 2 Poèmes, Op. 63/1 (1911)
07. [9:09 PM] Sonata No. 9, Op. 68 “_Messe noire_ (Black Mass)” (1913)  
[segment ends 9:17 PM; pause for applause, then off and out for a minute or so]

### Mily Balakirev: Islamey

01. [9:18 PM] Mily Balakirev (1837-1910): Islamey (1902)  
[set ends 9:26 PM; off and back for multiple ovations, then in and whammo!]

### First Encore: Schumann/Tausig: El Contrabandista

01. [9:28 PM] Robert Schumann (1810-1856): _El Contrabandista_ (the Smuggler), from Spanisches Liederspiel, Op. 74, No. 10, 1849; arranged for piano solo by Carl Tausig (1841-1871), 1915.  
[set ends 9:30 PM; off and back for multiple ovations, then in and one more without a word]

### Second Encore: Chopin: Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2

01. [9:31 PM] Frédéric Chopin: Waltz No. 7 in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2, 1847  
[work ends 9:35; one more curtain call, then done for the night at 9:36 PM]


## Performers

* [Yuja Wang](http://www.yujawang.com/): piano.


## Notes

Easy traffic today (must be the extended Thanksgiving lull) and then easy parking when two spots open up a block away from the hall. Oh happy day!

My first set experience was somewhat marred by feedback from the hearing aid of the guy sitting behind me -- fixed only after turning around and getting the attention of his wife (who probably couldn't hear the nasty whine either, but at least knew what to do when folks started giving them the stink eye). Oh well, not too much you can do when that happens! At least I got to hear most of the set without the whine, and Yuja was fabulous, as usual. It's kind of funny how easy it is to take such stupendous talent and artistry for granted, as of any of us in the audience could even hope to hold a candle to her! So yeah, awesome!

Outside at setbreak for some cool air. The building across Van Ness at Fell seems to be set up for some sort of light show, as the lights are flicking on and off in a fairly organized fashion. Kind of cool for a minute or three, but I bet it's annoying to the folks facing west from the condos on lower Polk! City hall is lit up in bright red tonight. Wonder what that's for... probably not for the 49ers latest loss to the Seahawks!

The second set was even more engaging than the first, what with the somewhat more difficult compositions. Makes me think I should listen to a not more Scriabin! And the Balakirev? Whoa! Hot, hot, hot! Arpeggios up the yin yang, and with feeling!

First encore was similar to the rest of the second set -- <del>I'm gonna guess that it's another Scriabin piece.</del> BZZZZZT. Totally wrong on the composer. Major props to SF Performances for updating their event page with the encore information within 24 hours!

Second encore was quite familiar, <del>but I haven't yet matched my recollection of the tune to an actual title. Seemed like a Hungarian Dance or one of Dvořák's Slavonic Dances or some such work:</del> especially nice because it was quite lyrical and dreamy, as opposed to being simply virtuosic. Chopin, of course! Stimulates me to think that I should put in some practice time at the piano so as to be able to whack at that piece myself. I especially liked that Yuja played with the meter of this piece, allowing it to speed up and slow down as if being performed by a pair of spinning ice dancers (of course, that's the way it's written, but still, it was very cool to hear it done so well!). Would have been nice for Yuja to tell us what she was going to play -- or to wait for everyone to sit down! -- but it made for a fun bit of listening nonetheless.

Lara Downes posted a nice [promotional interview](https://www.sfcv.org/article/artists-on-the-bench-this-week-with-yuja-wang) with Yuja at SFCV.

Stephen Smoliar posted a complimentary [review](http://www.examiner.com/article/pianist-yuja-wang-s-sfp-recital-spans-nineteenth-century-virtuosity) for the Examiner, though he was uncharitably sour regarding the final encore.

{{tag>music Yuja_Wang Davies_Symphony_Hall }}

[[:2014:2014-11:2014-11-30_2|Back to the previous event!]] &#9784; [[:#section2014|Up to the 2014 yearbox!]] &#9784; [[:2014#December_events|Up to the 2014 event list!]] &#9784;   [[2014-12-04|On to the next event!]]