Yuja Wang and the Berlin Philharmonic under Kirill Petrenko

Probably sounded wonderful on the radio but even getting as close as I could to the piano much was inaudible.

Actors used to have a diaphram that allowed them to project their voice to the first as to the last seats .

Great pianists  of the past such as Rubinstein and Rachmaninov knew the secret ….the tricks of the trade Sidney Harrison used to call it.

The Torteliers called it “peso” or weight.

Richter rather condescendingly referred to it as the good old concert cantabile in the same rather impish way he referred to Moura Lympany.

Pity Uncle Tobbs is no longer around to show us what a true cantabile can be as in the hands of the two Dames: Myra and Moura who learnt from a master.

Such a pity as Yuja Wang in the loud parts and in the occasional exquisite sounds that wafted my way showed the great artist she undoubtedy is.

In the Rachmaninov op 23 n.5 encore,the beautiful middle section was inexistent.

Pity

The encore though of Mozart goes to town was unique. Not even Volodos or Hammelin could do that.

Horowitz certainly could and it was infact Yujas Yanky Doodle that brought the house down

The Berlin Phil could have stayed at home.

Ashamed to say I skipped the Schmidt I had been standing too long and hearing about the knotty twine in the pre concert talk I decided to drag another fine pianist Ilya Kondratiev down to the Imperial College pub.

Thought I might have found Yuja there but expect she was surrounded by her fans like the true entertainer she can be.

I bet the only thing on people’s lips after that was Yuja’ s party piece.

Upstaged by Yank Doodle

I don’t think that Karajan would have stood for that but then I doubt he would have offered a programme of Dukas and Schmidt with his band.

New brooms and all that ….look forward to Strauss and Brahms tonight though.