Beyond the show

Evey virtuoso decides how to relate to its audience. There are the more discreet such as Sviatoslav Richter, who used a reading lamp to not distract the audience’s concentration from the music. This contrasts with those who make every performance a spectacle which includes other attractions. Rather like Franz Liszt, who invented, along with Paganini, a high-level musical event. Artistic quality can shine with the same intensity as the pale light of simple lamp. Except that the Chinese pianist has a unique style that is completely different from any other.

Wang was exceptional at the keyboard from the outset as a young child. The definitive moment was in 2007, when at the age of 20, she substituted -of all pianists- Martha Argerich. The Argentine legend displays a charisma on stage which, in a way, Wang has taken to a new level. Despite enduring a certain prejudice from those who choose to look no further than the packaging, the audience and critics repeatedly praise her astounding technique, interpretive freedom and the quest for musical spontaneity reserved for only the greatest.