­Concert Review

Flawless Technique By A Young Piano Prodigy

By Julie Stern

Thanks to the generosity of Dr and Mrs Philip Kotch, the Newtown Friends of Music audience was treated to a Praeludium Recital on November 4 by 17-year-old prodigy Remy Yuhou Zhang.

Born in China, Mr Zhang began formal piano lessons at age five. When he was 12, he came to the US and settled in Danbury, where he immediately began building up his  resume with performances at Danbury Hospital gala receptions, as a soloist with various orchestras across Connecticut and New York, and as a prize winner in various piano competitions throughout the northeast.

For his recital last weekend at Edmond Town Hall, Mr Zhang started with Beethoven’s Sonata No. 21, Op. 53. This spirited, rhythmic three part work began with an exciting “Allegro con brio,” switching to a gently moving “Adagio molto” and ending with a brisk “Allegretto,” and he demonstrated flawless technique throughout. Every note was clear and distinct, fusing together into a melodic whole.

The second part of the program was dedicated to Fredric Chopin, beginning with Etude in E Major, Op. 10 No. 3 and then seguing into the Nocturne in F sharp major, Op. 15, No. 2, and finally ending with what Robert Schumann declared to be a work of genius, Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23. In contrast to the lively forcefulness of the Beethoven, the Chopin showed the composer’s typical romantic sweetness and languor.

After the intermission, Mr Zhang turned to the work of Sergei Rachmaninoff,  choosing to explore three short and intimate preludes, G sharp minor, E flat Major and E flat minor. This was followed by two Concert Etudes by Franz Liszt, the Waldesrauschen (Forest Murmurs) and Gnomenreigen (Dance of the Gnomes). Like the Rachmaninoff works, these lyrical tone paintings were written during a particularly happy period of the composer’s life, a fact reflected in their light, merry mood.

The program ended with an ambitious set of baroque dances by Maurice Ravel, the six-part Le Tombeau de Couperin. Designed as an act of homage to French music of the 18th Century, Ravel began the work just before enlisting in the army in World War I, and finished it only after his discharge two years later. It is a virtuoso demonstration of Ravel’s piano mastery, with movements running the gamut from a simple Prelude and Fugue, through a gay Forlane,  a vigorous Rigaudon, a stately Menuet, and finally a brilliant Tocatta.

After nearly two hours of performing, Mr Zhang closed with an encore of a very exciting Chinese composition, celebrating life. He received a well deserved and heartfelt standing ovation from the packed house.