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In Reply to: RE: Our own Analog Scott defends Yuja's honor in epic 300+ post thread on Google Groups posted by Chris from Lafayette on May 31, 2016 at 16:40:24
Yuja Wang is obviously a fine pianist (I haven't seen a review that doesn't concede at least that, even from those who aren't all-out groupies). The only "negative" thing one could say is that if she were old and/or ugly, she would be a relatively unknown fine pianist (along with a number of other unglamorous musicians) rather than a superstar fine pianist.
That doesn't make her overrated. As Scott himself pointed out here, looks count for stage performers, including in classical music. Oddly, he got mad when I suggested that looks were not quite as all-important in classical music as a study he cited claimed (which imo drew conclusions too broad for the data on which they were based, a common problem with social science research) but his basic point was correct, and his friend Yuja is a major if not the major beneficiary these days.
But age is the great leveler. Will internet posters include large closeup photos of her pretty face, as you did, when she is 60 or 70? No, and for the same reason, the hot superstars then as now will mostly be young sensations, though she probably won't be forgotten altogether.
That's the real reason some posters aren't Yuja groupies. They don't like the hype of the moment. (I don't feel that strongly either way. I like Yuja, but she's not a top favorite for me.) He'll not convince them otherwise, even with 3,000 posts.
Follow Ups:
an interesting article on gender bias in classical music that speaks to some length specifically about Yuja. I think it is remarkably relevant to this thread and that train wreck on Usenet.
here it is
. . . IMHO that particular article is just a bit too PC in a way that only Canadians can be (!).
OTOH, as I write this, I'm listening to Nicolai Demidenko's wonderful recording of Beethoven's F-sharp major Sonata (Op. 78). It reminds me of the time he played with a local orchestra here (not the SF Symphony). The wife of the conductor of that orchestra later told us that, while Demidenko was here for the performances, he asked her if she would mind doing his laundry! ;-)
Gotta ask.
Have you heard her? Do you own her CDs? :-)
I seldom get CDs these days, unless I know the performer/composer or his/her representative personally or it's something I find especially outstanding. And almost all my digital listening is on a computer or iPod. So Yuja is basically from Spotify for me, as are most others. I did hear a live radio broadcast recital by her recently.
Not that anyone should care too much about my tastes and opinions, but why would I express one about someone I hadn't heard?
we will never know how Yuja would do were she an ugly dude. But... I do find it ironic that my previous favorite pianist was Ivan Moravec. Not exactly what I would call eye candy.
Time will tell where she stands in the big picture. I remember when I first saw her and jumped online and started a thread on the Steve Hoffman forums declaring her the next superstar of classical music. She was pretty unknown then. I recall one person on the classical music corner thread predicting that within 5 years she will have crashed and burned and the classical music world would have already forgotten about her. That was 6-7 years ago....
I think I called it right. Love her or hate her she did become the next superstar of classical music. Longevity in classical music is a fickle thing. It's very hard to predict. Yuja knows that as well as anyone. And that is why I will predict a long and magnificent career. the only thing that worries me is the physicality of her playing. It's a lot to ask of such a small frame and small hands.
Trying to convince anyone of anything on Usenet is Useless. I should have known better. For some reason I thought actual facts would not be points of contention. But that's my bad. Usenet.
"Oh Rob, have you forgotten my pretty face?"
I certainly prefer her styling than Lang Lang or Khatia tho. (both looks and performance)
I hope to see her live some day.
Here smoking Martha at 30.
Still kicking at 74.
Ive heard her too and mostly liked her playing.
Martha has praised Ms Wang....
but Martha was already Martha, in full phenomenon and artistic and emotional singularity, by age 25.
On the babe pianist theme, I really like Anna Vinnataskaya. (Not sure about spelling).
Only heard her by recording on streaming, but she is my favorite of the new crop. I was listening and trying to place her style and the impression I felt, and I felt a little chill and wonder as I finally could verbalize what I was feeling......and out came "Vladimir Horowitz". No joke.
Truly worth checking out.
Also Nareh Arghamanyan is appealing.
After all, it's not hype if she lives up to it. ;-)I think it only seems like hype if you're a geezer (like most of us!) and you want to bask in the nostalgia of your, say, Jorg Demus LP's (not that I have anything against Jorg Demus!) - without being bothered by today's young whipper-snappers, with all their downloads and streaming! (You kids today have it so easy - back when I was a lad, I had to trudge across NINE FEET of shag carpet, just to change the channel!)
You seem to be arguing that the feature articles (the hype?) on Yuja are the result of some vast conspiracy initiated by various calculating publicists. ("Hey, Yuja, can't you go up another half inch on those heels? That'll REALLY get us some good publicity!") In reality, the reverse is the case: who else in the classical world can appear three different times with three different programs in the same season with the same orchestra and sell out the hall EVERY time? The magazine articles are only a reflection of what each publication thinks its readers want, as evidenced mainly by attendance at concerts, recording sales, etc. Obviously, there was once a time when Yuja wasn't hyped - so how did she get into the stellar position where she now finds herself? How did it happen? The first I heard of her was via an ecstatic review in one of the local newspapers. (And this was when she was completely unknown.) My reaction was to make a mental file of the name and try to hear a recording when I could. (I don't even think she had any recording out at that time.) Eventually, I got one of her CD's, I found the playing extraordinary, and she's done nothing in the meantime to dissuade me of her greatness and value as a musical artist.
One last point I would make is that even with the great instrumentalists of the past, much of their reputation was made in their youth (in their 60's and 70's. . . not so much!). There are exceptions of course: Martha Argerich is (mostly) still playing pretty darn well in her 70's, and I suspect Yuja may well do the same.
Edits: 05/31/16
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