Tag: live music

Concert Review: Xuefei Yang Solo Recital, Geelong, 7th October 2014

Nicole Neal6 Comments

Hi Folks!  Well, if you read my last blog post you’ll know that I was eagerly anticipating the Geelong solo concert of Chinese guitariste extraordinaire, Xuefei Yang, this week.

Oh boy what a treat it was.  Myself and a lucky group of around 80 or so music and guitar fans cosied into the sumptuous surrounds of Sacred Heart College’s Chapel to witness Xuefei just completely own one of the most seriously impressive, big, fat, chunky solo programmes I’ve had the pleasure to see or hear. She clearly demonstrated that she’s equally at home on the smaller, more informal salon-type stage as she is on the large concert hall stage.

Fei kicked off the proceedings with her own arrangements of five of the six movements from Isaac Albeniz’s Espana: Seis Hojas de Album suite (the Prelude, Tango, Malaguena, Capricho Catalan and Zortico). This selection, featured on her Rodrigo album, was a simply delightful start to the evening. Fei played the pieces with the requisite Spanish-inflected sentiment, yet balanced that with a delightfully delicate touch and elegant poise reminiscent of a classical ballet dancer. I particularly enjoyed the subtle Tango and the Zortico. Beautiful.

The Albeniz was followed by three Schubert songs (arranged by Merz) – Lob der Thranen, Aufenhalt and Standchen. As Fei announced, she’s a big Schubert fan and this was apparent from her playing. The lyrical, sentimentality of these songs was treated in the most graceful and delicate manner by Fei – elegant, simple, sensitive. And quite possibly some of the most pianissimo pianissimos I’ve ever witnessed! A super light, relaxed and delicate right hand.  I want a pianissimo touch like that!

The first half of the evening was rounded out by a phenomenal (I’m going to run out of superlatives here!) interpretation of J.S. Bach’s Chaconne. The arrangement, again, was Fei’s own – a masterwork of masterworks, played by a master of the instrument. This Chaconne was simply fantastic (there was even a moment where I thought a rather excitable audience member was going to start applauding about a quarter of a way into the epic piece!) – a demonstration of dexterity, left hand shenanigans and right hand wizardry. Oh yes, and let’s not forget a beautiful sound too.

The second half of the programme featured a Chinese piece arranged by Fei, transcribed from the pipa or Chinese lute. This was followed by Song from a Bird by John Williams from his album of the same name. A fitting place to play such a piece, as he was inspired by the song of an Australian bird in writing this piece.

The next three pieces I’m not quite sure what to say about them to be honest. Words don’t really do them justice….. We were treated to Rodrigo’s Invocacion y danza. Wow. Wow. Wow.  This was off the chain (to coin an Australian phrase). A pure demonstration of virtuosity in guitar playing and musicality. Head over to YouTube for a taste of what I mean.

Photo:
Xuefei waiting backstage, just a few moments before the start of the recital in Geelong. Photo: Neil Muir (borrowed from Xuefei’s Facebook page)

 

 

Fei then presented us with her arrangement of Manuel de Falla’s Spanish Dance No. 1. This was of particular interest given that it’s normally played by two instruments, guitar and something else (another guitar or piano). Fei decided apparently that she wanted to be able to play this tune without a duet partner, so took it upon herself to arrange it for solo guitar. What?! A glutton for punshiment surely in undertaking such an exercise (she admitted it was a pretty hard thing to do), but was well worth the effort. A fantastic arrangement, delivered as if it was intended to sit at home on the one instrument. It takes a fair bit of talent to be able to do that!

The end of the main programme featured Leo Brouwer’s Sonata para Guitarre Sola. Definitely not saving the easiest pieces till last! Brilliant. A spell-binding performance again delivered with Fei’s trademark poise and grace.  To round out the evening Fei left us with a cheeky little transcription of Plum Blossoms In The Snow (arranged by Gerald Garcia) from her latest recording, Sojourn. A delicious little “dessert” to finish the evening.

An absolutely wonderful evening of classical guitar performance. And all played from memory, to boot! Just phenomenal. As I said to the audience on the night (I was honoured with presenting Xuefei a gift from the Classical Guitar Society of Victoria), you would seriously be hard pressed to find a greater guitar talent in the world right now.  We all hope she comes back to Australia and Melbourne again very soon.

 

Concert Review: Xuefei Yang and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, 2nd October 2014

Nicole Neal1 Comment

We Melbournians were treated to two performances by the wonderfully talented Xuefei Yang, along with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, last week. I headed along to the first of the two concerts on the 2nd October, very excited to hear and see not only Yang’s live interpretation of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez as part of her Australian debut, but also the Australian premier of Tan Dan’s Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra (Y 2). I was not disappointed.

The near sell-out audience was treated initially to the MSO playing Debussy’s Prelude a l‘Apres-Midi d’un Faune, a gorgeous piece, sumptuously played by the orchestra. All shimmering strings and harp, rich warm brass and iridescent flute in its Impressionism, sliding us into the evening.

After that delicious introduction we were in for something a little different to follow – and here I really take my hat off both to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Xuefei Yang. It’s very easy, I think, to keep pumping out the Aranjuez (as beautiful and as marvellous a piece of music as it). It takes the courage of one’s convictions, however, to also introduce to what is probably a relatively conservative audience (the general populace who want to hear the gorgeous Debussy tunes that top and tailed this concert and of course the Aranjuez) to a brand new work. And what a work! Bravo – good choice MSO and Xuefei!

Photo: Neil Muir
Photo: Neil Muir

Yes, Tan Dun’s Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra (Yi 2) is not a piece for the faint-hearted – audience, orchestra or guitar soloist! The orchestra are asked to vocalise in one section, the woodwinds take out their reeds and blow through them, the brass blow air through their instruments, glass bottles at used to play the strings inside the piano (to great effect underscoring some deep punching double bass playing), percussionists dip gongs into water to change their pitch. Put into words like that it sounds like rather a mish-mash of ideas and concepts, and perhaps to the untrained ear it may sound like that (my other half wasn’t really that fussed with it). However, if you’re prepared to do a little work as the listener to this kind of contemporary music you may find it challenging in a positive manner, very exciting and highly rewarding (well, I certainly did). Yi2 is definitely one of those pieces a bit like Vegemite (or Marmite) – you either love it, or you hate it. There’s no in between!

Yi2 is also a highly inventive, and technical tour de force for the guitarist. Xuefei performed the solo part with consummate ease, utilising various techniques including rhythmic percussive techniques (aided by the conductor) and crossed strings (to represent the sound of the Chinese pipa). Xuefei demonstrated real mastery in the delivery of this performance (and remaining cool, calm and collected in the face of out of tune G and B strings, re tuning at opportune moments). I found she really brought out the two key influences on this piece – traditional Chinese and traditional Spanish musics.

Then following the intermission we moved onto the Aranjuez. What can I say?!

This is a piece that Xuefei clearly knows extremely well, delivering such sensitively timed rubarto and supreme sense of musicality with a panache that can only come with such in depth knowledge of a piece. Have no doubt about it, this was large concert hall classical guitar playing of the highest order. Commanding, confident and masterful, yet utterly expressive and emotive playing that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Witnessing this performance of the Aranjuez it was easy to understand why Xuefei Yang has earned the reputation as one of the top classical guitarists actively performing today. Bravissima!

Watch this space for a review of Xuefei’s solo recital in Geelong next week.