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JuJa Wang

Long time back when I was a student in NYC, I went to every recital and concert for which I could get a free ticket.  I got to hear Horowitz, Richter, Rubenstein and whole slew of pianists who were and are now revered, with orchestra and in recital.

Now I have to admit that a piano recital is not always my cup of tea; frankly if I hear yet one more inane interpretation of a Beethoven sonata I think I'll scream or simply go to sleep. Not being very adept at piano I am in a certain awe of those who can clank the keys but mostly it seems with a lot of pianists it is just mastering the notes and not the music.  It isn't at all like Bach said about the organ, "If you press the keys at the right time the instrument plays itself".

I think there is a threshold of technical ability that must be met in order to get to the music itself.  That is, you have to have enough dexterity and prowess to get through the notes and with sufficient reserve to do what you want musically with piece thereafter; to make it special and not just notes.

JuJa Wang is currently the rage and rightly so. She has phenomenal piano technique; she can play anything and with what appears to be no effort at all.  And from that she can do anything she wants musically.  She isn't limited or at the very end of her reserve.  JuJa has game.

I wrote her on Facebook messenger and told her just that; something of a fan letter I guess but mostly how she piled musicality on top of the technique.  She wrote back.  She was pleased to hear.