By WH99400
28-Mar-2011

A Pianist Who Understands...  

In this recording Haiou Zhang proves that he has not only the chops for some really difficult virtuoso stuff, but the sensitivity to keep the main themes in focus and the stamina to bring powerful music to life. The first piece, Funerailles, is played with a strong sense of grief that communicates the power behind the grief. This strong music contrasts with the 2nd piece on the disc, the Les jeux d’eaux a la Villa d’Este, a piece full of feeling with delicate harmonies at first, developing into stronger chords and progressions later in the piece. The 3rd piece on the recording is Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, and it is played proudly and longingly – it is an emotional work, and it is rarely heard performed with this level of feeling – yet it loses none of the virtuoso elements as the piece continues and notes dance around the dominant themes. The 4th piece is St. Francois d’Assise (La predication aux oiseaux), a delicate sounding and technically very difficult piece to play. And Mr. Zhang makes it sound effortless. Finally, the Piano Sonata in B Minor rounds out the disc. It is powerful and forceful, while still retaining the type of sensitivities unique to Liszt’s virtuoso writing (the 2nd movement is filled with driving tension and is a prime example of the kind of sensitivity I am referring to).

This is definitely a recording worth having, and I am extremely pleased to add it to my collection.
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