SEMI-FINAL ROUND
Session I (Thursday, 16 January 2025)
Because of my work schedule, I got to catch just two of six semi-finalists, and even for that, I had to leave work early. Each of the pianists would perform a solo recital followed by a violin sonata and encore with Chinese violinist Ning Feng. Getting to hear Cesar Franck’s sublime Violin Sonata in A major twice in a single sitting is the stuff of dreams. So no regrets.
Tiankun Ma (17, China) had earlier impressed in Chopin’s 24 Preludes (Op.28), so there was lots to expect from him in a recital of three sonatas. His Haydn Sonata in C major (Hob.XVI:48) began deliberately but was clear and clean cut in his articulation. The finale had both wit and humour. In Chopin’s Funeral March Sonata in B flat minor (Op.35), described as “his four wildest children under the same roof”, was a combination of vehemence and lyricism. His thunderous response in the first two movements was balanced by the eponymous Funeral March’s gravity and the central section’s stark beauty before the whirlwind of its mysterious finale.
His view of Prokofiev’s Sonata No.7 in B flat major (Op.83) was one of extreme percussive violence, but he seemed to know what inquieto (disquiet) meant, which was to get under one’s skin. The famous Precipitato finale began steadily but built up a head of steam before finishing strongly.
Good as his solo recital was, his inexperience showed in the Franck Sonata, where he gelled mostly with the highly experienced Ning Feng but had flubs in the second and fourth movements. It was a rough and ready reading and in the encore, Kreisler’s Liebesleid, his preening and prancing to the waltz rhythm was exaggerated and distracting. Is he accompanying the violinist, or the other way round?
Leyu Xu (16, China) continued to impress in her solo recital. Mozart’s Sonata in D major (K.311) received a very bright and vibrant performance, which seemed to exhibit Romantic era sensibilities but without its excesses. The touching slow movement wore its heart on the sleeve, while the deceptively difficult Rondo seemed like putty in her hands. In Chopin’s skittish Scherzo No.4 in E major (Op.54), she brought out its elusive wit which is often a closed book to far older players.
Most impressive, however, was her reading of Henri Dutilleux’s Sonata Op.1 which has to be heard to be believed. The jazz-inflected pages of its first movement flashed through effortlessly, the central Lied an oasis of beatific calm before the Choral et Variations provided the icing on the cake. Pianists double or triple her age will envy the seeming facility of her assured performance.
Age did not seem an impediment to her performance of the Franck Sonata with Ning Feng. When Ma had earlier struggled, her more organic reading seemed a breeze as she and Ning blended far more naturally. This was a total treat and Elgar’s Salut d’Amour became a most fitting encore with she being the perfect accompanist. Even without hearing the other four pianists, I am convinced she will be one of the finalists.
Watch the semi-final session here.
And more here:
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