Joyce Yang makes her Boston Debut

Joyce Yang performed music of Liszt, Schumann and Carl Vine at Pickman Hall for the Celebrity Series of Boston. She received high praises from Boston Classical Review for her rendition of Liszt’s B minor Sonata: “The Korean pianist has a fine feel for Lisztian flair. Her technique throughout was superb, and she charted the sonata’s cascading runs and surging crescendos with precision and bravura. Yang also found a sweep and sensitivity in the sonata’s lyrical passages that offered poignant departure from the oft-heard crash-and-bang intensity. In effect, this was Liszt that was technically dazzling, thoughtful, and deeply heartfelt. Yang kept an eye to the grand structure while varying and coloring her tone as each theme appeared in different guises. The demonic left-hand motive that opens the sonata later became a soaring melody, Yang softening her touch to find a fitting soulful expression. Her octave runs sounded with an almost orchestral weight and grandeur. So too did the powerful figures that erupted from the fugue, the lines resonating clearly while carrying the momentum forward. But the most satisfying effect of Yang’s performance came at work’s end, where her soft touch made the chords chime like distant bells.”

Read the Full Review