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Pianist Lisa Yui at Yamaha Artist Services NYC 2023

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Lisa Yui

Lisa Yui at Yamaha Artist Services

Lisa Yui at Yamaha Artist Services NYC

I first met Dr. Lisa Yui  two years ago at her Juilliard Evening Division Piano Class. If you’ve ever worked with Dr. Yui, you will understand why I then signed up for two more of  her classes. She is a captivating educator with a wry sense of humor and seemingly limitless energy.

There are many videos of Ms. Yui’s piano performances. However her September 14th 2023 concert at Yamaha Artist Services was the first time that I would get to see her give an in-person recital. It was also my first visit to Yamaha’s NYC Salon.

Yamaha Artist Services

NYC Yamaha Artist Services entrance

Yamaha Artist Services entrance

The Yamaha Artist Services Salon is on the 3rd floor at 589 5th Avenue, but you can’t get in from 5th Ave. The unmarked entrance is round the corner on 54th Street. There, the doorman scanned me in using the QR code that Yamaha had emailed me.

The Salon is modern and tasteful. Superbly designed lighting showcases the performance area without undermining the intimate feel of the venue. A Yamaha grand piano owner myself, I was in awe of the immaculate CFX concert grand that Lisa Yui would play.

The Performance

It is not my intent here to go into detail of the program repertoire, listed below. It was no surprise that before each work, Ms. Yui would turn to the audience and discuss it in some detail. I particularly appreciated her introduction to those works that were new to me, such as the Dussek. Even when performing she continues to educate, salting her commentary with splashes of humor.

The Encore

Ms. Yui challenged us to identify her encore. I was both enchanted by the work, and baffled as to who might have written it. Were there hints of impressionism, perhaps? Pianist Michael Kaykov enlightened me afterwards: it was Liszt’s Elegy No. 2 S. 197.

Closing Thoughts

As I write this two days later, I am still somewhat stunned from Lisa Yui’s recital. As a performer she has a strong stage presence and intensely controlled delivery. As her would-be reviewer, I was too mesmerized by her performance to take any notes.

If I were to choose one moment that encapsulated Ms. Yui’s persona, it was when she described just how difficult the Qigang Chen was. She then turned to the piano with a devilish grin, and ripped into it with gusto.

Changyong Shin at Carnegie Zankel 2021

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Changyong Shin at Carnegie Zankel 2021

Changyong Shin at Carnegie 2021

Gina Bachauer Gold Medalist 2018

Roving Pianist had front row seats for Changyong Shin‘s October 29th 2021 Carnegie recital. At $40, they were a bargain.

The recital was sponsored by the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation, Mr. Shin won the Foundation’s International Artist Competition in 2018.

However this was not Mr. Shin’s Carnegie debut. That took place at Carnegie Weill in 2016.

Carnegie’s COVID-safe Experience

This was the first time I had been to Carnegie since COVID-19 arrived. Carnegie had a strict new entry process.  You showed vaccination proof or you didn’t get in. There was no “honor system” and there were no exemptions. Once inside, masks were worn all the time.

I wonder how it felt for Changyong Shin, the only unmasked person in the house.

The Program

Changyong Shin’s program had a strong Romantic tilt, opening with Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, followed by Chopin’s Barcarolle and Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise Brillante. The remainder was Rachmaninoff, culminating in his Piano Sonata No. 2. This sumptuous program enticed me to get tickets even though I was not familiar with the pianist.

The Performance

Changyong Shin had a low-key stage presence. Immaculately groomed and tailored, he seemed to have everything under perfect control. His hands had a graceful economy of motion. He occasionally allowed himself more extravagant gestures, but so controlled that they evoked little feeling.

Chopin’s Barcarolle usually sounds good, and under the right hands it can be sublime. Before buying tickets I listened to Changyong Shin – F. Chopin Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60 on YouTube. That was it! I bought two early-access front-row seats on the strength of that performance. I was not disappointed.

Leaving Early

Due to our schedule we could not stay for Rachmaninoff. The staff had assured us that this was not a problem, so after the Andante Spianato we grabbed our stuff and headed for the semi-hidden left side door that we had been directed to use. I hope the pianist did not feel rejected!