Yingdi holds young GKJ audience totally spellbound<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani and Jim Read, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
How often do you leave a concert venue totally satisfied, with
\nhands still sore from clapping so enthusiastically?<\/p>\n
It happened on Monday night when winner of the 7th Frans Liszt
\nPiano Competition Sun Yingdi delivered a spellbinding performance
\nfull of pianistic fireworks at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta (GKJ),
\ndriving the sell-out audience to demand three encores after a
\nwell-deserved standing ovation.<\/p>\n
Playing six full-length pieces from memory, Yingdi opened the
\nconcert with a warm-up by Mozart -- Sonata in C Major. The second
\nmovement was very lyrical, with good articulation, while the
\nthird was notable for its dazzling, crystal-clear arpeggios.<\/p>\n
He continued with eerie, suspense-filled Scarbo (from Gaspard
\nde la Nuit) by French composer Ravel, whom Yingdi said was one of
\nhis favorite composers.<\/p>\n
The demonic gnome in Scarbo terrorizes the poet (on whose text
\nthe music is based), changing shape, looming large and suddenly
\nvanishing.<\/p>\n
It was brilliantly executed, the numerous technical challenges
\nprovided by fast, repeated-note and running passages melting away
\nin Yingdi's capable hands. Impish arpeggios moved mercurially
\nfrom darkness to sheer joy in the twinkle of an eye, the entire
\ninterpretation capturing the essential scariness of the piece.<\/p>\n
The spell cast by Yingdi lasted until the third composition,
\nLiszt's Mephisto Waltz No.1, which created more or less the same
\nmood as the Ravel.<\/p>\n
Yingdi imbued Mephisto with such tension that the audience was
\nleft gasping for breath at the sheer audacity of it all.<\/p>\n
Sudden mood swings were spiked with drama of a type
\nencountered in Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, as played by a
\nfull symphony orchestra: You just knew that when it all went
\ncalm, with a quiet interlude, a truly dramatic passage was just
\naround the corner.<\/p>\n
The second half of the concert continued with three
\ncomposition by Liszt: Ballade No.2, Sonetto di Petrarca 104 and
\nRhapsody Espagnole.<\/p>\n
In the second half, the mood changed, from the demonic and
\nmacabre to one of luxuriant romance.<\/p>\n
With his superb piano technique, Yingdi took the audience by
\nstorm on an exciting, sometimes adventurous journey. He played
\nthe pieces so beautifully that sometimes just listening to them
\nleft the audience, many of which were young music students,
\nbreathless in admiration.<\/p>\n
The hugely romantic tenor theme in the Ballade swept all
\nbefore it, while the brilliantly executed double-thirds in the
\nSonetto were a wonder to behold.<\/p>\n
Listening to Liszt, as interpreted by the young pianist from
\nShanghai, was like going on a high without resorting to chemical
\nassistance.<\/p>\n
When the Rhapsody ended, the normally reserved GKJ audience
\nbroke into thunderous applause, with shouts of admiration.<\/p>\n
Yingdi, who said he never gave less than two encores at his
\nconcerts around the world, played one encore -- and then the
\nenthusiastic audience demanded another. The pieces were a
\nSchubert-Liszt transcription and a study by Scriabin.<\/p>\n
Afterwards, GKJ director Marusya Nainggolan presented a
\nbouquet to Yingdi while GKJ staff opened the auditorium doors and
\nturned on the lights to allow people to leave.<\/p>\n
But the audience tried their luck once more, their insistent
\novation demanding that the pianist take the stage again.<\/p>\n
To the audience's relieved laughter, he complied. The last
\nencore was as enchanting as the first two.<\/p>\n
Within seconds of the end of the concert, the backstage area
\nwas packed with fans, many of them teenage girls. This was almost
\nlike a rock concert: The girls were too polite to scream or throw
\ntheir underwear at Yingdi, but the enthusiasm was palpable as
\nthey waited patiently in line for his autograph.<\/p>\n
Looking tired but still smiling, the 25-year-old soloist, who
\nsaid he often felt the loneliness of the soloist traveling around
\nthe world, signed away magnanimously, occasionally posing for
\ncell phone photos with groups of smiling teenagers.<\/p>\n
Asked how long he practices each day, Yingdi said, \"Only about
\ntwo to three hours\" -- an astonishingly short time, considering
\nthe sheer brilliance of his piano technique.<\/p>\n
Quizzed further on possible pre-performance nerves, he gave a
\nvery honest, yet candid reply, again surprising given the
\nenormous technical difficulty of his concert repertoire: \"Why
\nshould I be nervous?\"<\/p>\n
The concert at GKJ was the last in his Java tour (after
\nperformances in Surabaya, Surakarta and Yogyakarta), arranged
\nunder the auspices of Dutch cultural center Erasmus Huis, whose
\nauditorium is currently being renovated.<\/p>\n
Indonesia can feel proud to have given Yingdi such recognition
\nat this early stage in his career, for he will surely become a
\nsoloist with strong worldwide appeal, if indeed he is not
\nalready.<\/p>\n
The following day he was due to give a music workshop at
\nPelita Harapan University before leaving for Hungary, the next
\nstage on an international tour in which he is captivating one
\naudience after another.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/yingdi-holds-young-gkj-audience-totally-spellbound-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}