Mentor and Protégé | KQED Arts

When Michael Tilson Thomas, music director of the San Francisco Symphony, works with precocious young musicians, they generally show up with an entourage of parents, teachers, coaches and publicists. But not Yuja Wang. “What was so different about her, she simply appeared,” the conductor says of the first time he met and started working with the world renowned pianist, who was then just 17. “She said, ‘Hi. I’m here! What do we do?’”

The resulting years have led to a fruitful artistic collaboration between Tilson Thomas and Wang. The conductor, who’s long been a mentor as well as close friend of Wang’s, sees his role as a supportive one. “It's my responsibility to make the soloist comfortable because that will create a situation in which they can make the most brilliant and delightful contribution for the listeners,” Tilson Thomas says.

Besides being a one of the most in-demand soloists working in classical music today, Wang is a social media sensation who manages to appeal to young people who might not otherwise be drawn to classical music. She is also vivacious, attractive and known for her vibrant onstage outfits – including a dress decorated entirely with silver sequins which Wang says makes her look like a mermaid. She likes to wear it when playing Beethoven.

Once the pianist takes her seat at the keyboard though, it’s all about the music. As Wang puts it: “The music speaks, everything else goes away. The music itself speaks to the soul, it connects humanity.”

Some of the footage in the video comes from PBS Sound Tracks.

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[mrharv]

She dresses like a rock star, and plays like a goddess — what more could you want.

[cageynerd]

Let's be clear. She might wear skimpy clothing and she might be addicted to social media -- but this is the most important and greatest pianist to come out of her generation. One of the greatest pianists of all time. She single-handedly pushed the technical possibilities of the piano to new heights in the last decade. She is the most gifted pianist since Argerich.

[johntlew]

I’m so excited that she’s played with SF Symphony every year, I’m a new fan and just found out that she’s going to be here in San Francisco this coming January.

[nemo]

Refreshing, delightful, increases one's faith in the future. Yuja got a new fan today.

[Virtualmuzyk]

She is my best piano performer in the world.
For my 67 years I did not found so versatile piano player who like she is saying "when music starts she is in different world .

[khoslar]

Amazing talent...so glad I found on YouTube!

[harryboggon]

What can one say Yuja is just one fabulously talented beautiful young lady
I for one love Her to bits 😘😘

[germanbigdaddy]

If you sit at any piano together with Yuja, you're bound to learn a couple of things. Be glad for that.

[MedtNERD]

+Mark Robertson I think the piece, yuja plays first in this video, is the gershwin piano concerto.

[daviddemers]

She is playing a recital soon at Tanglewood in Ozawa Hall. The program is so interesting, consisting of Shostakovich etudes AND the wonderful Barber piano sonata which Horowitz premiered all those years ago. Alas, there are no tickets in the hall - only lawn seats!

[IamSuperEffective]

Schubert piece played at 0:35 is Rondo in D Major D. 608 Op. 138

[germanbigdaddy]

The relation between a master and his disciple is something rarely understood.

[tornadodestruction]

Start of the video: George Gerwish Piano Concerto in F major.
2nd - Strauss' Polka - Yuja Wang.

[daskritterhaus]

some are . . . . . . . . . . GIFTED, there is ZERO pretention and
100% performance.

[jponz]

Idc what anyone says, she's super to me...

[johnsmith-moyc]

How I would love her play the full Beethoven concerto and hear what she "had to say"

[raphinyo]

Noto cierta envidia en algunos comentarios con respecto a su apariencia. Sinceramente me parece genial que si tiene ese cuerpo espectacular se vista en plan discoteca para salir a tocar y dejar a todos admirados con su música.
¿por qué lo hace? Simplemente porque puede, son muchas las pianistas que tienden a disimular lo que no les gusta debajo de metros de tela.

[charleswahlert]

Is there a complete recording of Yuja playing Beethoven 4? My soul needs it.

[Mikex]

I liked the album he did with John McGlaughlin called Apocalypse. What she played briefly at the end of the video sounded familiar. I can remember what it is.

[zuhairbakdoud]

They should add piano technique to the olympics, she would the gold medal.