Yuja Wang - Ravel: Piano Concertos (2015) [Hi-Res]

Yuja Wang has established herself as an international sensation. She plays with the world’s leading orchestras—including those of New York, London, Amsterdam, and Berlin—regularly joining them on tours of the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

On her eagerly expected new orchestral album she wows with two perennial hits: Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major and The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major. Both are heavily influenced by jazz, which Ravel had encountered on a concert tour of the United States in 1928. He composed both concertos between 1929 and 1930. The latter was commissioned by the Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm during World War I.

Yuja, young stellar conductor Lionel Bringuier and celebrated Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich are the perfect match to inflame Ravel’s vibrant sound. The melding of Yuja’s legendary technical skills with her interpretative intelligence transforms this album into a profound musical experience with a haunting and jazzy sound.

“Mystery and discovery invigorate me. This season I expand the horizons of my repertoire, exploring new forms of expression, the unknown. On one side there are the concerti by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Beethoven. On the other, there’s Messiaen’s larger-than-life Turangalila, and Bartók—whom I sometimes think of as a sadistic mathematician. And to top it off: my new album, Ravel.” (Yuja Wang)

Yuja Wang, piano
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Lionel Bringuier, conductor