150 years ago, probably no one would
have heard, or heard of, a violinist such as Tianwa Yang. In
those days, violinists, singers and pianists found fame (if any) only
in their local areas. 100 years ago, not much would have changed,
even after the advent of radio broadcasting and recording; slots were
limited to established musicians, and recording companies were few in
number given the overheads in recording, promoting, manufacturing and
distribution.
Move on the the present day, however,
and we welcome a veritable cornucopia of superb young violinists,
singers, cellists and pianists, with specialist recording companies
vying with YouTube and network streaming. For violinists, Naxos has
promoted a realm of talent for many of the past decades, including Ms
Yang whose current recording of the Brahms violin concerto is the
latest addition to her long list of Naxos recordings. I liked this
performance a lot. Her musicality shines throughout the work, even in
the (Joachim) cadenza. Ms Yang is no barnstormer of a violinist; even
in her early recording of the 24 Paganini Capricci at the age of 13,
she revealed herself to be a thoughtful and musical player, less
interested in strutting the stage than in getting to the heart of the
music. I have 91 recordings of Brahms' Op 77, from 1927 (Kreisler) to
2017 (Yang). Yang is recognisably feminine in her performance, and I
like it.
Fame is mainly based on age, and on
establishing a recognised “brand”. This brand recognition is
tough on new entrants who may well be infinitely superior to
established brands. To my mind, Tianwa Yang plays the Brahms concerto
much better than “brands” such as Pinchas Zukerman, Isaac Stern,
Vadim Gluzman ... or a host of others amongst my 91 other candidates
for a place on the podium. And the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester
Berlin under Antoni Wit plays the orchestral parts like ... a German
orchestra playing Johannes Brahms. Tianwa Yang takes a place on the
podium for recordings of the Brahms violin concerto. Also on the new
CD is a performance of Brahms' double concerto for violin and cello,
where the young Gabriel Schwabe complements the young Tianwa Yang
affectionately. A three-star addition to my bulging collection of
really worthwhile recordings.
