Vive Tianwa Yang

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.