With this movement it is almost as if Mozart has decided to say “All right. Let’s bring everything home.” The sense of completion in the movement, as well as the related joy, is almost like the discussion of people who have been out to a fine meal in the first two movements, and they are talking about all of the wonderful food as they walk home, happy and satisfied. 

With this movement it is almost as if Mozart has decided to say “All right. Let’s bring everything home.” The sense of completion in the movement, as well as the related joy, is almost like the discussion of people who have been out to a fine meal in the first two movements, and they are talking about all of the wonderful food as they walk home, happy and satisfied. 

For me this movement has to really reflect something not just pianistic, but also vocal, as the word cantabile implies.  When I am playing it I imagine a singer performing the basic melody of the right hand, with the left hand being a type of accompaniment. 

The classic form of the sonata is clearly evident here, and as such there is for me in this first movement, marked Allegro, a balance to be kept between the lively and the very delicate.  It is rather like fine, elaborate lace made with silk thread—intricate and sturdy at the same time. Mozart shows himself to be a true master in composing for the sonata format.

I first wrote about the Beethoven 32 Variations in my blog on March 5, 2025, and at that point I was just studying them.

This week I am releasing some videos from my Tokyo performance last month. This first work, Étude No. 4, “Embraceable You” by George Gershwin and Earl Wild, is actually a transcription Wild made of the original Gershwin song.  I actually performed this as an encore at the recital, even though I am using it to start this series.

Earlier this month my grandmother took me for afternoon of English tea at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, and it was truly an experience to be remembered. As you can see from the photograph, the tea, sandwiches and desserts are as wonderful to look at as they are to eat.

In her interview with the BBC from 2014, Yuja Wang was asked:
What advice do you give to parents who want their children to be successful classical pianists as well?

There can be no question that one of the greatest pianists on the musical scene today is Yuja Wang, and in many ways she is like no other pianist in the world.

Having grown up in a family where her mother was a dancer and her father a percussionist, she started studying the piano when she was six years old, and by twenty-one had signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon.

I have been thinking a lot lately about something called “the aesthetics of subtraction” or the idea that less is more when it comes to interpreting a piece of music. There is a quote, often attributed to Mozart, which says that “music is what happens between the silences.”

I recently Googled “Who are the pianists performing at Carnegie Hall for the 2025-2026 season” and the following page came up on their website: https://www.carnegiehall.org/Subscribe/Curated-Series/Pianists

Lang Lang says that one’s music education needs to be paired with a full understanding of technique, and I could not agree more. A master chef has to learn, for example, many different techniques.  For cooking alone she has to know how to boil, fry, roast, grill, sauté, and poach many different foods. In addition, she has to know how to use many different knives, understand how to combine flavors, organize, and measure, long before making great food.

Lang Lang believes that as a pianist studies a piece she should not only look at the notes, but also find out the story behind them.  Music compositions are a lot like novels in the sense that the melodies are characters that operate alone, and then “converse” with other melodies.

Ask any pianist why they play, and they will probably tell you it’s because they really love it. There is a connection between the performer and the instrument that allows the pianist to express feelings through the piano.

Focus on Fashion (July 23, 2025)

Life Lessons From Lang Lang—Part Five (July 22, 2025)

Life Lessons From Lang Lang—Part Four (July 21, 2025)

Life Lessons From Lang Lang—Part Three (July 18, 2025) 

Life Lessons From Lang Lang—Part Two (July 17, 2025)   

Life Lessons From Lang Lang (July 16, 2025)