[K-CLASSIC]'Pianist in high-heel' YUJA WANG-Korean fans even like her name

 

YUJA WANG (Photo courtesy Norbert Kn

YUJA WANG, one of the most popular classical pianists of this era.
Born in 1987, she is already in her mid-30s.
She gained fame as a 'pianist in high-heels,' but I think YUJA WANG's performance is more than that.

Rather, it seems that the costumes and cool performances that reveal the body are covering YUJA WANG's real skills.
I've often listened to YUJA WANG's albums.
When she came to Korea a few years ago, I even saw her at the concert hall.
She performed a concerto with the La Philharmonic conducted by Gustavo Dudamel in 2019.

The work played by YUJA WANG on this day was not easy to understand composed by a modern composer.
It would have been better if she played Scriabin or Rachmaninov.
YUJA WANG is a Chinese pianist. She is known to have been born in Beijing.
Her Chinese name, YUJA WANG, is familiar to Koreans.

YUJA WANG's 'WANG' is a Chinese specimen to Koreans.
It is similar to the surname 'KIM' that represents Koreans to foreigners.
I don't know if there are actually many WANGs in China.
What is clear, however, is that there are overwhelmingly many KIMs in Korea.
For Koreans, WANG is a very familiar name. In Korea, there was an old song called "Silk Merchant Wang."

The name YUJA also feels familiar to us.
Because 'YUJA' is the name of a fruit in Korean. Citron is YUJA.
We don't know how to do it in foreign countries.
In Korea, we don't eat YUJA directly.

Usually, Koreans peel YUJA and drink tea with a large amount of sugar.
YUJA TEA is a very popular TEA in winter in Korea.
YUJATEA is said to be very effective in preventing colds.
But later, additional information about the name of YUJA WANG was given to me.

YUJA is said to mean 'feather + beauty' in Chinese characters.
In Chinese pronunciation, it would be WIJA, not YUJA.
Not the sour fruit YUJA, but she was a 'beautiful feather'. She's even a KING.
(Chinese character "WANG" is "King.")

YUJA WANG is one of the best technicians of this era.
No matter how fast the passage is, the touch of the YUJA WANG can be heard clearly.
Even the common miss touch is hard to spot in her performance.
Her technique is the best, but some say she lacks expressiveness.
It is also related to the ability to interpret music.

However, there has always been such gossip about performers with excellent techniques.
YUJA WANG will also play deeper as she ages.
YUJA WANG is coming to Korea for the first time in three years.
She will perform at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall on June 19.
This time, it is not a concert with the orchestra, but a solo concert.
It is the first time that YUJA WANG has a personal recital in Korea.

What kind of clothes will YUJA WANG wear in this recital?
No, what kind of works will she play?