Little Music Note

April 28th, 2009 by Reb

At the age of 21, Canadian pianist Avan Yu has already performed in recital and with orchestra on four continents, consistently captivating audiences with his extraordinary musicianship and prodigious ability. He is the only pianist to win First Prize in both the Junior and Senior Divisions of the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition. During a recent tour of Quebec and Ontario for Jeunesses Musicales of Canada, Claude Gingras of Montreal’s La Presse wrote, “Avan Yu is destined to become a very important pianist.”

April 27th 2009

Avan Yu’s performance with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini* (Avan Yu)
Stravinsky Petrouchka

Rachmaninoff was one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, the last great representative of Russian late Romanticism in classical music. His piano works often use his own skills as a performer to explore fully the expressive possibilities of the instrument. In short, his compositions are hard and requires great skills from the player.

As a young pianist, Avan’s performance is indeed astonishing. Very skillful and talented. To him, playing Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini was as easy as taking a breath. I’ve always wondered how musicians handle the instrument so well, that they can just sit there and let their fingers fly. What does it take? Practice? Talent? Maybe its the mind; the heart that sets into what he plays. Whatever it takes, Avan Yu has gotten it all. With all of that and a little bit of fame, he’s set to be the rising sun of music history.

Avan Yu will perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in five Canadian cities. From April 25-27, he will perform with the orchestra at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver. Then from May 1-4, he will go on tour with the orchestra to Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City. This is Vancouver Symphony’s first tour to eastern Canada in 30 years.

Related Posts

• 6-Year-Old Mozart
• Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini
• Student Show Case 2– Pathétique
• Pachelbel’s Canon