<p>Wong Wai Yuen<br />Haydn: Sonata in E-flat major, Hob.XVI/45<br />From the first note I felt that you are a serious pianist, one who takes instruction and advice to heart and believes in conscientious dedication to music. I am very happy that you selected this smaller E-flat Sonata, perhaps younger brother of the “big” English Sonata that is so often played. The wealth of music ideas and forms in Haydn Sonatas can be said to even surpass those of Mozart, perhaps even Beethoven. Although Haydn’s works are less demanding technically, they are not easier to interpret. One of the fascinating challenges for today’s performers is the demands of Haydn for a greater creative contribution, how to cope with the inherent freedom he allows. In this Sonata there are no dynamic indications and only a few suggested articulations are noted. What to do is a big question. But a few things show us the way to go – for instance when the part writing is in two or three parts balancing the voices are important, modulations especially to the minor keys heighten tension and the clarity of cadences is essential for the release the tension and for the structure. Use more imagination, make the piece come alive with lots more surprises and contrast, make it an experience, it is all there for you to discover.</p><p>Liszt: Concert Etude “La leggierezza”<br />I do admire your technical ability and the ease in which you perform difficult passages. You are indeed a wonderful performer and capture our attention with your ideas, however, on the whole I do not find you convincing. Somehow the essence of “La leggierezza” or “Lightness” is often absent, the transparency offered by the chromatic scales is missing. The simplicity together with elegance is the most important aspect of this etude and should be your goal. After the introductory “”capriccio” the continued improvisation similar in fact to Chopin Impromptus should have a natural flow. You are trying too hard to show the beauty of each phrase, yet it only makes you see individual trees and not the whole forest. Your best playing is in the exciting middle section where the music flows through numerous modulations however try to get more pure sound and simplicity thet makes this a real masterpiece. </p><p>Ginastera: “Danzas Argentinas”<br />Your performance of these dances is very successful and show a great deal of freshness and wonderful atmosphere. In the “Dance of the Old Herdsman” you capture the dance with excellent colors and rhythmic drive. Watch the rhythm when you play the repeated notes high in the upper register marked “pp”, you are distorting the pulse too much. Bring out the last chord (E – A – D – G- B- E), this is Ginastera’s favorite chords and is the open strings of a guitar. The second dance “Dance of the Beautiful Maiden” you performance is captivating. I like the simplicity of the outer section while the middle is full of passion and darker colors. Be careful not to break the natural flow of the music with too much rubato and allow for long phrases. The last dance (Dance of the Arrogant Cowboy) is a real show of your technical ability. While I do admire that you can play so fast, I strongly advise that you try to make sure that there is a strong rhythmic pulse instead of fast flowing passages. The key advice for this dance is from the composer: “ritmico e energico”. Try to clarify the constant contrasts between three and two beats in a measure which is the basis of the dance. In all dances the rhythm and pulse are the backbone without which the music cannot live.</p><p>Huang Weiyuan, you are a very talented pianist and have a terrific capacity for performance. <br />I hope you will gain more and more experience through listening and experiencing many composers and then making their piano works your individual expression.</p>