<p>Contestant No.7 – Xu Ziang</p><p>No.1 Chopin: Etude in G-sharp minor, Op. 25 No.6</p><p>-You indeed have a fabulous technique for this difficult etude, with excellent control in bringing out subtle shades of colors throughout.</p><p>-Where you can still improve on is your left hand. With its melody quality, it should be treated with care and in balance to the right hand, as it best represents the character or of this work - elegance, subdued, and often introverted. Take a look at Chopin’s markings – “sotto voce”, with only five “fortes” strategically placed, but most of which are immediately followed by softer sounds. It is how you play these “fortes” that you create your understanding of the structure as well as the climax before the recapitulation. </p><p>-Measure 31 needs to be more dramatic and intense. I think some use of pedaling would help.</p><p>-Lots of legatos are indicated, and where it has staccato it’s an indication of lightness.</p><p>-The left hand phrases from measure 27 to 30 should be more legato, cantabile, and expressive.</p><p>-Chopin does not write “ritardando” in measure 34, but I agree that a slight easing of tempo is warranted before returning to the main theme. However, try not to overdo it, as it does not fit in this type of perpetual motion.</p><p>-In the coda, take care to make sure that your first beat of each measure is more important than the third beat. And tone down the feeling of urgency by avoiding any accents in the left hand. </p><p>-With the descending passage towards the end, Chopin brings down the curtain. So it is magical how he concludes with a sense of optimism only in the last two measures. I feel that the timing of the cadence in the “lento” should be more natural and more related to the tempo of the entire piece.</p><p>-One last suggestion: you look as if you are working very hard. Try to sit more upright. With your great facilities it is not necessary to look so vigilant and watchful of your fingers. Your vision of the piece will also be different when you play with a different body posture.</p><p>No.2 Chopin: Nocturne in C minor, Op.48 No.1</p><p>-You have a very deep expression, beautiful sound, and with great sensitivity for this majestic nocturne. At times, I do find your performance slightly mannered and over-controlled as if you do not trust Chopin to show you the way. The noble simplicity of the melody with its harmonic progression is the key to the first section of this Nocturne. Anything that is overly treated would make it come across as laborious.</p><p>-It is admirable that you want to make a personal statement, but do this with subtle nuance and proper phrasings. Avoid indulging too much in individual notes, as it poses the danger of stopping the flow. </p><p>-Phrasing is also important and often the key is the left hand. For example show how the descending line of the left hand in measures 9 and 10 is reversed by the ascending line in measures 11 and 12. </p><p>-Your “forte” in measure 23 and 24 comes across as too strong and out of proportion. For me this is not the “forte” that emerges later in the piece, but a poignant calling to attention of the coming chorale “sotto voce”.</p><p>-Your chorale needs to have a more recognizable tempo, as that is the heart of all chorales – a dependable beat that unifies the harmonic progression to important cadence points.</p><p>-Your musicianship comes through in how you manage the melodic chords and the growing double octave towards the first climax of the work. I like your passion and drama of the cadenza-like passage before the Doppio movimento.</p><p>-Watch the length of the trill in measure 45 – it is much too long. It is here that the intensity and the momentum build up, and you do not have time to pay attention to details and too much variety of nuances. </p><p>-Lastly, carefully pace the “crescendo” so there is a perceptible progression to the “fortissimo” climax in measure 72.</p><p>No.3 Liszt/Horowitz: Hungarian Rhapsody No.2</p><p>-The basic structures of the Hungarian Rhapsodies owe a great deal to the “verbunkos”, <br />-a Hungarian recruiting dance. The form is the contrast between the  the “lassan” (slow)     and the “friska” (fast) sections where the first is more improvised and full of character         changes while the second is more of a dance, relying on a more stricter pulse. </p><p>-You have a wonderful feeling for drama and contrasting characters which this first section depends on. And so I believe to a certain extent that you are successful in displaying the original intensions of Liszt. Your strength is your incredible technique. It seems that nothing is too difficult for you.</p><p>-Where you can improve on is the grandeur of sound and the touch, which is full of colors and shapes. You have, as in the Nocturne, a habit of placing “ritardandos” in unwarranted places, and waiting on notes without much logic to its content. </p><p>-In the second section you display a wonderful command of the instrument, and manage to cross all the hurdles that Liszt, plus Horowitz, places in front of you. There are many wonderful moments you produce especially in the first climax (measure 174 and onwards). You have a good sense of the “rubato” and delay the chords to great effects, as well as the clarity of the secondary melody in the left hand (composed by Horowitz) from measure 230. Bravo.</p><p>-Again, where you can get a better insight in the world of Liszt, through the experience of Horowitz, is on how to delay and wait for the “crescendos”, using a vast spectrum of colors and combination of touches to keep the interest in prolonged soft passages.</p><p>-In this section, you have the tendency to slow down and allow the tension to drop, where as the real intension of Liszt is to produce a dance that grows and moves to the final climax. If you carefully study the music there is only one time that you should make a moment of respite and that is just before the final coda. And I am sure with your technique you are able to do this fantastically. </p><p>Xu Ziang, you are a major talent, music flows through you. As yet your decisions on musical matters are fresh and untested but there is in you something that will eventually blossom and carry you forward into the music profession. I will watch your journey with great pleasure.</p>