<p>XU Ziang</p><p>Xu Ziang has the talent of a real virtuoso. But in the Nocturne he shows that he is more than this. A Chopin Etude should sound like a concert piece, a small Ballade or Scherzo. Here it sounds more like an Etude. I think it should be a very poetic piece with long legato phrases in the left hand, a good breathing, many soft endings.</p><p>The Nocturne is well built and shows maturity. The sound seems to be molto espressivo, a little too pesante. Very good his timing of the different parts, the melodic control of the octaves. The doppio movimento part is the real climax.</p><p>The Liszt Rhapsody is played with excitement and brilliance. Sometimes there could be more capriccioso moments, also elegance and joy. Sound and expression seem a bit too sharp in some places, remind me of too spicy food. And it’s quite difficult to avoid the impression of emptiness in certain places with many notes. Especially in these places we have to go for technical perfection and good sound quality.</p><p>But anyway, the performance is impressive.</p>