Hao Zi Yoh at St James’s Piccadilly, London
The authority and poetic elegance of a great artist
An imposing opening immediately displayed Hao Zi’s remarkable artistry where authority is matched by poetic eloquence.
An intelligence that allows her to look deep into the score and extract what the composer actually wrote and not just adhere to the so called ‘Chopin tradition’.
If the opening arpeggios seemed at first rather slow one only has to look at the score to see how they were written and to hear how Hao Zi transformed them into the vital link between the central ‘più lento’ and the reawakening of the Polonaise.
Passages that could in lesser hands be seen as empty scales took on a deeply poetic significance in Hao Zi’s hands as they lead into the central heart of this ‘Fantaisie Polonaise’. The ‘più lento’ was played with poetic poise as it lead to the opening fanfare that was now pregnant with poignancy. A deep nostalgic lament gradually unwinding in a tumultuous torrent of seamless scales leading to the glorious climax of the ‘Polonaise’. Played with authority ,aristocratic poise and passion as it gradually lay exhausted and spent on the final desolate A flat on high. Chopin’s penultimate work is perhaps his greatest work where architectural form and poetic content are united in a completely innovative way.
Read more here at Christopher Axworthy’s blog
