Tzu-yin Huang at the White Rock Theatre Photo: RG Studios

Liszt and Brahms – familiar territory

HOT music correspondent Brian Hick enjoyed an evening of mood changes with the nineteenth online concert of piano music featuring prizewinners in Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition.

After last week’s step into the unknown with the Shostakovich Preludes we were back on more familiar ground this week with Liszt and Brahms from the 2016 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition winner Tzu-Yin Huang. She introduced the concert from her own piano which appeared to be placed in a bend on the stairs – quite impressive visually and creating a generous acoustic throughout.

Tzu-yin Huang

She opened with two pieces from Liszt’s Années de Pèlerinage. Au lac de Wallenstadt was highly atmospheric and its gentle rhythms certainly bore out her wish to bring joy and calm to her recital, as we were encouraged to indulge in the sounds of the natural world. The second Au bord d’une source appears deceptively simple in its flowing lines and melodic charm but is technically challenging with its tumbling arpeggios and overlapping runs.
The remainder of the programme was given over to Brahms’ Four pieces for piano Op119. We have heard these before which makes me suspect they are familiar test pieces. The opening Intermezzo had a Bach-like clarity and precision to it, which was impressive, before the emotional turmoil and warmth of the second Intermezzo. The lively and extrovert third Intermezzo gave way to the final Rhapsody where she found a splendidly virile attack for the opening section, but allowed for the many mood changes which the work goes through before returning to its extrovert opening.

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Photograph by Richard Grebby

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