October 2010
This weekend I had the opportunity to compare my hand to a model of Chopin’s. I remember my previous piano teacher telling me I had a hand like Chopin’s, but I didn’t realize how strange the similarity was until I saw the model. While I realize that this has little to do with how one plays Chopin, I thought the comparison was pretty cool.
After watching the recent Chopin competition it reminded me of when I competed in 2005. The demands for repertoire were incredible. I was inspired to watch the third movement of the Chopin e minor concerto from a performance in Paris (2007) with the University of Paris orchestra. I hadn’t heard it in a few years because I was not as happy with this performance. But in watching the video, it doesn’t sound too bad. It’s strange how different your impression of your own performance can be after leaving it for a while!
Anyone who dares to play Beethoven's last Piano Sonata Opus 111 must be fearless and confident in his skills. In the case of Thomas Yu, both are true...[He] plays the piece with elegance and depth...and his interpretation was the highlight of the festival day.
Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany's largest newspaper, translated.
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