by Daniel Hathaway
After two days of semi-final rounds in which 20 contestants each performed 40-minute recitals, the field of the Cooper International Piano Competition was narrowed to six. On Tuesday, July 22 in Oberlin Conservatory’s Warner Concert Hall those six pianists performed full concertos with piano accompaniment in afternoon and evening sessions. Here are our impressions.
Yangting Wang (13, China) led off with an ingratiating performance of Beethoven’s Concerto No. 1 in C. His well-shaped phrasing of its long lines and elegant, clean scale passages made this performance easy to listen to.
Wang’s relaxed tempo in the Largo movement allowed room for melodies to shine. His playful approach to the third movement Allegro was enhanced by his brisk tempo and well-chosen accents.
Overall, Wang took pains to keep the concerto cool and Apollonian. At the second Steinway, Dr. Annie Lin was a fine collaborator.
In the first of two performances of Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 3 in C, Qinyaoyao Ji (15, China) brought out the sarcasm in the composer’s sudden mood shifts. She made an impressive transition from the opening Andante into the Allegro, suddenly exploding with a huge sound, then gaining speed as the first movement unfolded — perhaps a bit too much.
Although her dynamics tended toward fortissimo in the Tema con variazioni, she also achieved some lovely soft playing. Her extremely fast tempo in the Allegro, ma non troppo pushed the music to the edge at times, but her collaborator Elena Zyl did a fine job of keeping the train on the tracks.
Edvard Grieg’s sole piano concerto was the choice of Yixen Shen (14, China), who immediately established the character of the work in her grand, sonorous opening. She went on to capture the many moods of the piece, building themes into long phrases and creating a sparking cadenza that she took time to allow to grow.
Beautiful, lyrical phrases abounded in the Adagio, and Shen brought folksy energy and brilliant technique to the Norwegian dance that infuses the last movement. She was lucky to perform in partnership with Dr. Annie Lin, who played a noteworthy account of the tricky orchestral reduction.
The afternoon session ended with a special performance of Robert Schumann’s Concerto by Anwen Deng (16, Australia), who immediately established her authority in her opening flourish and kept hold of the reins throughout the piece. All her melodic lines flowed grandly from her fingers with purpose and direction, and she was able to move from the delicate to the explosive without rushing.
The Intermezzo: Andantino grazioso began with Deng’s beautifully balanced, fresh-sounding chords and ended with her fine, almost sneaky transition into the final Allegro vivace. Then it was time to simply sit back and listen to her have fun with the music.
At piano number two, Elena Zyl brought clarity and color to Schumann’s thick orchestration.
At the beginning of the evening session, Sawako Harada (18, Japan) brought a full sound and spirited playing to the second performance of Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 3 in C, deftly controlling the opening movement’s multiple shifts of mood with a good sense of pacing and steady tempos.
Explosive technical passages and extreme dynamic contrasts created drama in the Tema con variazioni, and the finale featured Harada’s wonderfully controlled power and ability to play magical, chromatic passages metronomically. As she brought the concerto to a brilliant conclusion, you got the feeling that she knew the orchestra part that Elena Zyl brought to life as well as she knew her own.
The evening concluded with a splendid performance by Anna Avramidou (17, Cyprus) of Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1 in B-flat.
Avramidou is a thoughtful player who is well in command of dynamic changes. She brought a huge sound to the opening movement, balancing well-rounded phrases with lightning bolts of technical passages and a beautiful cadenza.
Oozing romanticism, Avramidou supplied long, nicely-paced lines at the opening of the Andantino semplice, moved effortlessly into the Scherzo (Prestissimo) and back to the main theme. She established a quick tempo for the Allegro con Fuoco, played technical passages securely, and brought Tchaikovsky’s tune-fest to a grand conclusion, assisted by the indefatiguable Dr. Annie Lin.
Following the Concerto Rounds on Tuesday, Fifth place prizes were awarded to Qinyaoyao Ji (15, China) and Yangting Wang (13, China), and the Fourth prize was given to Yixen Shen (14, China).
On Thursday at 7:30 pm in Mandel Concert Hall at Severance Music Center, Anwen Deng (16, Australia), Sawako Harada (18, Japan), and Anna Avramidou (17, Cyprus) will vie for the top three prizes in concertos by Robert Schumann, Sergei Prokofief, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky respectively with The Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Samy Rachid.
Published on ClevelandClassical.com July 24, 2025
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