by Cait Winston

Suah Ye (20, South Korea) chose a single work — Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 8 in B-flat — for her Round Two, Session Five performance in the Cleveland International Piano Competition on July 24. Throughout the first and second movements, Ye’s phrasing was highly expressive — she facilitated feelings of tension and release throughout the phrases that effectively highlighted climactic moments. Her dynamics were deliberate and skillfully executed, and she was able to maintain an intensity even in soft moments.

The third movement consists of highly complicated textures with many quickly moving parts, all mastered by Ye, who brought out nuances with consistently effortless technique and poignant drama. [Read more…]

by Mike Telin

It was a battle of the early twenty-somethings last evening and judging from this impressive group the future of the piano is in good hands.

Suah Ye (20, South Korea) started things off with Haydn’s Sonata in B Minor, Hob. XVI. Setting a jolly tempo, Ye’s Allegro moderato was full of nicely phrased lines, crisp articulations and tight trills. The Tempo di Menuetto had a sense of engaging intimacy, while the Finale-Presto was defined by dynamic contrasts and brisk tempos.

During Liszt’s Étude de concert, S. 144, No. 2 (“La leggierezza”) Ye played with an expansive sound, The cascading, Lisztian scale passages were tasteful and full of charm, like a music box. The concluding major chords — perfectly balanced. Ye concluded her set with a thoughtful performance of Chopin’s Etude in a, Op. 25, No. 11 (“Winter Wind”). Here the thorny technical passages and balances between the left and right hands were well controlled. [Read more…]