BECOMING
Czerny • Busoni • Chopin • Liszt • Mokranjac • Long
Yutian Yang
Winner of the 11th Tchaikovsky International Youth Competition, Chinese pianist Yutian Yang makes her recording debut with a programme devoted to transformation and self-discovery. From Czerny’s lyrical La Ricordanza, through Liszt’s transcription of Wagner’s Isolde’s Liebestod, and to Zhou Long’s elemental Wu Kui, she traces a lineage of reinvention across time and style — music reborn through memory, imagination, and renewal. Performed with poetic clarity and expressive daring, this album unveils a young pianist of striking maturity and depth.
CARL CZERNY (1791-1857)
Variations on a Theme by Rode “La Ricordanza”, Op. 33 (early 1820s)
08:12
Theme: Andante espressivo
1
01:15
Variation I: Stesso tempo
2
01:04
Variation II: Stesso tempo
3
01:02
Variation III: Vivace
4
00:50
Variation IV: Sostenuto
5
01:27
Variation V: Allegro vivace: Andante Tempo I
6
02:34
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante, Op. 22 (1830-1831)
13:58
Andate Spianato. Tranquillo.
7
04:26
Grande Polonaise Brillante. Allegro Molto.
8
09:32
FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886)
Isolde’s Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde S.447 (after Richard Wagner) (1867)
9
06:46
FERRUCCIO BUSONI (1866-1924)
Sonatina No. 6 (Chamber Fantasy on Bizet’s ‘Carmen’), BV284 (1920)
10
07:31
VASILIJE MOKRANJAC (1923-1984)
Etudes for Piano (1951-52)
09:43
I. Presto con indolenza
11
02:49
II. Andante
12
02:41
VI. Quasi Toccata. Presto possible.
13
01:32
VII. Presto ritmico
14
02:41
ZHOU LONG (b. 1953)
Wu Kui (1982)
15
08:24
Yutian Yang 杨雨恬 is one of the outstanding young pianists emerging from China’s new generation of artists. She is currently studying under Professor William Chen 陈巍岭, Head of the Piano Department at the Middle School Affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in the United Kingdom. Yutian’s musical journey has already taken her to stages around the world. She has performed in China, Italy, Montenegro, Serbia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, earning praise for her expressive artistry and stylistic poise. Her appearances include performances at the KotorArt International Festival and the Wild Beauty Art Festival in Žabljak, concerts at the Cultural Station “Egyseg” in Novi Sad, the Chetham’s International Piano Summer School Young Artists’ Concert Series, Shangyin Opera House in Shanghai, and Jordan Hall in Boston. Highlights among her orchestral performances include Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and the Yellow River Piano Concerto under the baton of the distinguished conductor Xu Zhong. She was also selected for the prestigious Morningside Music Bridge programme in the United States, where she performed works by Schumann and Carl Vine as part of the “Highlights Project.”
In recent years, Yutian has achieved notable success in several international competitions. She was awarded First Prize in the 11th Tchaikovsky International Youth Music Competition (2023), as well as top prizes in the Hannover International Piano Olympiad (China Final) and the Shanghai White Magnolia International Music Festival (2021). In recognition of her artistic promise, she has been invited to join the Yangtze River Piano National Young Artists Development Programme in China.
Poised at the threshold of a promising international career, Yutian Yang is distinguished by her clarity of sound, imagination, and emotional depth—qualities that continue to captivate audiences and mark her as a compelling young musician, about to enter the world stage.