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Haochen Zhang, Van Cliburn Gold Medalist, at OK Mozart
Published: 6/17/2009 7:01 PM
Last Modified: 6/17/2009 7:01 PM

Just trying to squeeze in a bit of time between concerts at OK Mozart, so we'll be brief:

Haochen Zhang, the co-winner of the Gold Medal at the just completed Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, gave his first public recital since winning the medal Wednesday at the Bartlesville High School Fine Arts Center, as part of OK Mozart.

Fred Child, host of NPR's "Performance Today," introduced him, pointing out that Zhang was the youngest person in the Van Cliburn (he turned 19 during the course of the competition). Childs added that, in spite of high-pressure atmosphere of one of the world's high-level musical contests, Zhang always seemed "the most poised and together – musically and emotionally" of the competitors.

And that was certainly borne out by Zhang's performance of Chopin's Twenty-four Preludes, Op. 28, and the Three Movements from "Petroushka" by Stravinsky that he performed.

What impressed us the most about his playing in the Chopin was that he was not afraid to play in a whisper. There are a great many quiet moments among these 24 short pieces, and Zhang's playing of them was exquisite – almost literally breathtaking.. This was one of the quietest audiences I sat among in some time, very evidently enthralled by the subtle drama of this young man's playing.

And when power and speed were necessary, Zhang delivered, but always making it seem as if every note, every tone, had been carefully thought out and sensitively expressed.

The sections from the ballet score of "Petroushka" gave Zhang the chance to expand on the tightly controlled sound he crafted for the Chopin. Here, his playing was expansive and orchestral – even cinematic – as his playing evoked the sometimes comic, sometimes grotesque images of puppets dancing at the whim of a cruel master.

Zhang's fellow winner, Nobuyuki Tsujii of Japan, has received the lion's share of attention since the competition because – no way to put this delicately – his blindness makes for a better news story.

But Zhang's performance Wednesday in Bartlesville makes me think that this young man might have the more impressive, and long-lived career. One hopes that the self-confidence and self-possession he demonstrated first in Fort Worth, then in Bartlesville, will see him through to continuing success.



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ARTS

James D. Watts Jr. has lived in Oklahoma for most his life, even though he still has people saying to him, "Don't sound like you're from around these parts." A University of Oklahoma Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Watts has received the Governor Arts Award, Harwelden Award and the National Conference of Christians and Jews Beth Macklin Award for his writing. Before coming to the Tulsa World, Watts worked for the Tulsa Tribune.

Contact him at (918) 581-8478.

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