First Piano Sonatas
Blue Griffin, 2021
8/10
An esteemed pianist who is no stranger to winning awards, Zixiang Wang tackles compositions by Alexander Scriabin and Sergei Rachmaninoff on this first solo album.
Scriabin’s “Piano Sonata No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 6” starts the listen with Wang’s rumbling keys in the 4 installments that vary from soft and bare to louder moments of lively beauty as Wang interprets the late romanticism selection with both grace and vigor.
Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Sonata No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 28” follows, and leads with calm mystery, where Wang’s key acrobatics flow with an adventurous and meticulous quality that retains the maturity of the original while putting his own inimitable stamp on the classic.
The final track, “Prelude In F Major”, also by Rachmaninoff, leads gentle and sublime, before highly intricate playing from Wang becomes so proficient, it hardly seems like just one piano is present.
An outstanding solo debut, Wang proves just why he’s been seeing worldwide praise as he turns in a glorious and mesmerizing effort here.