Reborn? Zhang, 20, was a co-winner in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition last year, and you might have walked by him in Rittenhouse Square during his past several years at the Curtis Institute of Music. Last night, there was little doubt among the 4,500 listeners at the Mann that an extraordinary talent is in our midst.
As Tchaikovsky performances go, this one did all the right things exceptionally well. Zhang gave the virtuosic element its due, but also created the sort of long-term arc that initially fooled you into thinking he had shown you the limits of his pyrotechnics when, in the last seconds of the final movement, he surpassed himself by miles.
And this in a piece that doesn't tap the best parts of his talent. In the famous opening chords of the first movement, he seemed to be attempting something more personal in this over-familiar music, and probably would have succeeded more fully with a bit more rehearsal. But the concerto is so intent on simply impressing that there really isn't much opportunity for interpreters to reveal themselves through the music. Also, his tone quality seemed a tad thin - possibly due to the Mann Center amplification. So we'll just have to wait until Zhang comes back with Chopin or Brahms - indoors.
Milanov seemed particularly energized for Beethoven; certainly, he needed it, taking on this monstrous symphony amid summertime rehearsal restrictions. His slower-than-the-norm tempo in the first movement allowed the music's triumph, terror, calamity, and resolution to surface naturally without interventionist fussing. The downside was when Beethoven shifts between these extremes with extended transitional music; the tempo felt a bit laborious.
Second and third movements were particularly alert versions of business as usual, and the finale consolidated a performance that often reminded you why you first fell in love with the symphony. The soloists - soprano Heidi Melton, mezzo-soprano Katherine Lerner, tenor Kevin Ray, and bass Jonathan Beyer - were quite good, though not especially authoritative, and the chorus was inspired.
Contact music critic David Patrick Stearns at dstearns@phillynews.com.
