Virtuoso Pianist Yuja Wang in Concert April 22, 2010

Extraordinary 23-year-old pianist Yuja Wang returns to San Francisco Performances with a recital of works by Schumann, Liszt, Scriabin and Prokofiev.

Following her February 2008 recital debut with SF Performances, Wang has continued to build on her reputation as a fiery pianist who combines the spontaneity and fearless imagination of youth with the discipline and technique of a much more established artist. Critics point to her "astounding" and "superhuman" command of the piano.

Wang's challenging program for the Herbst recital will be Schumann's "Symphonic Etudes, Opus 13"; Schubert/Liszt Song Transcriptions, S. 558 ("Gretchen am Spinnrade," "Auf dem Wasser zu singen" and "Der Erlkonig"); Selected Etudes, Preludes and Poemes, as well as "Three Pieces, Opus 2," by Scriabin; and Prokofiev's "Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Opus 82."

Wang's second recital album, "Transformation" (Deutsche Grammophon), is due out April 13. The disc includes works by Stravinsky, Scarlatti, Brahms and Ravel, and follows her Grammy-nominated debut recording, "Sonatas & Etudes," named Best Debut Album of 2009 by International Piano Magazine.

Born in Beijing, Yuja Wang has been performing since age six. A stand-out student at that city's Central Conservatory of Music, she went on to graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 2008.

She quickly outgrew the regional and national competitions in her native country, going on to win prizes in Germany, Japan, Spain, Australia and the U.S., culminating with her receiving the prestigious Gilmore Young Artist Award in 2006. That same year, Wang's debuts with the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago and San Francisco Symphonies cemented both her reputation and career.

Highlights of this 2009-10 season include an 11-city tour with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, led by Long Yu, in honor of the group's 130th anniversary, and performances with the Russian National Orchestra conducted by Patrick Summers.

Official Website: http://www.performances.org