Cliburn Competition: Quarterfinal Recital 3, June 5, 2022

—Wayne Lee Gay

To open Sunday's evening session, Japanese pianist Yuki Yoshimi, 22, presented a calm rendition of Mozart's Sonata in D, K. 311, marked by a singing melody line assertively balanced over the left hand accompaniment. After that relatively calm performance appropriate to classical-era music, Yoshimi launched (with a much more intense approach in keeping with the style of the music) the day's second performance of both volumes of Brahms' Variations on a Theme of Paganini. The rather grand close of Volume I inspired applause from the audience; Yoshimi, unflustered, played through the applause to complete a fine performance.

Belarussian Uladzislau Khandohi followed with the day's second performance of Bach's Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue. During the afternoon session, Masaya Kamei had gone for an unabashedly romantic reading of the baroque masterpiece (originally written for harpsichord). Khandohi initially took a more baroque approach, delivering the opening passage virtually without pedal. As he proceeded, however, he occasionally moved toward a more romanticized version, with heavy pedal, resulting in a mixed, less convincing performance.

He was entirely convincing in Prokofiev's Sixth Sonata, a work which begins with raucous pianism but quickly ascends to symphonic profundity. Sly neo-classical variations follow in the second movement, leading to a dark Waltz and a frantic finale, all of which provided Khandohi with ample opportunity to display a brilliant technical and emotional range.

Chinese pianist Yutong Sun, 26, presented an engaging, intriguing program to close the day, opening with the Five Bagatelles by Australian composer Carl Vine, a work including hypnotic whispers, jazz, a lyrical pastorale, a moment in which the pianist played a single note with his elbow, and opportunities to drop his hand in nonchalance. The quiet introduction of Chopin's Fantasy in F minor followed naturally; Sun unfortunately rushed through the majestic march theme. Ferruccio Busoni's transcription of Bach's Chaconne in D minor for violin followed, giving Sun a chance to display his ample power and a knack for showmanship. At the end, where Bach wrote a single note and Busoni gave the option of either a major or minor chord, Sun chose the dramatic option of the minor.