Yuzhang Li

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Adagio in B minor, K. 540 (Mozart)

The Adagio in B minor, K. 540, is a composition for piano solo by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He entered it into his Verzeichnis aller meiner Werke (Catalogue of all my Works) on 19 March 1788.

Johannes Brahms (1883-1897)

Rhapsodies, Op. 79 (Brahms)

i Agitato, ii Molto passionato, ma non troppo allegro

The Rhapsodies, Op. 79, for piano were written by Johannes Brahms in 1879 during his summer stay in Pörtschach, when he had reached the maturity of his career. They were inscribed to his friend, the musician and composer Elisabeth von Herzogenberg. At the suggestion of the dedicatee, Brahms reluctantly renamed the sophisticated compositions from “Klavierstücke” (piano pieces) to “rhapsodies”.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Drei Klavierstücke, D. 946 (Schubert)

i No. 1 in E flat minor, ii No. 2 in E flat major, iii No. 3 in C major

F.Schubert, as Blasco de Nebra, lived in a period of musical evolution, and he explored the connecting way between Classicism and Romanticism, never reaching a full reconciliation of the two, as this wasn’t his artistic aim. Often added to the “First Viennese School” – originally listing Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven only – Schubert (1797-1828) is actually the only Vienna-born member of this group. Vienna, a central musical hub at this time, as was Seville for Spain during the life of Blasco de Nebra.

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Ballade Op. 23 No. 1 (Chopin)

The Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 is a ballade for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin. Completed in 1835, it is one of Chopin’s greatest and most popular works. The ballade dates to sketches Chopin made in 1831, during his eight-month stay in Vienna. It was completed in 1835 after his move to Paris, where he dedicated it to Baron Nathaniel von Stockhausen, the Hanoverian ambassador to France.

Performers

Yuzhang Li - Piano

As a Tillett Artist, Yuzhang Li debuted at the Wigmore Hall and King’s Place shortly after her first UK appearance at the 2021 Leeds Piano Competition. After graduating top of her class at the Central Conservatory in China, she earned a full scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where she completed her master’s degree with distinction. Yuzhang now performs actively across the UK and China and has embraced her new role as a researcher, having begun her PhD studies at the Royal Academy of Music.