Lincoln Square Music Management & Consulting Presents Echoes of Renewal in Review
Co-Founders of LSMMC and pianists: Yimiao Fang and Tiehan Pan,
Guest Artist: Peiming Cai, baritone
Steinway Hall, New York, NY
January 31, 2025
Yimiao Fang and Tiehan Pan, as pianists, co-founders, and directors of Lincoln Square Music Management and Consulting, presented a lovely concert at Steinway Hall last week that featured, in addition to their own performances, eight young pianists and guest baritone Peiming Cai. As the event took place two days into the Chinese New Year, Ms. Fang introduced the concert with some inspirational words about the spirit of renewal before contributing her own performance of Chopin’s F major Ballade (Op. 38), and the concert concluded with two Chinese songs, sung nostalgically by guest baritone Peiming Cai, with Mr. Pan at the piano. In between these adult bookends, what took place was not unlike the student recitals with which most pianist-teachers are familiar, with a mixture of adrenaline highs and some “teachable moments” destined to be discussed at further lessons. In that light, though I was assigned to give my professional review this concert, I will cast aside my “crusty critic” persona and wear the “auntie” hat, going light on quibbles, as these darling youngsters are years away from deciding whether to brave the rigors of life as professional musicians. (Also, for full disclosure, this concert is being reviewed on the basis of a professional video recording of it, not live attendance).
On the subject of group recitals, no finer description has been written than that by my good friend and colleague Alexandra Eames (Rutgers Pianists in Review), who wrote the following:
“Most musicians cut their teeth in group recitals, whether in their suburban teacher’s living room or community music school recitals. This is an awkward and nerve-wracking experience; one waits in the wings unsure of when he will have to step onstage and face the specter of inevitable comparison. To relax and find one’s stride in just one or two pieces is extremely difficult and the performer must go through the same physical preparations (dressing for performance, arriving on time, trying the instrument, etc.) as he would for a full-length recital. Often the most sensitive artists can be sabotaged by the endeavor, whereas the more arrogant temperaments barrel through their nerves.”
Considering such issues, this Steinway recital was well planned to be a New Year event, making each player part of a celebration, rather than the subject of an adjudicator’s checklist (e.g., memorization, polish, phrasing, dynamics, pedaling, articulations, balance, expression, etc.). Commentary from Mr. Pan was interspersed between performances, and generally these added off-the-cuff friendliness (though in some cases one felt sorry for the performer, waiting through introductory comments while onstage).
Of the young pianists, the first was Ziwei Xu, who imbued the third movement of Schubert’s Sonata in A major (D. 644) with amiable feeling. To do just the third movement of one of Schubert’s masterpieces is an unsettling proposition, as the movement’s magic connects to the rest of the Sonata, but young Mr. Xu took on the challenge bravely. There was no age or biography given for any of the eight young pianists, so one would have to guess at Mr. Xu’s age, but certainly his relatively thoughtful approach to this classic marked him as one of the more mature players.
Ethan Wong was the next promising performer, offering the Etude Op. 65 in F major (the 25th of 48 Progressive Etudes) by Carl Albert Loeschhorn (1819-1905). It was a pleasure to hear from a set of pieces we don’t hear too often these days, and Mr. Wong’s performance showed commendable poise and control for one so young. Undoubtedly, with time, the balance between melodic and accompanying material will be refined still further.
The next few works brought us into the twentieth century, starting with the Enrique Granados set of gems, Valses Poeticos, published in their second – completed – version right around 1900. Tingjun Chen played No. 6 from the set, showing real tenderness and dedication as he colored the work’s poignant harmonies. Occasionally he could have observed the rests more – but the overholding was certainly preferable to the opposite in this soulful piece. William (Mingzhen) Ma was next with two selections from Prokofiev’s Music for Children, Soir and March (Op. 65, Nos. 11 and 10 respectively). These performances stood out, first for the sensitivity in the beautiful Soir,and then for good rhythm and articulations in the March. Emma Magni added some Kabalevsky mischief to the mix with what was listed as A Little Joke (usually listed as A Little Prank), Op.27, No.13. She played with poise and confidence.
A French segment emerged next, as Jason Zhou played Debussy’s Arabesque No. 1, followed by Heaven (Mingxi) Ma playing Auguste Durand’s Valse No.1, Op.83. Mr. Zhou handled the Arabesque‘s challenges with aplomb for one so young. Though one imagines it will acquire more and more mastery with just a bit more attention to nuance and pedaling, it is well on its way. It was also nice to hear Mr. Ma play the seldom heard bonbon by Durand, a musician known not so much for his compositions as for his publications of Ravel, Debussy, and numerous other great French composers. Mr. Ma showed good skill in his fleet fingerwork.
The youngsters’ portion of the concert concluded with Mozart, as we heard Alma Zhang playing the first movement of the F major Sonata K. 332. She gave it an excellent performance for one so young, showing strong promise.
The final offerings, Chinese songs By the Waterside and China in the Lights, found Tiehan Pan as the able piano collaborator with Peiming Cai, who lent his rich baritone voice to cap off the festivities. It was a shame not to have any biographical information on him in the program, as he performed quite well and was apparently substituting for the previously announced guest artist, Brenda Iglesias.
It is never easy to be director, emcee, proxy stage-parent, speaker, and performer, all in the same concert, but both Ms. Fang and Mr. Pan were able to handle multiple roles. As Ms. Fang (neglected in this review thus far) opened the concert with Chopin’s Ballade in F major, Op. 38, one marveled that she could capture the mood so well after handling spoken introductions (in a non-native language) and what one imagines were probably last-minute questions and concerns from nervous children and their parents (plus recording issues and more). Inevitably, this would not be the scenario for an ideal performance – and indeed she faced a few issues, including some lost inner textures and lapses; that said, she captured much of the drama of her piece and set the tone of professionalism for what followed. She has good credentials, including various awards, degrees from the Manhattan School of Music (with Marc Silverman and Phillip Kawin), doctoral studies at the University of Hartford (with José Ramos Santana), concerts in important venues, and participation in various festivals – as well as a strong record as a teacher herself. It is also clear that she is on a mission to support the love of music and advancement of young musicians, so congratulations are in order for this successful inaugural concert of her organization.
As the young performers stood on stage at the end to receive certificates, they beamed with pride, their hard work having born fruit. It was heart-warming. Congratulations to all!
