Nana Miyoshi in Review
Nana Miyoshi, piano
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
May 3, 2026
Eighteen-year-old pianist Nana Miyoshi gave her solo recital debut this May at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, under the auspices of the Alexander & Buono and Marcello & Graziano Roviaro Foundations, and though sadly we were not able to be present, there was an excellent recording to review. When I first read that eighteen-year-old Ms. Miyoshi had won First Prize in the Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition in 2019, I thought, “they must mean she was eighteen when she won so in her twenties now, because she wouldn’t have won at age eleven” – but upon visiting her website (Nana Miyoshi), it became clear that she had indeed won the top prize at age eleven – a remarkable achievement, as the competition has had some noteworthy winners. Since that year, she has continued her studies with Cosmo Buono.
Her debut program opened with the beloved Sheep May Safely Graze (J. S. Bach, in the Mary Howe transcription). The performance stood out at first for its very deliberate pace, slower than one has typically heard, but refreshingly so. One often is struck by excesses of speed in such young players – and the opening of this concert could have seen an adrenaline moment like few others – but here we felt the pacing of a very patient soul. The slower the tempo gets, the harder it is to sustain the chorale theme, but the melodic lines still kept a sense of flow overall. It was perhaps wise, in view of the chosen tempo, that Ms. Miyoshi omitted the opening recitative. At any rate, the piece set a thoughtful tone for the recital.
Chronologically and key-wise the segue was perfect to Mozart’s Piano Sonata in B-flat major, K. 333, which the pianist approached with playful energy and articulation. Some unusual manipulations of tempo could have been labeled “Romantic” by many, but Ms. Miyoshi carried them off with genuine feeling, rarely sacrificing momentum (as well as omitting repeats). Her dramatic projection was also exceptional, almost as if there had been explanatory captions. As an example, her approach in leading into the first movement’s recapitulation had such a pronounced ritardando that it seemed to tease the listener, saying “wait for it…” – and then “here we are again!” Such demonstrative instances of bending in the central Andante cantabile were occasionally exaggerated beyond what this listener enjoys, but it was still refreshing to sense strong, communicative impulses. In the final movement, Mozart’s own marking in the autograph manuscript actually specifies that the finale’s cadenza should be in tempo (a marking conveyed also in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe and observed by pianists including Mitsuko Uchida and many others), but it was still a joy to hear Ms. Miyoshi highlight certain creative moments by stretching (as hinted at, for example, in the wonderful Maria João Pires performances). Though ideally one can achieve equivalent shaping through varying tone and touch rather than manipulating tempi, it is hard to argue when Mozart’s score ultimately comes to life, and it did. Ms. Miyoshi played it with jubilance and received an enthusiastic ovation.
The program continued with Chopin’s Ballade No. 3 in A-flat major, Op. 47. Here one noticed something quite beautiful about Ms. Miyoshi’s playing, and that was her penchant for reacting in retrospect to her own music-making, as if reflecting on the living wonders of Chopin as she goes along. At times, that pondering may verge on excess, leaving one craving a bit more flow, but I’ll still take it any day over the unthinking or unfeeling that one sometimes hears. She tended lovingly to the inner voices in the gentle “rocking” section and built to a passionate peak and triumphant close.
After intermission, we heard Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 17, Op. 31, No. 2 in D minor (“The Tempest”), given a compelling performance overall with quibbles being mostly minor. and somewhat personal. Though many pianists start the interrupting allegro phrases rather slowly as if testing the water, these segments struck one here as starting a bit too slowly, sounding almost mannered; moreover, the half notes just before the development (and similar spots) were slow to the point of being unrecognizable as half notes, sacrificing for this listener a sense of rhythmic proportion. The Adagio was similarly expansive, but to good effect, and with a feeling of profundity. By the time the Allegretto movement started, the tendency to emphasize importance through slowness had started to undermine itself from overuse. Some rethinking and prioritizing could make this piece still more cohesive, but it was nonetheless a heartfelt journey.
Franz Liszt’s Réminiscences de Norma closed the program. In some ways, such a Romantic-era piece felt like it would be a good match for Ms. Miyoshi’s ruminative gifts, and it was a joy to be able to soak up some of its luscious harmonies at greater leisure than what one usually experiences. On the flip side of things, though, where the piece tends to gain momentum, it felt still a bit held back for this listener. It was a joy to hear each detail (a luxury one usually has only at “practice tempo”), but one hopes Ms. Miyoshi will truly let it “take flight” as she lives with the work. She undoubtedly has great potential, and one looks forward to watching her music truly soar in the years to come.
Two lovely encores followed, the Earl Wild arrangement of Gershwin’s Embraceable You, the concert’s single – and very welcome – foray into the twentieth century, and then Fanny Mendelssohn’s Nocturne in G minor. They both were fittingly gentle and lyrical. Ms. Miyoshi can feel quite proud of her achievement – as can her teacher.
