Love of music drives Van Cliburn winner
Liz Davis
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: News
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"I enjoy listening to the piano," Palan said. "After watching the 2001 competition in class, (Yang) was everything I was expecting."
Yang said people always ask her when she fell in love with the piano. She always says she never fell in love with the piano, she fell in love with the music.
Yang said she will never reach the point where a piece can't get any better. One day she'll know exactly what she's doing but then she won't be nervous anymore and the adrenaline will be gone.
She said the adrenaline is what drives her.
"I did a concert here in Fort Worth with a symphony for a bunch of second- and third-graders," Yang said. "It was a mess. I was very distracted because the kids had never been to a concert before. They were running around, clapping when they weren't supposed to, even shouting."
After the show, someone told Yang there was a little girl crying in her seat because the music was so moving.
"Playing music connects you to a side you never knew you had," Yang said. "It's worth all the work. Even just one person moved, like the little girl, makes it worth it."
One audience member commented on Yang's body movement and facial expressions. She smiled and said she can never watch or listen to herself play, she finds too many faults and criticizes herself too much.
All pieces are open to interpretation, but the hard part is getting those interpretations to work and show through on stage, she said.
"Playing music for an audience is a very intimate thing," Yang said. "If you are happy doing it, it's the most rewarding job. It's a very emotional occupation. If I only move one person in the audience, I know it's worth it."
Yang said people always ask her when she fell in love with the piano. She always says she never fell in love with the piano, she fell in love with the music.
Yang said she will never reach the point where a piece can't get any better. One day she'll know exactly what she's doing but then she won't be nervous anymore and the adrenaline will be gone.
She said the adrenaline is what drives her.
"I did a concert here in Fort Worth with a symphony for a bunch of second- and third-graders," Yang said. "It was a mess. I was very distracted because the kids had never been to a concert before. They were running around, clapping when they weren't supposed to, even shouting."
After the show, someone told Yang there was a little girl crying in her seat because the music was so moving.
"Playing music connects you to a side you never knew you had," Yang said. "It's worth all the work. Even just one person moved, like the little girl, makes it worth it."
One audience member commented on Yang's body movement and facial expressions. She smiled and said she can never watch or listen to herself play, she finds too many faults and criticizes herself too much.
All pieces are open to interpretation, but the hard part is getting those interpretations to work and show through on stage, she said.
"Playing music for an audience is a very intimate thing," Yang said. "If you are happy doing it, it's the most rewarding job. It's a very emotional occupation. If I only move one person in the audience, I know it's worth it."
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