Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Sonate pour piano n° 30 en mi majeur
Sonate pour piano n° 32 en do mineur
Cadenza du concerto pour piano n° 4 en sol majeur, op. 58
Bagatelle en la mineur "Für Elise", WoO 59

Johann Sebastian Bach (1756-1791)
Largo de la Sonate pour orgue n° 5, BWV 529 (trans. S. Feinberg)
Aria de la Cantate "Schafe können sicher weiden", BWV 208 (trans. D. Lipatti)

Haiou Zhang, piano

Le geste est droit, la sonorité pleine sans être lourde malgré un Bechstein un rien mat, Haiou Zhang n’ose pourtant pas la triade ultime au complet. Vous n’aurez donc que les opus 109 et 111, joués sans émotion mais non sans style, sans pourtant que rien dans une interprétation jamais narcissique ne vienne surprendre l’oreille. Neutralité ? Non, le portique de l’opus 111, la lente divagation du Gesangvoll de l’op. 109 sont d’un artiste, et le laissent entendre, mais jusque dans la proclamation une certaine mise à distance s’opère dont au fond Beethoven n’a cure. Un document donc, qui renseigne d’abord sur un beau pianiste, mais avant d’écouter les Sonates ou la belle cadence du 4e Concerto ajoutée avant la Lettre à Elise je ne sais trop pourquoi, écoutez le Largo de la 5e Sonate en trio de Bach selon Feinberg : ce piano qui chante et s’ouvre est d’un artiste. (Discophilia - Artalinna.com) (Jean-Charles Hoffelé)

“I still clearly remember when, for the first time, I heard a couple of bars in the last movement of Beethoven’s Opus 109 – it was about 20 years ago and I felt deeply touched andcaptured at that moment... It was something truly indescribable to me. I felt that this composition would grow as if it were an extension of my own musical language. It is now very clear to me that Opus 109 will always be the music to accompany me through all the ups and downs of life, and the same is also true for Opus 111. It has to be admitted that I totally fell in love with the variations to be found in Opus 111. I desperately wanted to be part of that particular world encompassed by the fragile and sublime colours which are to be found between the “pp” and “ppp” (“very quiet” and “extremely quiet”) parts of the work, which permeate the whole special atmosphere. It seems as if one is being driven towards infinity – somehow it might even take one to a sublime place without conflicts, pain and evil. Every Sunday morning - these two Bach Transcriptions (Largo from BWV 529 and Aria from BWV 208) are part of my confession. They are part of a better realisation of my true self, and the recognition and change of myself for the past few year. They form part of a sincere internal dialogue with myself without any pressure and expectations.” (Haiou Zhang)