Press
Haochen Zhang was the soloist in the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3, and exhibited all of the power, technical dazzle and musical gifts that he showed on his visit last year. The pianist, who is 22 but looks about 12, is simply a master, and he tamed the notoriously challenging concerto with consummate ease.
This was not a mere technical display, but Zhang brought out by turns all of the kaleidoscopic piece’s humor, poetry and passion as well. Music director Enrique Arturo Diemecke and the LBSO weren’t always in perfect sync with the soloist, but Zhang went single-mindedly on his merry way and Diemecke worked hard to keep up.
There was a cloth cover over the piano, evidently to prevent Zhang’s powerful pianism from overpowering the orchestra, and the piano did meld beautifully into the ensemble, which is definitely appropriate for this piece. Still, I would have preferred the balance tilted a little more toward the piano.
And then, to show that he is more than a mere knuckle-buster, Zhang favored the large and enthusiastic audience with a Debussy encore, a quietly perfect “Girl With the Flaxen Hair.”