The video discusses the notable skills of instrumental virtuosos, emphasizing the contrast between guitar players and piano and violin masters. While many guitar players focus on speed, the video highlights the teaching traditions of classical instruments that have cultivated virtuosos over the centuries. The speaker stresses the admirable discipline and technique that classical musicians possess, presenting a striking example of this in the pianist Yuja Wang.

Yuja Wang, a renowned Chinese pianist educated at the Curtis Institute, is celebrated in the video for her dazzling performances. Her rendition of "Flight of the Bumblebee" by rimsky-korsakov, arranged by Hungarian pianist György Cziffra, exemplifies her arresting speed and technique. The speaker plays clips of her exceptional encore performances, illustrating how effortlessly she navigates complex pieces that include interlocking octaves, rhapsodic improvisations, and even stride piano elements drawn from jazz.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. virtuoso [vɜːrˈtʃuːoʊsəʊ] - (noun) - An individual who possesses exceptional skill and expertise in performing a particular art, especially music. - Synonyms: (maestro, expert, prodigy)

...if you want to see real virtuosos, and this is no disrespect to all these amazing guitar players out there, you gotta look to the piano and violin.

2. pedagogy [ˈpedəˌɡɒdʒi] - (noun) - The method and practice of teaching, especially in a formal educational setting. - Synonyms: (instruction, education, teaching)

These are instruments that have had pedagogy or teaching strategies that go back centuries, right?

3. encore [ˈɑːŋkɔːr] - (noun) - A demand for a repeat performance, usually as an additional piece after the concert. - Synonyms: (reprise, addition, repeat)

Now, this is at the end of an entire program, an entire concert. And this is her encore piece.

4. rimsky-korsakov [ˈrɪmski ˈkɔːrsəkɒv] - (proper noun) - Referring to Nikolai rimsky-korsakov, a famous Russian composer, especially noted for orchestral compositions. - Synonyms: (specific name) no direct synonyms

But this is a 1 minute and 52nd piece, and it's based on Rimsky Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee.

5. effortlessly [ˈefərtləsli] - (adverb) - Performing something with ease and without apparent effort. - Synonyms: (smoothly, easily, fluently)

...and she's doing these things just effortlessly.

6. strauss [straʊs] - (proper noun) - Referring to Johann strauss II, a famous Austrian composer of light music such as operettas and waltzes. - Synonyms: (specific name) no direct synonyms

There's also another ziffra arrangement of a strauss piece called the Tristrash polka.

7. interlocking octaves [ˌɪntəˈlɒkɪŋ ˈɒktɪvz] - (noun phrase) - A piano technique that involves playing alternating octaves rapidly, one after the other. - Synonyms: (octave jumps, octave linkages, cross octaves)

The interlocking octaves in this flight of the bumblebee are just about impossible to play, and she's doing these things just effortlessly.

8. rhapsodic [ræpˈsɒdɪk] - (adjective) - Characterized by an expression of great enthusiasm or energy, often in an exaggerated way. - Synonyms: (ecstatic, exuberant, impassioned)

You can see where these ideas come from. He wrote these insane piano arrangements.

9. improviser [ˈɪmprəvaɪzər] - (noun) - A person who creates music, conversation, or elements of art spontaneously without preparation. - Synonyms: (freestyler, extemporizer, ad-libber)

Zifer was also a jazz improviser and he incorporates a lot of jazz elements into this arrangement.

10. stride piano [straɪd piˈænoʊ] - (noun phrase) - A style of jazz piano playing where the left hand plays a rhythmic bass pattern while the right hand plays melodies. - Synonyms: (swing piano, bop stride, jazz stride)

Check out this stride piano.

The Impossible Virtuosity of Yuja Wang

Being mainly a guitar player, go to Instagram, and I follow a lot of guitar players on there. And one thing I notice when I look at the posts as I'm scrolling through is that every one of them is people playing as fast as they can. All you see, just a lot of. It's just the guitar. Not even a head. It's just headless guitar players trying to rip as fast as they can things that they practice a million times.

But if you want to see real virtuosos, and this is no disrespect to all these amazing guitar players out there, you gotta look to the piano and violin. These are instruments that have had pedagogy or teaching strategies that go back centuries, right? These are where the virtuosos have had lifetimes worth of technique that's been defined and redefined and redefined. And today we have these super virtuosos.

One of them, I'm gonna play for you. Her name is Yu Zhu Wang. She's a chinese pianist who was born in 1987. She came to the United States and studied at the Curtis Institute, and I've been following her for years and years. Anytime that people think that they're these incredible guitar players that have chops, I'll just play them this one piece, and they see it, and the camera can't even catch up to what she's doing. It's a blur.

But this is a 1 minute and 52nd piece, and it's based on Rimsky Korsakov's flight of the bumblebee. It was written 1899, 1900 or so, and this is absolutely insane. Let's check it out. So relaxed. Can't even see your hands. Now, this is at the end of an entire program, an entire concert. And this is her encore piece. So she's played a full concert, and then she attacks this with this kind of energy. It's really, really remarkable.

I should mention that this Rimsky Korsakoff flight of the Bumblebee arrangement is by the great hungarian pianist Georgie Ziffra, who has an incredibly fascinating story, and I will make a video on him in the future. Here's a video of Zifera improvising. This is from 1962. It's on YouTube. You can see where these ideas come from. He wrote these insane piano arrangements. The interlocking octaves in this flight of the bumblebee are just about impossible to play, and she's doing these things just effortlessly.

There's also another ziffra arrangement of a strauss piece called the Tristrash polka. This is the ending of it. This is Eugea playing and it has a stride piano because Zifer was also a jazz improviser and he incorporates a lot of jazz elements into this arrangement. He's basically playing the orchestral arrangement that strauss had but making it insane adding all these extra parts. Check out this stride piano.

So stride piano is basically you have an octave or a 10th in the left hand and then you go up to a chord. And she's doing this so insanely fast. Check it out. This is just a little glimpse into Yuja's playing. You should definitely check her out on YouTube. There are many, many pieces of her. She's not just this technical wizard. She's an incredibly emotional player. There's so many concertos and chamber music pieces and solo piano pieces that are on YouTube or follow her on instagram.

I'd love to have her in for an interview at some point. Hopefully that'll happen. But this is a pianist that you should know about if you don't already. Anybody that's into classical music knows Yuji Wang. She's a legend already at 35. That's all for now. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button. I appreciate you all watching and we'll see you soon.

Music, Inspiration, Technology, Pianists, Classical Music, Yuja Wang, Rick Beato