I reckon the kids I see around me these days are mightily impressive. Thus it was with the friends of our two sons. Thus it is with occasional young pianists I hear at Wesley, not least Angela Zhu. She was pretty unassuming in receiving applause and just sat between tunes, presumably contemplating her next piece. She played with no music, so contemplation / preparation this is understandable. And what did she play? Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Poulenc. A suite of renowned and popular performers and done with huge presence, commitment, memory and interpretation. She's still at school, but working towards AMEB LMusA, the highest of the AMEB levels. It shows: steady, insistent Bach; firm, loud Mozart, playful at times, light and bouncy with sudden interplays; lyrical, emotive, sometimes explosive Chopin; soft, modern, impressionist, French Poulenc with flowing passages, occasional dissonances amongst flowing passages. This was a concert of immense satisfaction for the audience. You felt it in the applause and impressed chatter after. Kids today!
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