Stunning recital of German, Canadian and American composers, within 36 hours emergency replacement, that happens once in a while!!!  Thank you to Sheng Cai for stepping in for Tony Yang with this remarkable program.

Brilliance, Virtuosity, and A Magical Power of Sound

Sheng Cai shines with his superior and virtuoso playing in the many solo cadenzas. His brilliant interpretation emphasizes strong dynamic contrasts. The rushing arpeggios flow lightly, and the soloist continually draws new and sometimes surprising moments of movement from the quadruple octaves and complex chords. His interpretation is characterized not only by spiritedness, but also by pensive lyrcism.

This is particularly impressive in the captivating lyrical theme of the second movement, played with finely differentiated tones by the flute, oboe and cello, and accompanied by delicately touched chords and syncopations on the grand piano. The pianist acknowledges the sustained applause with a fittingly chosen encore: the melodically catchy, charming character piece "Printemps Canadian" by Andre Mathieu.

-------- Christopher Keller Norwest-Zeitung, Germany, May 26th 2025 Translated from German to English