All just my personal opinion
Piano recital by Stephen Kovacevich in Baden / Switzerland, 2015-09-18, featuring Alban Berg’s Piano Sonata in B minor, op.1, and Franz Schubert’s last two Piano Sonatas, the Sonata in A major (D.959), and the Sonata in B♭ major (D.960)
Review of a concert at the Tonhalle Zurich, 2015-09-04, offered by the Orpheum Foundation for the Support of Young Musicians, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary: Philippe Jordan, Nikolaj Znaider, Kyoungmin Park, and the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra playing • Webern, Variations for Orchestra op.30 • Mozart, Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola in E♭ major, K.364 • Beethoven, Symphony No.7 in A major, op.92
… while for the past two decades the artist is mostly pictured with an earnest, maybe “Beehovenian” / titanic, somewhat closed facial expression, in the concert (which he presented with a mostly relaxed, yet controlled body language) his face hinted at a wealth of emotions — and his playing struck me as a prime example of the “big Russian Piano School” …
With the entrance of the solo violin, though, the attention turned towards Sophia Jaffé, who presented herself as an experienced, expressive violinist, with a sonorous, full tone, delivering a solid, convincing interpretation.
Claire Huangci played the Scarlatti sonatas without interruption, and without repeats — this way, she formed a single piece where it was hard for the listener to recognize transitions from one sonata to the next. It’s an interesting idea…
… it was fascinating to observe how the violin remained audible, kept a clear presence even through minimal, light movements of the bow (…)
In the subsequent Larghetto, the soloist enchanted the audience with the most intimate, whispering tones, played almost sul ponticello, with minute, discreet movements of the bow, merely a hint, but always present, down to the softest ppp and below — one could almost sense the audience holding breath, totally captured by this playing.