The Albéniz year had at the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria an important start with the recital of the Canadian pianist Avan Yu who last summer was awarded Second Prize and Silver Medal at the XVI Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition.

At that time he made an excellent impression in the audience, ratified now. He is a very complete pianist, gifted with enormous technical and expressive skills capable of tackling a demanding programme. To start it with the Sonata in A flat major Op. 110, the penultimate of those composed by Beethoven is a strong bet. He resolved it very solidly - something surprising in a young performer - with beautiful nuances as well as a profound feeling in the aching and emotional Adagio ma non troppo.

He later performed with total correction the Chopin Etudes Op. 10 well controlled in the expressive accents. His Liszt Ballade was brilliant, followed three pieces of Isaac Albéniz's Suite Española, played with style, grace and colour never falling on the picturesque, something that, on the other hand, was totally in agreement with the Campodrón musician whose music will be heard very much this year and which suits Avan Yu's pianism very well. He concluded his recital with the interpretation of Igor Stravinsky's Petroushka, demonstrating the notable impacting gift with which he is endowed. In its three mouvements were force and vigor.