In the world of piano performance, the Canadian Avan Yu is at present one of the most outstanding young promises. Yesterday, he offered a varied, extensive and difficult piano recital at the Jovellanos Theater in Gijón, within the cycle of the Sociedad Filarmónica de Gijón. He will perform again this programme today in Avilés and tomorrow in Oviedo.

The first part started with Beethoven's Sonata in A flat major, op. 110 and with Chopin's complete Etudes, op. 10. It was a dense and atypical work among those in Beethoven's catalogue with many counterpoint passages such as that of the last tempo where two fugue passages are intertwined. But Yu knew how to give them force. There was a complete set of the twelve Chopin Etudes, pieces characterized by their quickness and structure complexity that tests the resistance and ability of performers. A good example of this is No. 5 in G flat major, known among pianists as the "Black Keys etude" due to the predominant use of black keys that characterizes the tonality (which increases the difficulty of the piece), or the No. 1 in C major with a series of intermingled arpeggios, or No. 2 in A minor with a regular pulsation based on rapid chromatic outlines. Yu demonstrated his great ability without waning his performance at any time.

The second part was even better. The pianist played two selections with nationalist shades: on the one hand, Isaac Albéniz and his "Suite Española" op. 47, performing three movements; and, on the other, Stravinsky of the three pieces of the "Petrushka" ballet transcribed for piano. Yu also demonstrated to possess a fine sensibility - despite his youth - to transmit the most colourful local language such as the Spanish and Russian, going deep into the different nuances as well as the rhythmic and harmonious richness of the composers. Lastly, Franz Liszt's Ballade No. 2 in B minor was one of the best and most applauded exponent of Ava Yu's musical vision, getting by extremely well in the Romanticism areas with great doses of virtuosity and expresiveness in the main themes - and nothing better to show off such qualities than a score such as this. As if it were not enough after his long programme, he still offered a lovely encore: "Danza de la Dama Donosa" by the Argentinean composer Ginasterra. Chapeau.