I hadn't seen Will Cheng play the piano since we lived together in East Flo freshman year. He was fantastic then and since, he's won just about every award Stanford gives to musically-inclined individuals. Yesterday evening, in "Musical Imaginations," Will's performance was simply breathtaking -- one of the best I've seen. I had never heard any of the pieces he performed, but he was instantly engaging and passionate... and incredibly meditative. At times, the music incorporated elements of jazz, which I wasn't always sure were in the written music. Perhaps a little improvisation? Possibly.

Check out his performance of Isaac Albeniz's "Evocation" from Iberia (I apologize greatly for the hissing sound... but I think the video still captures much of his subtlety if you can put up with the quality):

Full program:
English Suite No. 4 in F (1720 or prior) - Bach
Evocation (1906) - Isaac Albeniz
Piano Sonata in D, Op. 10 No. 3 (1798) - Beethoven
Piano Sonata in B minor, Op. 58 No. 3 (1844) - Chopin

I particularly loved the Chopin piece, so I found the movements on imeem for anyone who wants to hear them: Movements 1, 2, 3, 4.