Acclaim

“…most of the works sounded too easy for [Di Wu’s] prodigious digits…Her account of the Brahms [Variations on a Theme by Paganini] is amazing. She takes all the difficult options (her octave glissandos are unbelievable!), and she conjures from the piano absolutely gossamer, violinistic textures, joyous humor, and brilliant airborne tempos.” – Musical America

“[Di Wu’s] torrential octaves, and passionate performances are reminiscent of Martha Argerich…what distinguishes Di Wu from her contemporaries is the level of musical maturity she possesses, her exacting attention to details, and the way she opens her vision of the world to the audience. The sensitivity she possesses and the loving care she lavishes on the most minute details of the music is nothing short of phenomenal…the interpretation was dynamic, with vibrant colors and contrasts, from the quietest pianissimo to the most violent fortissimo. The passion came through with brutality as well as tenderness…the crystal-clear, Argerich-like velocity made the last two [Debussy] Préludes nothing short of breathlessly spectacular…It was the most extravagant and spectacular firework display that I have either seen or heard…a great showcase for showing off all the energy that this extraordinary pianist possesses…executed superbly…I am absolutely in love with her world and cannot wait to hear her perform again.” – Ken Iisaka, San Francisco Classical Voice

“They say that it takes 10,000 hours to become expert at anything. By my reckoning 27-year-old Di Wu, pianist in InConcert Sierra [Nevada]’s Sunday recital, has practiced nearly 40,000. Her extraordinary expertise in a fascinating program of Debussy, Ravel and Liszt was evident. But technique alone does not a pianist make: It also takes perceptiveness, presence and the ability to communicate. Wu has it all…her dynamic range enormous, her sensitivity astonishing, her abandon infectious…Wu captured the moods, drama, and intensity with almost casual brilliance, yet penetrating insight, her hands a blur, the video projection of the keyboard seemingly unable to keep up with the superhuman fingerwork.” – Charles Atthill, TheUnion.com

“Wu is a young pianist of formidable technique and great energy who attacked some of the most outrageously difficult writing of the 19th-century showboat repertoire with confidence and power…Wu’s textures were clear and her sound heroic…[tempi] were ideal for Wu’s fleet finger work. Her reading of Ständchen was warmly emotional, which suited it, and the closing Erlkönig was a flurry of blazing, rapid octaves…Wu’s ability to generate a ferocious amount of sound was impressive…real sparkle and flair…Di Wu is only 22, but she’s already a very fine pianist who I’m confident will have a long, strong career.” – Greg Stepanich, Palm Beach Post

“…the most musically mature and sensitive pianist competing in the finals [of the 2009 Van Cliburn Competition]…Ms. Wu’s deeply poetic renditions of Ravel’s ‘Miroirs’ (on May 23) and ‘Gaspard de la Nuit’… these Ravel works were turned into miniballets by Ms. Wu, who combined assured, contained strength with high drama…Ms. Wu majestically embraced the passionate Rachmaninoff Third Concerto…visitors to Ms. Wu’s own Web site (www.diwupiano.com) can already purchase a privately made CD of her playing Debussy, Liszt and Brahms with dazzling mastery.” – The Wall Street Journal

“With her exceptional intelligence, temperament, and technique…Wu is among the best exponents of [Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 2] currently before the public. Much of the concerto is built on repeated, rising sequences that most pianists treat like steps to a monumental summit. In Wu’s hands, every step was its own distinctive experience. And her summits were higher.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer

“A string of awards and laudatory press quotes don’t always ring true when one hears a young artist in concert, but when the concert experience far exceeds what one expected based on those words it is most extraordinary. Pianist Di Wu, already seasoned at 26, shares an endearing connection with her audience and a deep intimacy with the music, which was shown to great advantage…Wu easily managed the sure fingerwork necessary to create Ravel’s legendary aural evocation of ocean waves and swells…Wu provided an astounding rendering of Franz Liszt’s Concert Waltz transcription from Gounod’s opera Faust. She did not shy away from a devilishly fast start with amazing power. The doomed Marguerite’s theme offered poignant relief, given such sensitive treatment, that it was all the more shocking when the waltz returned with even more fire and speed. Di Wu’s career is well on its way and we can count ourselves lucky to have experienced her artistry in the small Historic Asolo Theater…” – Sarasota Herald-Tribune

“Pianist Di Wu was so capable in [Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3],…in an eventful interpretation never dictated by technical necessities. She was a paragon of flexible rubato, but also used rhythmic rigidity to make the music speak in unexpected ways. She played against the piece’s bigness with Mozartean delicacy but blazed in moments that can’t do anything else…” – The Philadelphia Inquirer

“[Di Wu’s] playing exhibits a physicality that is both athletic and balletic. She balanced lush sensuality with a charming playfulness – it was a riveting quality…Unlike other virtuosic soloists, it was not the dramatic intensity and fireworks which captivated, but the effortless, almost enchanted quality of her focus and ability.”
 – Island Packet

“…full of charisma, steely technique, and keen musical intelligence – qualities that no doubt earned [Di Wu] finalist status at the Van Cliburn Competition this summer…her performance of Schumann’s Davidbundlertänze most clearly suggests she has an interesting future, not simply a bright one. In Wu’s performance, [Schumann’s] worst musical tantrums yielded something delicate. Usually safe, reflective passages had interior rumblings. Emotional peaks were thrillingly (and frighteningly) escalated through the use of sonority and tempo, suggesting no limits to the music’s extremes and no predicting where it would lead… thanks to Wu’s knockout performance [of Aaron Jay Kernis’s Ballad(e) out of the Blues, Superstar Etude No. 3], you could get a lot out of the music from a single hearing.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer

“…pianist Wu was remarkable as soloist. In the Adagio movement of [Beethoven’s] Piano Concerto No. 2, Wu’s tone was so soft and pure as to almost melt the piano.” – Asbury Park Press

“…Di Wu, a lissome young woman whose zesty, powerful, and heartfelt performances should soon lead to a recording contract…” – The Wall Street Journal