Zhang Haochen (chamber music)

Another pleasurable performance from this pianist. Zhang isn't as used to the demands of chamber as Vacatello or Lifits were in this piece, but he shows mostly sound instincts in this more deliberate and less rhythmic rendition of the Schumann than the others'. We've had so many good chamber performances this year that this one stands out less than it would have in another year. Still, it was never less than pleasant to hear. He probably didn't need any help from his chamber performance to get into the finals, but he certainly didn't hurt his cause.