Hana Chang (Japan / Singapore / USA): L. van Beethoven - Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 

I think otherwise. I listened to all the semi finalists performance and I knew for sure Hana is going to be a finalists. She reminds me of Isabelle Faust, the more 18 century style of playing ( intentionally less vibrato and focus more on right hand ) and shows exquisite bowing techniques. I believe the jury appreciates the nuances of her sound production. But I do think her left hand is weaker than others.

@@linyangyoung25 Agree with "otherwise"! I believe her both hands are fine. My feeling is that her limitation is the instrument. To me that Guadagnini sounds weak and muddy. She can`t push it to make more sound or create more color. I think Hana is in the finals because jury considered her musicality more than her sound. However, she might not be the winner if somebody else "kills" the Brahms. (To me Hina Maeda has the best sounding fiddle here).

@@linyangyoung25 Me too! I adore Hana's playing. She has such a beautiful sound and intelligent musical ideas. She was my favorite (along with Dueñas) in the Menuhin. I have a hard time choosing my favorite for this competition, but I have no doubt in my mind that she deserves her place here in this final.

@@piotrmarkiewicz2005 I agree! Hana has been a favorite of mine since Menuhin. I think that she is extremely capable in both the right and left hand and probably has the most original sound amongst the finalists. She is very unique in her style and it definitely nods to a more historical approach. I will say that her performance of the Beethoven in the finals wasn't her best work, but I don't think it's a reflection of her left hand overall. If you watch her performance of the Tchaikovsky concerto in the finals of the Stuttgart Competition last summer, she's rock solid. Same with her etudes and caprices in the first round of this competition. I just think that this concerto might be new to her and she hasn't spent enough time with it yet. Beethoven is also an extremely scary concerto to play, especially when your final ranking in one of the world's most prestigious music competitions depends on it. I love all the finalists, but I really hope to see Hana take home one of the top prizes. She has such unique musicianship and I would love to see her career blossom after this competition.

@@jackwolfe6815 Amen.