Yuja Wang in a 2025 concert at which she conducted the New York Philharmonic while playing the piano. Photo by Chris Lee.
In Thursday’s (2/26) Guardian (U.K.), Imogen Tilden writes, “Pianist Yuja Wang today made public an email sent to her by writer, critic and Radio 3 presenter Norman Lebrecht, and her response that accuses the journalist of ‘derogatory misogynistic bullying.’ Lebrecht had written to the musician querying her decision to withdraw from a BBC ‘Lebrecht Interview’ stating: ‘I am surprised and disappointed. I thought you were a serious person who stood by her commitments. I may have to revise that opinion.’ On her official Instagram account, over the screen grab of his email, Wang wrote her response: ‘@normanlebrecht this derogatory misogynistic bullying need [sic] to stop. We are human beings who grow with nourishing energy, not characters for you to abuse.’ Lebrecht has had a relationship with Radio 3 for more than 25 years … Sam Jackson, BBC controller, said today that their relationship will not be continuing…. ‘Yuja Wang had agreed with me a year ago to do a Lebrecht Interview for Radio 3. She kept putting it off until I lost patience and sent her an email that was perhaps a tad sharp…. I apologized to Sam Jackson and the BBC for any unintended embarrassment,’ said Lebrecht…. A representative confirmed Wang had no further comment.”
