Von Oeyen’s interpretive prowess and digital subtlety far exceed those traits demonstrated by the most recent crop of fawned-over Asian virtuosi. From the opening moments of the Schumann Concerto, von Oeyen made it clear that he was more interested in mining the emotional lode of Schumann’s work rather than flaunting his own keyboard calisthenics…Von Oeyen offered the playful, always surprising, youthful A Minor Piano Concerto, which he vividly enlivened with sympathetic assistance from both the orchestra and Music Director Jahja Ling.

Von Oeyen’s lithe articulation and sweet but unapologetic sonority brought out the unabashed rhapsodic character of the first movement…Among the performer’s other laudable characteristics, von Oeyen was not afraid to give quiet passages an intimate quality in a large hall or to linger over a graceful cadence. I found great satisfaction in Ling and von Oeyen’s charming dialogue of the middle movement, where elegance and exuberance never fought one another…The soloist’s bravura account of the final movement demonstrated that technical muscle can serve the music rather than simply preen in the mirror. From the orchestra…Ling and his unexpected guest pianist fused a vision of this concerto that perfectly balanced its Romantic melodic effusions and Classical structural aspirations. Who could ask for anything more?