Young pianist shines at orchestra's Mann Center Tchaikovsky show

Truth is, most works on the all-Tchaikovsky program would have been exhausted from over-exposure long ago were it not for succeeding generations of performers re-interpreting the music in ways that keep it communicative.

Her reading of  Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 was not what you'd expect. Emerging artists begin their careers placing virtuosity first; any sense of personality peaks out from the confines of impressively energetic tempos. Wang took her time. Each phrase was molded with its own deeply felt character. Even when Tchaikovsky reiterates his thematic material obsessively, she had strong emotional explanations.

If only the peripheral elements of the Mann Center were more welcoming. You navigate the traffic to get out there, pay $20 for car parking — or, if you're like me, bicycle yourself into a state of dehydration — only to have security people treat you like you're on probation and concession stand workers handing you your soda with a manner suggesting indifferent dismissal. Somebody somewhere has forgotten why we gather to hear music.