Yundi Li - Precocious Talent to Interpretive Artist
Music Man | Boston MA | 02/14/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This exquisite CD should put to rest all of the naysayers who dismiss Yundi Li's talent as technically brilliant but interpretively shallow. Granted, when he started his recording career 6 years ago, his youth and lack of seasoning were apparent as they should be for a 19-year old, but so was the clear potential he continues to progress toward. This gourgeous and fully-realized recording is his best yet, and shows his increasingly expressive skills as well as what may be the most technically proficient talent of our time.
He shines in the Liszt Concerto. Throughout the Allegro vivace, he alternates gently textured passages with powerful crescendos of emotional depth of interpretation. He manages these transitions flawlessly and never relies on bombastic showmanship but allows the beauty of the music to flow through his dextrous fingers. Li has also become one of our most eloquent interpreters of the works of Chopin. The Allegro maestoso section of Chopin's Concerto gives Li room to display all of his talents: the almost limitless perfection of his technical skills, the beauty of his gently played though never rushed adagios and, of course, the power of his transitions to the most emotionally expressive passages. Still, this is followed by the one section of this CD that most displays his growth as an artist and musician. Chopin's Romanze, Larghetto is both exuberant and gently moving in Li's interpretation.
This is a young man who is no longer precocious. He has earned his position as one of the world's premiere pianists. Yundi Li is an artist whose growth has been well documented, and his first CD with the Philharmonia Orchestra expands the range we have come to expect from him. It's a thrill to listen to all of these musicians at the top of their game, only to have Li steal the show with a flourish of his fingertips. A must have."
Passionate and moving. The best ever from YUNDI LI
H. ZHANG | Seattle, WA | 03/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have always been reading reviews but this CD compels me to write one. I have always been a fan of YUNDI LI since I first listened to his performance in 2000 Chopin competition. To me, it is amazing to see someone so young yet possesses such a deep understanding of Chopin's music. I believe technique-wise, there are many brilliant pianists. But to really stand out, you need to also have the soul (not just to show off like Lang Lang). That is also why I love Chopin yet detest List. Very few pianists achieve that level. YUNDI LI is definitely one of them and the youngest among them. When I listened to this CD, especially Chopin's concerto, I was deeply moved to tears. The contrast, the tempo, the touch are all so well integrated. I have seen many reviews. To me, the judgment can only be individual. Each of us would know when the playing speaks to the very deep of our soul. As someone who enjoyed playing piano (especially Chopin's work), I feel blessed that we have this outstanding pianist. I am sure Chopin would have been amazed by him. You need to get this CD and make your own judgment."
A good Chopin and a great Liszt
D. Jack Elliot | Omaha, Nebraska | 04/01/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I find Li's playing of the Chopin concerto here rather too reserved. Chopin's music is as indulgent, passionate, and over-the-top as Romanticism ever managed, but Li offers balanced, moderate phrasing and interpretation that seem to me better suited to the Mozart piano concerti, or to readings of the Beethoven concerti that emphasize Beethoven the Classicist vis-a-vis Beethoven the early Romantic, than to gushing Romanticism. To be sure, this is a good reading, and in fact Li's playing reminds me quite a lot of Murray Perahia's: subtle, poignantly understated, accurate, remarkably astute and insightful. I just wish he would get more carried away with himself, show more can't-sit-still abandon with this piece.
The Liszt, though... I loved it. Another reviewer here thought it was heavy-handed, uneven, and too flashy, but I can't understand such a criticism in this repertoire. Li pulls out all the stops and pounds away at the keyboard to make your heart race, and I can't imagine what else you could ask of a performance of a Liszt concerto, which attends to other concerns before those of structural integrity and coherent emotive logic and development. Pieces of this sort are the action movies of the classical repertoire, not the Lawrence of Arabia. A good action movie needs explosions and car chases and bikini models, and Li's Liszt playing has got the musical equivalents of all those things to spare. It's just great."
An excellent interpreter of classical music
Kee | 02/14/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Yundi Li has always struck me as a born excellent interpreter for classical music. His interpretation was never shallow even when he was young. During his teen years, he was already interpreting classical music like a maestro although technically, there was still room for improvement when he took part in some competitions including Warsaw Chopin piano competition. If it was not for Li's great interpretive ability for classical music, he would not have caught my attention as there was no shortage of young pianists with sound technique then. I can fully understand why he told some reporters soon after winning the prestigious Chopin piano competition that he liked to be able to contribute what he could in terms of the interpretation of classical music. He must have felt that he has the confidence to add something new to this field. So he did. With such ability, there is no surprise that he continues to impress his audiences with all the impressive and highly praised recordings that did contain something new. For this, he had won praises from music critic who wrote,
"What distinguishes this uniquely gifted young artist from most of his contemporaries is his ability to put his personal stamp on a work without resorting, even for a single gesture, to eccentricity."
If Li's interpretation had been shallow when he was about the age of 19 as mentioned by someone here, he could not have achieved so much within such a short period by winning the prestigious Chopin piano competition two weeks after he turned 18 and the "Best CD of the year" from The New York Times in 2003 when he was 21 yeas old. If one's interpretation is still shallow around the age of 19 after so many years of training, it is obvious that little can be done to further improve for the simple reason that your musical trait is normally revealed at a very young age. You will probably remain shallow forever.
Over the past few years, Li's virtuosity has been so impressive that "Horowitzian" was used by the Los Angles Times to describe his breathtaking virtuosity. Li is now a rising star with ever so impressive interpretive ability and greatly improved technique. If you compare the Chopin concerto played during Warsaw piano competition with the one played here, you will notice the improvement in the skill. As expected, Li had played this concerto here in his own distinctive way - with rubato which is very tasteful, natural, and most agreeable. This is due to his inborn ability which could hardly be acquired by sheer hard work.
Liszt's concerto played here is not only dynamic and technically brilliant, it is full of subtle nuances, intense emotion and heartfelt excitements. Li has got the power, fluidity of technique and a good speed in playing this concerto. You are amazed by his superb control of the variation of tone color especially when it was used to express the intense emotion in the middle of Allegretto Vivace when he played for a few bars without the accompaniment of the orchestra - what an awesome way to express his intense emotion. You are also amazed by his dexterity and his light fingers for making all the difficult passages sound so easy. For the more lyrical part of this piece, if you compare the second movement played by Li with that by Richter, you will find Richter too bland. Watch out for the knockout heartfelt excitements Li had delivered towards the end of the last movement to finish the concerto in Liszt's famous bravura style. This is most exciting and exhilarating. This must be the way Franz Liszt had wanted it to be played. In every aspect, this is really one concerto difficult to surpass.
This is also one recording that did not allow editing as the microphone used was the type used in the old days of 1960 according to a reported news. Li had chosen it because he felt that the recorded sound produced by this way of recording is closer to the sound effect produced in concert halls during live performances. Listening to this CD will be just like listening to a live performance. Besides, he felt that his emotion could be better sustained if he could play these concertos without having to stop for some editing, according to Li.
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Piano Concertos Refreshed
Corno di Bass Trombono | Florida, U.S.A. | 05/22/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Standard repertory, but exceptional performances characterize this release. The pianist obviously has something to say, and says it in a way that is most refreshing. No lover of fine pianism can afford to pass this by."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1