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Li Yun-Di, piano
At the tender age of nineteen, Chinese pianist Li Yun-Di is on top of the world – at least in the eyes of the jurors at the Fourteenth International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Last October, Li became the youngest recipient of the Gold Medal in the Competition's history, beating out 97 participants. The last time the Gold Medal was awarded was some dozen years ago. In addition to being the first Chinese pianist to come first (the venerable Fou T'song came third in 1955), he was also awarded first prize for the best Mazurka performance. Born in Sichuan province in 1982, Li started studying the accordion at the age of four before switching to the piano at seven. He made swift progress when his family moved to Shenzhen, a city just outside Hong Kong, so Li could study with Professor Dan Zhaoyi, a highly respected piano teacher. Before winning the Chopin Competition, Li had previously came third in both the U.S. Stravinsky International Youth Piano Competition and the Franz Liszt Piano Competition in the Netherlands, as well as first prize at the Gina Bachauer Competition in Salt Lake City last year. With the prestigious win in Warsaw, Li received $25,000 prize money, and he has signed a highly coveted, exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. With his photogenic looks, prodigious technique, youthful enthusiasm, and immense talent, it won't be long before this wunderkind becomes a household name. The Toronto recital on Friday was organized in great haste as an eleventh hour addition to Li's current tour in the West, which included recitals in Los Angeles, Cupertino (see onstage photo by journalist Lawrence Lock), Germany and Poland. Sponsored by the Chinese Artists Society of Toronto, the 1100 seats at the Weston Recital Hall were snapped up in a matter of days despite having zero publicity in the mainstream media. As is typical with community-based events, it was with not inconsiderable effort before a press ticket could be successfully wrangled. For the frequent North American classical concert attendee, the audience Friday night would have appeared extraordinarily youthful – including a large number of children which normally would strike fear in the hearts of serious concert goer. But it was an unusually attentive and well-behaved for a Chinese audience. (I am saying this from experience, having attended quite a number of concerts over the years in Hong Kong and China.) It was also quite a musically informed audience, the applause at the end of the first movement of Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58 notwithstanding. The program was all Chopin and the only one on this tour. A sense of authority, power, and lyricism can be felt from the very first piece, Nocturne in C Minor, Op. 48, No.1, so it was unfortunate that the Steinway piano was not ideally in tune. The extreme highs were not true and the lower range had a slightly muddy quality. It was suggested that perhaps it might not have been properly tuned for the occasion, or perhaps the sudden turning on of the powerful air conditioning system might have affected it somehow. Still, nothing could have stopped the technical brilliance and the total command of the instrument this young man has in his possession. The left hand- right hand balance is exceptional, and the full dynamic range impressive – masculine but not muscular playing. Yet for all the technical prowess, it is always at the service of the music. The phrasing is elegant and stylish, and in the opening melody of Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise in E-flat, Op. 22, he truly made the piano sing. This piece requires the touch of a mature artist and a master virtuoso. In the hands of this nineteen year old, it emerged exquisitely intoned, rhythmically precise, beautifully shaped and completely idiomatic. Below is an English translation of an interview of the artist by Hong Kong music writer Lawrence Lock (used with permission of the author):
Q: Chopin loved the bel canto style, especially the operas of Bellini. Are you interested in opera? Q: Can you tell us something about your debut disc with Deutsche Grammophon? Program Encores: Chinese Revolutionary tune
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