Armed with technical brilliance and cosmopolitan charm, Yundi Li classes up the LA Philharmonic.
Liszt 1st piano concerto is no trivial piece and you don't need a critic to tell you that. Even at the introduction, the powerful yet gloomy motifs and the whirlwind-like passages spanning four octaves promise a roller-coaster ride. The piece was meant to moisten listeners eyes to the awe of its grandeur. Liszt experimented with the boundaries of piano expression: the results are adrenalin-shots of lightning-fast passages interlaced with lyrical sentences.
Yundi Li's performance at the LA Philharmonic with conductor Leonard Slatkin last month stood this test of white-hot virtuosity.
Looking relaxed and sincere, Li has about him, perhaps between his wavy hair and the confident walk, an elegance that's quite European. This is not surprising, given that he grew up in the international city of Shenzhen, and is residing currently in Hong Kong. Plus, ever since winning the famous Chopin Competition, Yundi Li studies half the year at Hanover Conservatory of Music in Germany and spends the other half touring. Surely, his metropolitan airs have been well nurtured.
As to his ideas of career development, in an interview with Richard Dyer from the Boston Globe, he relates down-to-earthly: "For half the year, I do not give concerts. I try to look at books and to learn new repertory. I practice six or seven hours a day, no more. Now I perform seven or eight concertos; I don't want to play 20 different concertos in one season. I want everything to be ready, so I can give my best emotion and make good music for the audience."
"Good music" it was. Next to the energizing youthful passion Li has for piano music, his playing carries a beautiful depth surpassing his age. His interpretation was sleek and stylish, while his musical phrases contained more than a trace of taste.
Li swept over the keyboard with lightness and elegance. His music moved most admirably: like a good magician, Li conjured up bigger overarching phrases full of motion. One phrase usually carried to the next most subtly, leaving you puzzled about where the magical firework originates. The flow never ceases. His momentum certainly made up for the occasional lapses of precision. His contrasting dynamics gave the music a wondrous feel of vitality. The mellow passages were so soft and furry whereas the stronger notes waterfall-like and passionate.
It's perhaps interesting to ask what role a performer plays in relation to the work he presents. In this respect, Li is a generous guide. He carries mystery in between his fingers, and liberates the music to tell stories.
To end this half-sensible review, which (much to my own angst) cannot capture the sensations of the sound, I should perhaps bashfully ask the gentle reader to finish the article: if you will, pick up his CD and savor the lyricism. I know you'll think afterwards, quite simply, "It's hot. It's good music."