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Chinese superstar pianist Yundi Li, 26, will give his first recital here in six years Sunday at Goyang Aram Nuri, Gyeonggi Province, and Feb. 18 at Seoul Arts Center. / Courtesy of Credia |
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Pianist Yundi Li may not have the Mozart-meets-MTV appeal of Lang Lang, who is also 26 and Chinese. But he is nevertheless something of a young Elvis Presley in the world of classical music, as he steals the hearts of fans with his poetic sensibility and boyish visage.
South Korean fans have waited six years for another recital by the superstar, who has been busy touring Europe and North America. Li finally returns to give concerts Sunday at Goyang Aram Nuri, Gyeonggi Province, followed by Seoul Arts Center Feb. 18.
``Traveling long distance can be tiring, but the anticipation of meeting a new audience in a new country and city always greatly excites me and relieves the stress,'' he told The Korea Times in an e-mail interview. ``I'm really looking forward to my recitals in Korea!''
Fans awaited Li's return all the more after seeing his recent ``affairs'' with new styles. In his latest recording for Deutsch Grammophon, the pianist presented an elegant rendition of Prokofiev's fearsome Piano Concerto No. 2. His performance of the piece in Seoul last year received critical acclaim.
For the upcoming recitals, the young Romantic returns to his signature repertoire of Chopin. He shot to stardom by winning the 14th Chopin International Piano Competition in 2000. Aged 18 at the time, he was the youngest ever winner, the first Chinese champ as well as the first to claim the event's top prize in 15 years.
``It is true that the Chopin competition launched my music career. It is a great privilege and pleasure to revisit Chopin's mellifluous music,'' he said. He will be playing Nocturne in E flat (Op. 9, No. 2), Mazurka Op. 33 and Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise Op. 22.
He will also perform Mussorgsky's ``Pictures at an Exhibition,'' a standard showpiece for pianists. ``Because the piece was inspired by paintings, the performance must also be vivid like observing an actual exhibition. It expresses a great variety of paintings marked by solemnity, confidence, sorrow and gaiety. The beauty of the piece is that you can enjoy these things through music,'' he said.
Also included in the program is ``Five Yunnan Folksongs'' by Li's countryman Jian-Zhong Wang. Li said he has always been a great fan of Chinese folk music and works by contemporary Chinese composers. ``For my recital in Korea I am presenting Yunnan folksongs that have been arranged for the piano. (Yunnan) is the region with the most exotic color in China, and this special trait translates into the piece. The audience can really look forward to this work.''
In China, there has been a recent rise of young concertgoers as young artists like Li became household names. ``I also feel that the proportion of young people is becoming greater among the audience in concert halls. I am thrilled that the younger generation is becoming more fond of classical music and piano music,'' he said.
A generation after the Cultural Revolution, the number of Western classical musicians is also climbing by leaps and bounds. When asked about how many Chinese students, like their Korean counterparts, tend to focus too much on technique, Li agreed that this may be true _ but there is no need to worry ``if they are pursuing music for the true love of it.'' ``If young musicians have a dream and have faith in themselves, and work hard toward their dreams, they can expect a good outcome,'' he said.
Tickets for the Sunday performance at Goyang cost from 20,000 to 80,000 won, while those for Feb. 18 cost from 40,000 to 100,000 won. Call (02) 318-4303.
hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr
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'600만명 학살 지휘' 잔인한 인물의 뒷얘기 공개
