本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Young pianist's technique magical
Apr. 29, 2006. 12:20 AM
JOHN TERAUDS
CLASSICAL MUSIC CRITIC
Literally bathed in a circle of light, a slight 24-year-old in white tie and tails held a capacity audience at Roy Thomson Hall in a thrall for nearly two hours last night.
Chinese pianist Yundi Li is nothing short of a phenomenon, having been catapulted to fame at age 18 as the first person in 15 years to win first prize in the prestigious Chopin International Piano Competition in Poland. The Chongqing boy whose parents scrimped and saved — and even moved to Shenzhen so that he could study piano with the right teacher — is now the darling of the international concert circuit and is treated like a rock star in the home country.
He consistently garners raves for his recordings and live performances. And last night's audience was moved to offer up a great final ovation.
Li's technique is magical. The hall's Steinway grand will need a check to make sure all the moving parts are still intact.
This man is also a player with personality, much like superstars of yore like Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein. Like those 20th-century legends, Li imprints the music he plays with a personal esthetic that may not necessarily be true to the original score or to mainstream style.
In the case of last night's program of crowd-pleasing dazzlers by Mozart, Schumann and Liszt, Li grabbed great handfuls of notes and shaped them into his own artworks with an iron will and breathtaking virtuosity.
But many of the results were odd, even off-putting.
In the case of Mozart's popular Piano Sonata No. 10 in C Major, K.330, Li overlaid the Classical-era purity of sound with a Romantic sensibility. This made for a sweetness that became downright saccharine in the slower second movement.
Here, as throughout the evening, Li used the sustaining pedal to overlap harmonies. It was interesting, if unorthodox.
Robert Schumann's 22-piece Carnaval suite was all bluster and playfulness, with side trips into brief introspection. Li toyed with the music, reeling it in and out, like a fisherman having his fun with a big catch.
Carnaval and the program-closing Sonata in B Minor by Franz Liszt are big 19th-century showpieces laden with fearsome technical challenges. They were child's play to Li — and he made a point of letting us know this.
This critic may not have enjoyed his occasionally self-indulgent interpretations, but there's no denying that Li is a major force in classical music who appears to be bringing new audiences into the concert hall.
That, in itself, is a major reason for a standing ovation.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
Apr. 29, 2006. 12:20 AM
JOHN TERAUDS
CLASSICAL MUSIC CRITIC
Literally bathed in a circle of light, a slight 24-year-old in white tie and tails held a capacity audience at Roy Thomson Hall in a thrall for nearly two hours last night.
Chinese pianist Yundi Li is nothing short of a phenomenon, having been catapulted to fame at age 18 as the first person in 15 years to win first prize in the prestigious Chopin International Piano Competition in Poland. The Chongqing boy whose parents scrimped and saved — and even moved to Shenzhen so that he could study piano with the right teacher — is now the darling of the international concert circuit and is treated like a rock star in the home country.
He consistently garners raves for his recordings and live performances. And last night's audience was moved to offer up a great final ovation.
Li's technique is magical. The hall's Steinway grand will need a check to make sure all the moving parts are still intact.
This man is also a player with personality, much like superstars of yore like Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein. Like those 20th-century legends, Li imprints the music he plays with a personal esthetic that may not necessarily be true to the original score or to mainstream style.
In the case of last night's program of crowd-pleasing dazzlers by Mozart, Schumann and Liszt, Li grabbed great handfuls of notes and shaped them into his own artworks with an iron will and breathtaking virtuosity.
But many of the results were odd, even off-putting.
In the case of Mozart's popular Piano Sonata No. 10 in C Major, K.330, Li overlaid the Classical-era purity of sound with a Romantic sensibility. This made for a sweetness that became downright saccharine in the slower second movement.
Here, as throughout the evening, Li used the sustaining pedal to overlap harmonies. It was interesting, if unorthodox.
Robert Schumann's 22-piece Carnaval suite was all bluster and playfulness, with side trips into brief introspection. Li toyed with the music, reeling it in and out, like a fisherman having his fun with a big catch.
Carnaval and the program-closing Sonata in B Minor by Franz Liszt are big 19th-century showpieces laden with fearsome technical challenges. They were child's play to Li — and he made a point of letting us know this.
This critic may not have enjoyed his occasionally self-indulgent interpretations, but there's no denying that Li is a major force in classical music who appears to be bringing new audiences into the concert hall.
That, in itself, is a major reason for a standing ovation.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net