Pianist Yundi Li Back After 6 Years to Give Recitals

Photo courtesy of Deutsch Grammophon

I absolutely love this guy -- his coolheaded phrasings and refined elegance particularly when playing the most stormy pieces. His rendition of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.2, one of my all time favorite works of music, blew me away. I'm so excited he's coming!

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. >>More