Next Generation Artists Sparkle in Seoul

Youthful exuberance reigned in Seoul last week as Yundi Li, Sung Si-yeon and Alexander Gavrylyuk ― musicians who will lead the future of classical music ― took the stage.

Chinese star pianist Li made sure his Wednesday recital at Seoul Arts Center, the first in six years, would be unforgettable, making fans anticipate his next visit. The following evening at the same venue, conductor Sung lead the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra to create exhilarating rhythms opposite pianist Gavrylyuk.

Yundi Li's Poetic Pianism

As the youngest ever winner of the Chopin International Competition, Yundi Li is naturally associated with the musician. He displayed a different musical streak last year through the new repertoire of Prokofiev and Ravel, demonstrating a flair for rhapsodic melodies and primitive rhythms.

Somewhat ironically, however, it was the 26-year-old's return to a program of Chopin that, though inspiring a pang of nostalgia, demonstrated his ever-evolving growth as a musician ― and suggested that it is perhaps prejudiced to label him as a Chopin specialist.

An enthusiastic audience, including his staunch female fans, greeted the charming pianist. But the hall instantly hushed for his sweeping, balletic renditions of Chopin's ``Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2'' and ``Mazurka Op. 33.''

But the Romanticist shined through with ``Five Yunnan Folk Songs,'' a collection of Chinese folk songs arranged for the piano. Li certainly has an uncanny ability to beautify music, including even some of the most irking pieces of music like Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2. His poeticism was manifest in the melodious folk songs, through which he allowed crystalline tunes to glide like an autumn leaf floating upon a dancing stream.

As if to make the Chopin pieces seem like minor spices to the musical feast, he gave a polished performance of Mussorgsky's ``Pictures at an Exhibition.'' Finally, in response to the prolonged ovations, he gave two encores of beautiful Chinese folk songs. Afterward, members of the audience hurriedly flocked outside to get his autograph.

``It is logical that I am associated with Chopin. But at the same time, he has nothing to do with me, because I can play a wide-ranging repertoire,'' he was quoted as once saying. Indeed, the recital showcased Li's versatility, and moreover, it suggested how unfair it is to mention his name, without fail, alongside Lang Lang just because they are the same age and nationality ― because his musicality seems to know no frontiers.

Sung, Gavrylyuk's Synergy Effect

Li's powerful rendition of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2, a piece rarely played in Korea, remains fresh in the minds of many after his CD and tour last year. The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra's ``New Wave'' Series I featured rising pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk with the same piece, though with his own color and dynamism.

The 24-year-old Ukrainian held the audience in rapt attention with his exquisite technique, tackling particularly the long solo part of the first movement with jazz, with a striking sense of ease and spontaneity.

Conductor Sung Si-yeon, on the other hand, offered a sound that was more organic, rounded and ``organized'' than expected of the robust piece. While the Seoul Philharmonic could have been more reverberating in the third movement, it was nevertheless not without the certain magnetism necessary to match the virtuosity of the soloist and create musical synergy.

Whole minutes disappeared as Gavrylyuk displayed his natural artistry and expansive breadth of emotion, and concertgoers did not ― or rather could not ― let out a single cough between movements. But once the final notes resounded, the concert hall rumbled with ovation, which continued well into the intermission time. For the enraptured audience, the soloist offered ``Flight of the Bumblebee'' as an encore, showcasing more of his ``flying fingers'' (it seems Lang Lang no longer has monopoly over that nickname).

Gavrylyuk launched his career through international events such as the Rubenstein. His fame has only just begun to catch up with his immense talents that deserve greater attention. But he doesn't seem to have to wait long, as he will soon making a recording and concert tour of Prokofiev's complete piano concertos with the Sydney Symphony led by Maestro Vladimir Ashkenezay. In 2012, he will debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Mihail Platnev.

Meanwhile, Sung shined with another Nordic repertoire. Last year, the assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra gave a colorful rendition of Sibelius's ``Lemminkainen's Homeward Journey.'' This time she took concertgoers on an invigorating ride into the Finnish composer's musical world with ``Pohjola's Daughter.''

Lastly, she wrapped up the evening with glimmering golden tones in Bartok's ``The Miraculous Mandarin.'' Her charismatic command of the dissonant harmonies showed why she won the Bamberg Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition.

The 34-year-old, chosen among the next generation of classical musicians by The Korea Times along with pianist Li, is a rising ``maestra'' to watch out for. Such young artists as Li, Sung and Gavrylyuk hush concerns over the diminishing interest in classical music.

Read my Next Generation Interview Series with Yundi Li or my recent
email interview with the pianist.
Read my Next Generation Interview Series with Sung Si-yeon.

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

Young Maestros Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Li Yundi to Take Center Stage

Conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin /Photo courtesy of CMI

This is the 14th in a series of interviews with the next generation of classical musicians ― ED

Youthful musicians are making their way to Korea. Thirty three-year-old conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin and Chinese ``superstar'' Li Yundi, 26, will perform in Seoul June 25.

``I am 33. Working with the best orchestras and going to all the great countries, including Korea, I mean, I am living my own dream,'' said Nezet-Seguin in an e-mail interview. He knew he wanted to become a conductor at age 10, and he is visiting Seoul as the new principal conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

``This is my first big tour. Rotterdam Philharmonic is an orchestra that is very, very special in the European landscape. (It possesses an) extraordinary energy and you don't find this always in other orchestras. It's important to show the world what we are able to do,'' he said.

The concert will be a rare treat for local concertgoers, as it features Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2. Li recently recorded a deeply affecting, lyrical rendition of the concerto with the Seiji Ozawa-led Berlin Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon).


Pianist Yundi Li/Photo courtesy of CMI

``(Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2) is different and special. Not so many people play it, unlike Prokofiev 3rd,'' said Li in an email. ``Yet, it is a wonderful work. The technique side especially is challenging and different, with two cadenzas in the first and last movements.''

Maestro Ozawa hailed the pianist for his technical brilliance and rare display of poeticism. Nezet-Seguin, a concert pianist himself, also gave his compliments. ``The concerto is known for its difficulty. Prokofiev composed this piece when his friend committed suicide. Yundi made it easy to listen to, exhibiting a great sense of energy throughout. He is able to sustain the energy and transmit it to the audience,'' he said, adding how he's happy to have a new friend as well.

``I performed with (Nezet-Seguin) in Canada and he surely is a special conductor,'' said Li. ``Both being young artists, I want to try some special project with him in the future.''

At 18, Li became the world's youngest and China's first winner of the 14th Frederick Chopin International Piano Competition. But that would be his last competition. ``Competition is a challenge for a young artist to start as a musician. After (Chopin) I was able to start my professional career, such as recording,'' he said. Li went on to make critically acclaimed Chopin and Liszt albums (Decca and Deutsche Grammophon). He has a solid fan base here and gave two Romantic concerts. The Prokofiev signals a new repertoire.

Also included in the program is Ravel's ``La Valse.'' The French music reflects a new direction for the Rotterdam Philharmonic under Nezet-Seguin, a French-Canadian. Called a ``young Simon Rattle'' (the maestro also conducted the Rotterdam Philharmonic in his youth), he succeeds Valery Gergiev.

About succeeding ``the master and genius Gergiev,'' he said, ``I am now responsible but I try to keep the great tradition of this fantastic orchestra. But I will also try to broaden the repertoire.'' >>More