Yundi
Yundi Li, also known simply as Yundi, is a Chinese classical concert pianist. Yundi is considered one of the greatest contemporary interpreters of Chopin and is also especially known for his interpretations of Liszt and Prokofiev.
Yundi rose to fame for being the youngest pianist, at the age of eighteen, to win first prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2000. In 2015, he also served as the competition's youngest-ever juror. In recognition to his contribution to Chopin pieces, the Polish government awarded Yundi with the world's first Chopin passport. Yundi is also the first Chinese recipient of both Silver and Gold Medal for Merit to Culture - Gloria Artis issued by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Polish government, in regards to his contribution to both music and Polish culture.
Yundi has promoted Chinese national music worldwide, as well as the development of classical music in China, both by his influence and philanthropy.
Early life and education
Yundi Li was born in Chongqing, Sichuan, China on 7 October 1982. Both his father, Li Chuan, and his mother, Zhang Xiaolu, worked for the Chongqing Iron and Steel Company. Although his family was not musically inclined, he began a formal music education at a very young age. At age three, he was so enchanted by an accordion performance at a shopping mall that he refused to leave. His parents subsequently bought him an accordion; he studied with Tan Jianmin, a local music teacher, he learned the instrument so quickly that he won the top prize at the Chongqing Children's Accordion Competition in March 1987.Yundi began studying piano with Wu Yong at the age of seven. Two years later, Wu introduced him to Dan Zhaoyi, a well-known piano teacher, with whom he studied for nine years. In 1994, Yundi enrolled at the to join Dan, who had recently taken up a position there, with whom he studied for the next six years. Yundi attracted interest from renowned schools of music, including the Eastman School of Music and Juilliard School, and was invited to study at the latter by Jerome Lowenthal. From 2001 to 2006, he studied under Arie Vardi at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover in Hannover, Germany.
Career
Signing with Deutsche Grammophon
Yundi has gained international recognition since winning the XIV International Chopin Piano Competition in 2000, as he became the first competitor to be awarded the First Prize in 15 years since Stanislav Bunin won it in 1985, as well as the youngest and first Chinese first-prize winner. Since then, he has collaborated with leading orchestras worldwide, including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and Philharmonia Orchestra.In 2001, Yundi became the first Chinese pianist signed by Deutsche Grammophon for which he exclusively recorded until 2008. His first album for the label was Yundi Li: Chopin. It was first released in Japan and warmly welcomed. In its review, Gramophone magazine wrote, "his unequivocal triumph is faithfully mirrored on his DG début album in performance after performance. Everything is naturally and enviably proportioned ‚ everything fuelled alike by a style and poise way beyond his teenage years".
Yundi made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2003, performing in a concert celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Steinway & Sons. Bernard Holland of The New York Times wrote: "Yundi Li, a young but seasoned competition gladiator, played Chopin and Liszt with a promising mix of elegance and impetuosity." His United States orchestral debut took place the next month, when he played Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He was also honored at a special reception at the home of the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, where he performed for various officials of the US State Department.
Deutsche Grammophon released Yundi's second recording, of Liszt, in August 2003, which was named among the "Best Classical CD's of the Year" by The New York Times. This album also won the German Echo Klassik Solo Recording of the Year Solistische Einspielung des Jahres, the Chinese Gold Record Award, and nominated Edison Award's Instrumental Soloist. Harris Goldsmith of Musical America wrote that it "includes perhaps the finest account of the B-minor Sonata I have ever heard— is, if anything, light years ahead in patrician elegance: exquisite artistry from one of the greatest talents to surface in years—nay, decades." His third recording, Chopin: Scherzi/Impromptus, comprising Chopin's four scherzi and three impromptus, was released in 2004. Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times praised it for Yundi's "white-hot virtuosity" and "uncanny clarity". Also in 2004, Yundi gave a recital at the Musikverein, Vienna, of works by Mozart, Scarlatti, Schumann, and Liszt.
In April 2004, Yundi completed his North American debut recital tour, which included sold-out performances in Boston, Vancouver, San Francisco, and New York. He made his New York recital debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 24 April, performing Chopin scherzos and the Liszt sonata, among other pieces. Reviewing this recital, Allan Kozinn of the New York Times wrote: "Mr. Li deals in a more poetic, deeply considered pianism, delivered without extraneous gestures and body language. One thing Mr. Li showed was that thoughtful interpretation can be every bit as virtuosic and exciting as the showier variety." In May, Yundi gave concerts at the National Museum in Warsaw, representing cultural exchange between China and Poland.
In 2005, Yundi became the first Chinese pianist to appear on the cover of Wall Street Journal and Aera magazine. He obtained Hong Kong residency in 2006 and was among the first group of successful applicants under the recently announced Quality Migrant Admission Scheme.
In 2007, Yundi became the first Chinese pianist to record live with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Seiji Ozawa. Deutsche Grammophon released Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major, which garnered positive reviews; it was named Editor's Choice by Gramophone, and praised by The New York Times as one of the best classical CDs of the year. Bryce Morrison of Gramophone wrote: "his performance of the Prokofiev, in its prodigious, unflagging power and brilliance, far surpasses any other in the catalogue".
Yundi is the subject of the 2008 documentary The Young Romantic: A Portrait of Yundi, directed by Barbara Willis Sweete. This documentary "captures the poetic intensity of this young virtuoso as he works with the great Maestro Seiji Ozawa to prepare for his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra". In 2008, he became the first Chinese pianist to have a wax sculpture at Madame Tussauds. Also in 2008, he appeared as a Pennington Great Performers series artist with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra.
Signing with EMI Classics
In 2010, Yundi signed an exclusive recording contract with EMI Classics with plans to record Chopin's complete solo piano works.Also in 2010, the Fryderyk Chopin Institute invited Yundi to perform at The Memory Recital of Chopin's Birth 200th Anniversary Concert, in celebration of Chopin's 200th birthday at Chopin Year.
Yundi performed a solo recital at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 16 March 2010. He played a repertoire of Chopin pieces in a sold-out concert.
Signing with Deutsche Grammophon again
In May 2012, Yundi officially signed with Universal Music Group and collaborated with Deutsche Grammophon once again. Deutsche Grammophon released his recording of Beethoven sonatas in 2012. This recording was chosen as one of Classic FM's "Album of the Year 2013" and attained Platinum status in China. Yundi then released recordings of the Schumann Fantasie, The Art of Yundi, and Chopin preludes, ballades, berceuse, and mazurkas.Yundi launched his "Piano Dream" national tour in Chongqing on 19 August 2013, and brought his music to 30 cities in the next 80 days. Most of those cities were second or third-tier. In response to questions from the media and the public, Yundi said it was not demeaning for him to perform in second and third-tier cities and he didn't mind the less ideal conditions of some concert halls; he simply wanted to provide more people with an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of classical music.
On 1 March 2014, Yundi performed a piano recital at the Poland's National Philharmonic, celebrating the 204th anniversary of Chopin's birth. Anna Komorowska, then First Lady of Poland, attended the concert.
In July 2015 and as featured guest soloist, Yundi embarked on a nine-concert tour with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States led by conductor Charles Dutoit. Comprising mainly the orchestra's debut performances in Asia, the tour started at Purchase College's Performing Arts Center and ended in Hong Kong. Carnegie Hall was the second stop. The other six concerts were given in mainland China.
On 30 October of the same year, while performing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Korea, Yundi suffered a memory lapse. He subsequently performed the piece smoothly again with conductor David Robertson and the orchestra. Yundi apologised for his mistake on his weibo, saying it was because of travel fatigue. Critics wrote, "The famed Chinese pianist's slip up steals the show, but his Chopin is still stellar", "that's the nature of live music, and perfection is boring", and "it gave me even greater admiration, on many levels, for everyone involved In the temple to the arts, I was witnessing a moment of pure civility, decency and camaraderie, and was given a reminder that the gods are, in fact, human, and all the more heroic for that."
In 2016, Yundi went on a Chopin world tour, including Germany, Russia, and the United States. In March, he performed an all-Chopin program in Carnegie Hall, with an encore of Ren Guang's Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon. Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim of the New York Times wrote, "he showed off a graduated array of colors and moods, including moments of understated simplicity and tenderness light-years removed from his high-decibel image". On 21 April, he performed at the National Concert Hall of Dublin.
In May 2017, Yundi attended the opening ceremony of the Yundi Art Museum, in the Chongqing Huangjueping Piano Museum. It displays several pianos from different stages of Yundi's career, including his first piano, as well as a collection of his awards, albums and photographs, and a high-tech experience pavilion.
From 29 August to 5 September 2017, Yundi led the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra on a five-city concert tour in China, performing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 and No. 2 as both pianist and conductor. It was his conducting debut. This tour was the first of a series of events commemorating the 100th anniversary of Poland's regained independence.
In November 2017, Yundi went on tour playing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 with Staatskapelle Dresden in Germany and China. On 3 November, he gave a live concert at Beijing National Aquatics Center celebrating the 2017 League of Legends World Championship.
In 2018, Yundi had a successful debut in Australia and New Zealand. In a series of sold-out concerts, Yundi performed with local orchestras Chopin's Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 as both soloist and conductor.