Yundi Li at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
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| Yundi Li |
Hailed by critics for his precise technique and inspiring enthusiasm, Li is the youngest person ever to have won the prestigious International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in October 2000 at the age of 18. A Chopin devotee, Li describes the composer as his "first great love." "While the others were playing football or fighting, I worked on Chopin," Li said.
In Recital format, Li will perform Chopin's Mazurka Opus.33 - No.1, Mazurka in G-sharp minor, No.2 Mazurka in D major, No.3 Mazurka in C major, and No.4 Mazurka in B minor; Liszt's Ballade No. 2 in B minor, S. 171; Berg's Sonata Opus 1; Ravel's Jeux d'eau; Ginastera's Danza Argentina; and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.
Li's passion and affinity for music were apparent at a young age. At age four, he was so enthralled by a man playing an accordion in a shopping mall that he refused to leave the mall until his parents bought him an accordion of his own. He switched to piano at age seven and has been a dedicated musician ever since.
In 1995 at just 13, Li won the Stravinsky Competition in the United States. He has since won awards in the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, the Franz Liszt Piano Competition and the Second China International Piano Competition. He has stopped competing to concentrate on recording and performances.
Li's first recording, an all-Chopin recital album, was released in early 2002. He has since released the 2003 album Listz and various live recordings, both CDs and DVDs. Li's American debut took place in June 2003 at Carnegie Hall as part of Steinway and Sons' 150th Anniversary Gala. His U.S. concerto debut took place a month later, when he performed Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1.
Currently, Li performs and records works by Chopin and Liszt almost exclusively. In August 2003, his recording of Liszt for Deutsche Grammophon was named "Best CD of the Year" by the New York Times. His third recording of Chopin's four Scherzi and three Impromptus, was released in late 2004. In November 2006, Li emigrated to Hong Kong where he continues to perform and record under the Deutsche Grammophon label.
Of Yundi Li, Reinhard Schultz wrote: "He does not make things easy for himself: he never cheats in order to get round difficult passages, never smudges them by using the pedal. Every detail is explored to the full, every nuance examined, every phrase immaculately balanced."
Tickets for Yundi Li are $35 and $32, and may be purchased through the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall Box Office by calling (518) 273-0038 or online at www.troymusichall.org. The Music Hall Box Office opens 90 minutes prior to the performance. Otherwise, Box Office operations are handled at its business office at 30 Second Street, Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall's full season schedule can be viewed at www.troymusichall.org
