Frederic Chopin(1810-1849)
   Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op.66

Yundi Li
Deutsche Grammophon 471479
Recorded Teldec-Studio, Berlin, September 2001
TT 67:00

Program:
Piano Sonata No.3 in B minor, Op.58[26:59]
Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise, Op.22[14:31]
Etude in A minor, Op.10/2[1:25]
Etude in G flat major, Op.10/5[1:40]
Etude in A minor, Op.25/11[3:40]
Nocturne in B flat minor, Op.9/1[5:46]
Nocturne in E flat major, Op.9/2[4:23]
Nocturne in F sharp major, Op.15/2[3:33]
Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op.66[4:58]

Yundi Li, born in China in 1982 and the winner of the Warsaw Chopin
Competition in 2000, is the latest and greatest young pianist getting
the full star treatment from a major record company.  The disc's cover
and booklet offer twelve color photographs of this young man, each one
of them giving the impression that he is one cool dude.  There's even a
photo of him playing the piano and wearing what looks like a black and
white sleeveless tee-shirt; the arrogant smirk on his face reeks of phony
emotions.

The liner notes are hardly less ostentatious, providing the notion that
Yundi Li is the 'one and only' young artist who needs no additional
maturity to fully convey the emotional core of complex composers.  Of
course, the hawking of a young artist is nothing new to the world of
classical music, but I'm always put-off by these blatant attempts to
control consumer decisions.

Does Yundi Li merit all this glitz?  Is he 'legend' material?  Well,
there are many attractive aspects of his performance of Chopin's
Fantaisie-Impromptu.  He imparts a great deal of power, drive, and tension
to the first section, often giving us a panoramic array of colors.  His
second section is also highly rewarding as he fully captures the music's
sublime poetry and beauty.  As for technical virtuosity, Yundi Li has
all the tools and knows how to use them.

Yet, I feel there is something missing from the performance.
Architectural sweep and coherence is not strongly on display, as Li's
interpretation sounds like a series of episodes strung together loosely.
Also, his second section, although lovely, possesses little command,
tension, or the diversity which is needed to make it memorable and
consistently interesting.

I end up feeling that Yundi Li might well become a legend of the keyboard,
but he has some distance to go.  My opinion is that he needs to have a
better grasp on Chopin's psychology instead of giving us a relatively
generic view of the composer.  Life experiences do count for something,
and the young age of Yundi Li is a hindrance just as it has been one for
pianists such as Evgeny Kissin and Freddy Kempf.  Let's wait a few years
and see if Li gains the insights that can be derived from additional
maturity.

Don's Conclusions: Yundi Li's performance of Chopin's Opus 66 is a fine
one, and I can easily hear why he is touted so much by Deutsche Grammophon;
the elasticity of his playing and rhythms is especially rewarding.
However, the interpretation does suffer a little from lack of maturity
and can't match the best on record.  Recorded sound is superb, and I
suggest that all Chopin fans investigate Yundi Li; he definitely is an
artist who merits watching.  If I remember correctly, he also has a Liszt
recital disc which should soon be available on the U.S. market.

Concerning future reviews, I'll be diving into the Rachmaninov Piano
Concertos once I'm finished with Schumann's Kreisleriana.  After
Rachmaninov, Chopin's 3rd Piano Sonata will likely be the focus of my
attention.

Don Satz
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