Live in Beijing
CD:
Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante in E flat, op.22 [13:54]
Piano Sonata no.2 in B flat minor, op.35 [23:09]
4 Mazurkas, op.33 [9:38]
2 Nocturnes op.9 [9:05]
Nocturne op.15 no.2 [3:10]
Polonaise A flat, op.53 [6:22]
Etude in C minor, op.10 no.12 [2:31]
Traditional
Cai Yun Zhui Yue ('Colourful Clouds Chasing the Rainbow') [3:05]
DVD:
As above, plus:-
Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Nocturne in D flat, op.27 no.2
Nocturne in C minor, op.48 no.1
Yundi (Li) (piano)
rec. National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing, 15 May 2010. DDD
EMI CLASSICS 6316392 [70:58] (CD) + [75.00] (DVD)]
Numerous previous recordings by Yundi, formerly known as Yundi Li and more
properly as Li Yundi, have been reviewed on this site since he first came
to prominence a decade ago. These were usually greeted with enthusiasm - as
here
or, after a memorable opening salvo, here.
By his own admission, Yundi's speciality is Chopin: this is in fact his fourth
all-Chopin disc, the first two released on his first label, Deutsche Grammophon.
Both DG and EMI, who signed Yundi last year, have the means and the inclination
to hype their artists to the sky, but the usual hagiography has been mercifully
toned down for this release at least. That said, the front cover does not
even mention Chopin, the biography in the booklet is restrained, and the notes
are much more focused on the composer, at least as seen through Yundi's mind.
The CD opens with Chopin's two-for-one, theAndante Spianato and Grande
Polonaise Brillante which Yundi must already have performed more than
any other Chopin specialist - indeed he describes it as "my signature piece".
Yundi played it on his debut 'Chopin Recital' CD for DG in 2001. It is not
one of Chopin's greatest works, but the Polonaise certainly lives up
to its name, and Yundi plays here with far more confidence and feeling than
back then.
Elsewhere, Yundi gives particularly eloquent, expressive accounts of the B
minor Mazurka, the Nocturne in F sharp, and in the simple but profound
Nocturne in E flat there is every sign of an artist coming into maturity.
All the works in this programme have been recorded dozens if not hundreds
of times before, and Yundi has an awful lot of competition, but he is beginning
to develop a style of his own that is sufficiently powerful and different
to be desirable without necessarily needing to be better.
A case in point is Yundi's rendition of the magnificentPiano Sonata in
B flat minor, or Chopin's "four unruly children", in Schumann's famous
words. The controlled sheer speed of the first and fourth movements seems
to coax new sonorities out of Chopin's music. This is not a poetic account
by any stretch, the almost thundering March funèbre least of all. It
does however offer a strangely alluring muscle-vest alternative.
Yundi rounds off his recital with a barnstorming Etude in C minor, op.10
no.12 played at a 'Revolutionary' speed - the 2'31 on the track listing
includes 25 seconds of applause!
Given that this is a live recording, the sound quality is excellent - the
National Centre for the Performing Arts has a fine acoustic. Audiences in
China cough and rustle and occasionally burst into applause before the music
has finished much as elsewhere, but all within reason.
Very generously, the CD includes a DVD of the same concert, with an extra
two Nocturnes thrown in. Surprisingly perhaps, the order of items on
the DVD is different - presumably the true version. The order is: the 5 Nocturnes,
followed by the Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise, followed by
the four Mazurkas, the Sonata, the Polonaise and finally
the two encores. The DVD production is pleasantly low-key, with good sound
and no jaunty or arty camera angles, although the lighting on Yundi is harsh.
There are no subtitles either, so anyone unfamiliar with the music must use
the chapter headings to identify individual pieces.
Byzantion
Collected reviews and contact at reviews.gramma.co.uk
Eloquent and expressive playing.