Energy good but more structure needed in Li's Beethoven interpretations
A stern, unsmiling Li Yundi on the cover of his first album since returning to classical music giant Deutsche Grammophon sets the tone of his debut Beethoven recordings.
Li Yundi
DG
A stern, unsmiling Li Yundi on the cover of his first album since returning to classical music giant Deutsche Grammophon sets the tone of his debut Beethoven recordings.
The 2000 Chopin competition winner, who is opening the new season of the Hong Kong Philharmonic this week, expresses restlessness in his reading of Beethoven's most celebrated piano sonatas. He hits the opening chord of Pathetique, for example, like a thunderbolt, which conveys more anger than pathos. The ensuing allegro, among the fastest ever recorded, features a fierce attack that is exciting. The famous cantabile sings like a Chopin nocturne, a brief respite before the tempestuous finale.