Yundi Li

Yundi Li

Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2; Ravel Piano Concerto

(Deutsche Grammophon)

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For a 25-year-old, Yundi Li demonstrates astonishing maturity on these recordings, said David Perkins in the Raleigh, N.C., News & Observer. The Chinese pianist made his mark at 18, when he became the youngest ever to win the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition. Trained on Chopin and Liszt, like most young virtuosos, Li went looking for a new challenge and found one in these two 20th-century concertos. Both demand virtuosity, which Li exhibits in spades, but the pianist also proves he has “developed the instincts and the technique” needed to master these pointed works’ more lyrical qualities. Li approaches this “high-wire, high-contrast pairing” without a trace of hesitancy, said Steven Winn in the San Francisco Chronicle. He “strides into the storm” of Prokofiev’s immense and technically daunting Piano Concerto No. 2 “with the air of someone willing to risk everything.” From the first movement, Li handles the work with authority, said Bryce Morrison in Gramophone. He’s perfectly matched by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa in a fearless performance that “far surpasses” any other I’ve heard. Li then tackles Ravel’s enchanting concerto with the same “power and brilliance,” effortlessly gliding along until ending with “dazzling and engaging joie de vivre.”