Piano Recital Yundi Li
Mozart: The Sonata Project – Salzburg
Stadtcasino, Basel, 2024-05-14
2024-06-01 — Original posting
2024-06-02 — Corrected the information about the artist’s education (kudos to Lisa Xie for pointing out the error!).
YUNDI päsentierte seine Mozart-CD im Rahmen einer Europa-Tournee — Zusammenfassung
Der Klavierabend im Stadtcasino Basel war eines von 20 Konzerten einer Tournee durch Deutschland, Frankreich, Österreich und die Schweiz. Die Konzerte folgten in Umfang und Reihenfolge dem Inhalt der CD. Den Anfang machte die bekannte Klaviersonate Nr.11 in A-dur, KV 331, die nach ihrem letzten Satz “Alla Turca” benannt ist. Es folgte die Sonate Nr.8 in a-moll, KV 310 (300d). Nach der Pause spielte Yundi die Fantasia in c-moll, KV 475, an die sich fast nahtlos die dramatische Sonate Nr.14 in c-moll, KV 457 anschloss. Selbst in der Zugabe waren die Konzerte der Tournee identisch: von Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849) das Nocturne Nr.2 in Es-dur, op.9/2 (CT 109).
Table of Contents
- Piano Recital Yundi Li Mozart: The Sonata Project – Salzburg
- Introduction
- Setting, Audience
- Concert & Review
Introduction
| Venue, Date & Time | Stadtcasino Basel, 2024-05-14 20:00h |
| Series / Title | Yundi Plays Mozart: The Sonata Project — Salzburg |
| Organizer | Guang Hua Media (Germany) GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany |
| Reviews with connections to this event | Media Review featuring Yundi Li Mozart’s Piano Sonata K.331, “Alla turca” in concert Piano Sonata K.310 (300d) in concert Fantasia in C minor, K.475 in concert Piano Sonata K.457 in concert Concerts in the Stadtcasino Basel |
The Artist
Chinese pianist Yundi Li (now commonly known as Yundi or YUNDI) was born in 1982 in Chongqing, Sichuan, China. Neither of his parents had a musical background—they both worked for the Chongqing Iron and Steel Company. Yundi’s first instrument was actually the accordion, with which he won the Chongiqing Children’s Accordion Competition at the age of five, in March 1987. At the age of 7, he began to study the piano. Two years later he began studying with Zhaoyi Dan (*1940), who remained his main teacher for the next 9 years, most of them at the Shenzhen Arts School (the province bordering Hong Kong).
Yundi’s artistic breakthrough came with his surprise win at the 2000 International Chopin Piano Competition, the penultimate competition organized by the Frédéric Chopin Society (Towarzystwo im. Fryderyka Chopina). At the age of 18, he was not only the youngest winner, but he also was the first one to win the top prize after the competitions 1990 and 1995 did not produce a first prize winner at all.
Career
Yundi’s piano education continued after that huge success. According to Wikipedia, Yundi received invitations to study a renowned schools such as the Eastman School of Music. Also Jerome Lowenthal (*1932) invitated him to study with at New York’s Juilliard School—which he apparently did not accept. Yundi did, however, study with Arie Vardi (*1937) at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover in Hannover, Germany between 2001 and 2006.
The Wikipedia article on Yundi Li includes full detail on Yundi’s career moves as soloist, his career as recording artist, as well as about his private and philanthropic activities—I don’t want to reproduce that here. My first “encounters” with the artist happened 10 years ago, through a discussion (comparison ) of various (6) recordings of the Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor, op.16 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891 – 1953). I followed up with a more in-depth comparison of two of the recordings from that comparison (the ones that were judged “best” and “worst”).
According to Wikipedia, Yundi’s discography so far comprises 16 studio albums: the Prokofiev recording mentioned above also includes the concerto in G major concerto by Maurice Ravel (1865 – 1937). Yundi also signed a contract to record the complete works for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849). He also recorded works by Beethoven, as well as Chopin’s two piano concertos (conducting the orchestra from the piano). Yundi obtained Hong Kong residency in 2006.
Mozart: The Sonata Project 1 — Salzburg
Up till 2019, Yundi Li’s repertoire covered works by composers such as Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Ravel, and Prokofiev. He also engaged in charitable activities in China and Tibet. The 2020 pandemic, as well as a temporary arrest following (presumably false and politically motivated) allegations momentarily disrupted Yundi’s career.
Now, in 2023, he launched a comeback focusing on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791). This comeback involves a recording labeled “The Sonata Project ● Salzburg” with Warner Classics, featuring three sonatas and the Fantasia K.457. That CD (see below) was released just recently (2024-04-05). After a first comeback tour in Australia 2023, Yundi is now engaging in a CD presentation tour throughout Western Europe, featuring the exact repertoire on the CD. The tour spans dates between 2024-03-22 and 2024-05-23. It involves 20 recitals, mostly in Germany, with additional concerts in Austria, France, and Switzerland:
- Germany: Freiburg im Breisgau, Heilbronn, Reutlingen, Sigmaringen, Göttingen, Hanau, Würzburg, Bad Neustadt, Frankfurt am Main, Bamberg, Munich, Berlin, Offenbach, Düsseldorf, Essen, Cologne, Bremen
- Austria: Vienna
- France: Paris
- Switzerland: Basel (this review)
Program
Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) only, with the exception of the encore:
- Mozart: Piano Sonata No.11 in A major, K.331, “Alla turca”
- Mozart: Piano Sonata No.8 in A minor, K.310 (300d)
(intermission) - Mozart: Fantasia in C minor for Piano, K.475
- Mozart: Piano Sonata No.14 in C minor, K.457
- Encore: Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849): Nocturne No.2 in E♭ major, op.9/2: Andante, CT 109
Setting, Audience
My ticket was for seat 18 (on the right, near the center) in row 8 in the stalls. This turned out to be the actual row #4, as the front rows had been removed in favor of a larger stage area. Of course, the extra space on the podium was of course not needed for this piano recital—there was plenty of room for the lone Steinway D-274 concert grand. Most likely, the podium was enlarged for orchestra concerts before or after this recital. The event was not sold out, so the larger podium prevented the hall from appearing “half full”. The balconies were not open for this event.
An Unusual Event
To me, Yundi’s recital was special in several ways. After the one media review mentioned above, I had paid little attention to this artist. I was focusing on concert reviews, and his appearances in Switzerland were very rare, even before the pandemic. And my few media reviews did not lead to another encounter with Yundi’s recordings. With this, the invitation to this recital came as a surprise. As far as I can tell, over the past years, Yundi focused his activities in Mainland China. And he appears to have built up a substantial community of followers among Chinese communities all over the world. Indeed, the invitation to this recital came from a member of a Yundi fan club member in Washington D.C.
Consequently, Yundi’s Mozart tour was organized by a Chinese entity, Guang Hua Media, without involving the help of a European PR agency, except for the involvement of Eventim.de (and some help from Yundi’s recording label, Warner Classics). There were poster campaigns, but very few, if any, regular ads in the usual spaces for concert advertisements. I suspect that the promotion of the concert was done primarily through social media channels in which the Chinese community participates. Ticket prices were substantial (Eventim.de sold tickets as “fan tickets”—presumably at exclusive prices). Overall, it clearly was a fan event, overall, with CD promotional posters to take home—but no CD sales, let alone CD signings by the artist, strangely.
A “Chinese Concert”?
Given the above, it was not surprising that Yundi’s recital was not sold out, and that there was a very limited regular, local audience. Rather, the vast majority of attendees were Chinese, either living in the area (Switzerland or southern Germany) or even tour followers (my neighbor mentioned that she also attended the Vienna recital).
It wasn’t just the physiognomy that indicated the presence of a non-standard audience, but also the dress code. The (limited) local audience was mostly dressed casually—probably even more casually than at a regular concert with, say, one of the local orchestras, such as the Sinfonieorchester Basel or the Kammerorchester Basel. Concerts with the Basel Sinfonietta are always informal. Here, however, the “Chinese fraction” of the audience was definitely dressed up, from slightly more upscale to quite festive (though no gala dresses). There are two possible explanations for this: classical music concerts in China may follow a standard with a higher dress code. Just as likely, it shows how much the fans adore “their” artist. With that in mind, it wasn’t surprising that Yundi wore a formal suit.
The other aspect that made this concert different from the usual local ones is that the audience tended to applaud after each movement. This may be common in China. Here it was a bit irritating for the locals. During the concert, when Yundi wanted to play movements (quasi) attacca, he simply ignored the applause. This may make sense to the performer, but to the listener the applause obscured any harmony or musical logic in these transitions.
Concert & Review
Piano Sonata No.11 in A major, K.331, “Alla turca”
Mozart’s Piano Sonata No.11 in A major, K.331 (300i), “Alla Turca”, needs no introduction. It is the most famous piano sonata by this composer, probably written around 1783, either in Salzburg or Vienna. It contains a set of variations as the first movement and the famous “Alla turca” as the last movement:
- Andante grazioso(6/8) —Var. I-IV — Var. V: Adagio — Var. VI: Allegro (4/4)
- Menuetto (3/4) — Trio (3/4) — Menuetto da capo
- Alla turca: Allegretto (2/4)
The last movement is an expression of the popularity of Turkish themes in Austria, ever since Prince Eugene of Savoy defeated the Turks in the Austro-Turkish War 1716 – 1718.
The Performance
I. Andante grazioso —
The performance began with a slight oddity. In the first punctuated figure (c♯”-d”-c♯”) of the main theme, the second c♯” (third quaver) was strangely short (in rhythm, not articulation), almost like a semiquaver. This made the motif seem rushed and a bit superficial. And this wasn’t just an “opening mishap”. The identical figure in bar 5 and later in bar 13 (as well as in the repeats) had the same “feature”. In all cases (and in both iterations), the responding motif in the following bar (b’-c♯”-b’ in bars 2, 6, and 14) did not have this rhythmic distortion. Strange: I can’t think of a good reason to start this way (an attempt to attract attention?). If it had been done only in the repeats, it would seem much less problematic. But let’s not get bogged down in details!
The overall impression of this interpretation was one of gentle dynamics (merely hinting at the sf accents and the f in bars 17/18), smooth, near-legato articulation. While playing, Yundi mostly didn’t seem to notice the presence of an audience. He usually kept his eyes closed or half-closed and avoided facial expressions. Only very rarely would he cast a diffuse glance into the audience, occasionally looking vaguely up at the ceiling. He often moved his lips, as if making silent comments or talking to the instrument. Here are some brief notes on the variations, derived from my scribbling during the performance:
— Var. I-IV —
The first variation was fluid, still gentle and subtle. However, while Yundi used very little agogics, his dynamics were differentiated and much more pronounced than in the theme. I was pleased to see that the artist followed all the repetition markings. The repeats were essentially carbon copies of the first run. If there were additional ornaments, they went unnoticed by the listener. This continued in Variation 2: fluid (keeping the tempo), the dynamics a little more pronounced even, especially the f in the last bars.
For the third variation (A minor), Yundi reduced the tempo. Here, he used very subtle agogics—across phrases rather than within motifs or bars. The right-hand octaves were clear, bright, and luminous. The tempo continued in Variation 4. Here, the key is back to A major, but the artist evoked a subtly melancholic atmosphere. Again, the differentiation was mostly in dynamics rather than agogics, with the exception of the distinct ritenuto / fermata in bar 13.
— Var. V: Adagio — Var. VI: Allegro
The pace in Variation 5 (Adagio) seemed unrelated to the preceding variation. It was a good, natural tempo, but Yundi now used pronounced agogics, to the point where the tempo even felt somewhat unstable, undecided, floating. I liked the subtlety of the ascending two-note descant motifs in bars 12 and 13.
Up to that point, I wondered if the artist was trying to imitate the sonority of a fortepiano by often using soft, delicate dynamics. The last variation, however, was the most “outgoing” one and contradicted this impression: the left-hand arpeggio chords felt almost coarse.
II. Menuetto — Trio — Menuetto da capo
In spirit and character, the Menuetto remained close to the first movement: gentle, cautious dynamics—tamed, never provocative. The Trio was distinctly slower, more restrained in the tempo. Among the soft dynamics, the octaves in the descant (the upper note with the left hand) beautifully bright, luminous. The main contrast here was in the triple-octaves (f) in bars 19 – 23.
III. Alla turca: Allegretto
The famous Alla turca! Ideally, I think this movement should evoke the image of a military marching band with drums, chinelles, and cymbals. Yundi offered strong accents with the arpeggiated left-hand chords and acciaccaturas in the right hand, to the point where the p episode (bars 33ff., a little too fluid?) seemed almost superficial. Within Mozart’s piano music, isn’t this the movement / opportunity for a certain degree of caricature, if not exaggeration (to compensate for the lack of color compared to period instruments)? Yes, there was life and joy, but also often an excess of weight / focus on the descant.
Rating: ★★★½
Overall, a modern, non-provocative interpretation. Careful in touch and dynamics, smooth, gentle. One could say that this is not surprising on a modern concert grand. Today, however, historically informed performances are (almost) ubiquitous. Sure, the modern instrument (on which Yundi was trained) lacks the ability to produce the richness in colors and sonorities of a period instrument. Nevertheless, even on today’s instruments one could at least “inherit” the lightess in articulation, the richness in articulation and agogics.
Piano Sonata No.8 in A minor, K.310 (300d)
Mozart’s Sonata No.8 in A minor, K.310 / 300d is from 1778, again with three movements. This is one of only two piano sonatas by this composer in a minor tonality, more serious, earnest than all others: Mozart’s mother had just died when she accompanied him on a trip to Paris. In addition, different from K.570, Mozart wrote this sonata for his own concerts. this explains why it is (albeit an earlier one than K.570) much more demanding, technically and musically. The movements:
- Allegro maestoso
- Andante cantabile con espressione
- Presto
The Performance
Between the movements of K.331, Yundi resumed playing right into the emerging applause. Similarly, he cut off the applause after K.331 by continuing with K.310 after only a few seconds. Is that how concerts work in China? Here it evoked a stale feeling of disrespect for the audience, of working through a concert mechanically?
I. Allegro maestoso
The A major Sonata, K.331, can be described as elated, joyful. The A minor Sonata, K.310, on the other hand, is usually considered to be (much) more dramatic, earnest. In Yundi’s concert performance, however, it seemed to retain the carefree, if not casual, tone of K.331. Allegro perhaps, but certainly not maestoso. Not only that, but there were some superficialities, and the artist did not repeat the exposition. Perhaps he was irritated by the mishap in bar 12, where the right hand clearly deviated from the text? Only in the (unusually long) development section and in the last bars did the tone become more dramatic. Too smooth, all in all.
★★★½
II. Andante cantabile con espressione
Subtle, gentle, differentiated in agogics, diligent and careful in dynamics. The repeat mark for the exposition was observed. The development section became dramatic around bar 43. Only in bar 53, with the transition to the recapitulation section, did it return to the initial gentle tone. All in all, a considerate, expressive, often intimate, gentle interpretation, and the high point so far.
★★★★½
III. Presto
Despite the emerging applause, the final movement followed quasi attacca. The tempo was rather fast, and there were again superficialities. But the dynamics were more aggressive, with more emphasis and drama—Steinway style, of course. Only for the central A major intermezzo (with both repeats) did Yundi return to the gentle, intimate tone that dominated the second movement.
★★★½
Overall Rating: ★★★★
Fantasia in C minor for Piano, K.475
Mozart composed his Fantasia for Piano in C minor, K.475 in 1785. He published it together with the piano sonata No.14 in C minor, K.457, that he had composed the year before. The joint publishing may just have served to avoid publishing a single sonata on its own, which at that time was rather unusual. The Fantasia features five segments, all played attacca:
- Adagio
- Allegro
- Andantino
- Più Allegro
- Tempo I
The Performance
Adagio — Allegro —
The first bars were restrained, even cautious, hesitant, avoiding overdramatization. I noticed a tendency to use too much sustain pedal to achieve legato. Also: Adagio literally means “calm”. Here, however, I noticed several moments of restlessness in the introduction (e.g., in the p bass motifs). The dynamic contrasts were very moderate: the f semiquaver accents in bar 19 were not noticeable at all. In the second part of the Adagio, Yundi observed both repeat markings, and he kept this part very lyrical, gently flowing (trying to adopt fortepiano sonority?), except for the last bars.
These form a transition to the Allegro, which erupted in drama and contrast. The middle section (p, legato) was a gentle intermezzo. The quaver triplets launched another build-up, culminating in a dramatic, virtuosic cadenza, now definitely exploiting the full sonority of the Steinway grand. This ended with a short ritardando and a delicate ppp fermata: lovely!
— Andantino —
Together with the dramatic Più Allegro, the central Andantino forms a kind of development section. My main quibble here is that the demisemiquavers in the punctuated motifs of the Andantino sounded somewhat superficial. I don’t blame this on the artist, though, but rather on the fact that the heavier action of a modern concert grand doesn’t allow for the clarity, the agility of the action in a period fortepiano. Also, the middle section where both hands move into the bass sounded rather dark and heavy. On the other hand, this added extra contrast to the pleasant character of the surrounding Andantino parts.
— Più Allegro — Tempo I
In the Più Allegro, the dramatic demisemiquaver climax again exploited the full sonority of the concert grand, far from what the composer might have had in mind. The second part of this section felt very much like a recitative (recitativo accompagnato), almost like music for the stage. This leads to the final section, which is an abbreviated version of the beginning of the Fantasia (closing the circle), followed by a short coda and a surprisingly short ending.
Rating: ★★★★
Piano Sonata No.14 in C minor, K.457
Mozart wrote his Piano Sonata No.14 in C minor, K.457 in 1784. It’s one of only six sonatas that he wrote during his years in Vienna. He published it together with the above Fantasia in the same tonality. The sonata features three movements:
- Allegro
- Adagio
- Molto Allegro
The Performance
Of course, the audience applauded after the Fantasia. However, Yundi waited only about a second before immediately continuing with the C minor Sonata, as if the Fantasia was merely an extended introduction. Yes, both works are in C minor. But the Fantasia, K.475, was written a year after the Sonata K.457. So even though they were published together, it was hardly Mozart’s intention to follow K.457 directly with the Fantasia. And it also raises the question of whether the two compositions really “work well together”. The Fantasia is definitely not a prelude by nature, but a self-contained composition (see above). And the Sonata K.457 was conceived as a “complete dramatic unit”.
I. Allegro
Already in the exposition (repeated), this proved to be the most dramatic movement of the evening: expressive, with a slight forward thrust in extended quaver and quaver triplet passages. The drama and thrust were even more pronounced in the development part. Yundi exploited the color scope of the instrument, his touch was nuanced, often subtle. One could say that Yundi matched the character of the movement with that of the Fantasia. It was the most coherent and consistent interpretation so far. This time it took several seconds for the applause to begin, and Yundi even left a short pause before continuing.
★★★★
II. Adagio
Here, Yundi showed a very differentiated touch, mildness, careful, diligent dynamics, subtle agogics, and where the melody rose to the high descant, he produced a beautiful, singing tone. Gentle, mellow, melancholy and a subtle sadness in the atmosphere. Yes, it was a typical “modern piano interpretation”, exploiting and even focusing on the sonority of the beautifully tuned Steinway grand, with a slight tendency to use an excess of sustain pedal. Still, it was the “Mozart highlight” of the evening.
★★★★½
III. Molto Allegro
A good tempo, not pushed, and technically excellent playing. Yundi brought out the drama in this movement by using expansive dynamics, exploiting all the ff sonority that the Steinway D-274 could offer, often amplified by the sustain pedal. For my taste, the result was a bit too much “modern piano” for a Mozart sonata. Yes, the movement is highly dramatic, with sudden shifts in mood, jarring pauses, if not ruptures. Yundi avoided overdramatizing by extending fermatas or the like. For a Mozart sonata, however, I think it would actually be preferable to dramatize by combining appropriate dynamics with articulation / agogics (e.g., theatrical pauses, etc.). Note: It is not without reason that Arthur Rubinstein (1887 – 1982) barely played any Mozart in his solo recitals. He explicitly stated that the modern piano is not suitable for this music.
★★★★
Overall Rating: ★★★★
Encore — Chopin: Nocturne No.2 in E♭ major, op.9/2, CT 109
Composer & Work
For the encore, Yundi Li returned to the event that launched his career, the Warsaw Chopin Competition 2000, with a composition by Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849). Out of that composer’s 21 Nocturnes (22, if one includes the spurious Nocturne “No.22” in C-sharp minor, a.k.a. “Nocturne oubliée“), the artist selected the Nocturne No.2 in E♭ major, op.9/2: Andante, CT 109.
The Performance
With the Chopin encore, Yundi demonstrated his true mastery: highly expressive, harmonious agogics and rubato, discreetly arpeggiated touch, gentle, very subtle dynamics, dreamy, intimate, warm atmosphere, sublime, ending in the most subtle pppp—beautiful, masterful!
Rating: ★★★★★
This was apparently the encore that Yundi played at all the recitals on his tour. This left me with some question marks: given his widely acknowledged mastery of Chopin’s piano music, wouldn’t it be a welcome sign of (some) spontaneity to choose a piece according to the mood, atmosphere, etc. of the moment? Mechanically adding the same encore over and over again feels like a duty. The encore might as well be part of the printed program. Besides, Yundi accepted the flowers, played the encore, and then disappeared after another curtain call. He didn’t even see the several young women who came to give him their flowers. I felt sorry for these women who had no chance to show their appreciation to the artist. It all seemed to confirm the impression I described above.
Conclusions
Yundi presented a selection of Mozart piano sonatas on a modern Steinway concert grand. Naturally, he exploited the sonoric scope of the instrument, which is hardly the ideal platform for Mozart’s music. Of course, we cannot deny pianists the opportunity to play Mozart on their instrument. However, from the perspective of historically informed performance, which has seen considerable development and growth in popularity in recent decades, Yundi left out much in the areas of detailed articulation, phrasing and dynamics (Klangrede), and richness of color.
Yundi Li’s Mozart on CD
Mozart — The Sonata Project ● Salzburg
Yundi Li, piano
Warner Classics (CD, stereo, ℗ / © 2024)
Booklet: 20 pp., en/fr/de
Contents of the CD
- Piano Sonata No.11 in A major, K.331, “Alla turca” — 9 tracks
- Piano Sonata No.8 in A minor, K.310 (300d) — 3 tracks
- Fantasia in C minor for Piano, K.475 — 1 track
- Piano Sonata No.14 in C minor, K.457 — 3 tracks
Fragmentary Comments
The CD recording offers a very different view of Yundi’s performance and interpretation. While in concert the piano sound was blurred by reverberation, the CD recording shows exceptional clarity and detail—not only in sound, but also in articulation. This is clearly the result of very close microphone placement (even directly above the strings?). I have only listened to short streamed excerpts. My comments cannot be taken to apply to the entire recording. The one striking example is the first movement of the Sonata No.8 in A minor, K.310, which is outstanding in clarity and detailed articulation (and the exposition is repeated). It is more resolute, but also perhaps (too) meticulous, to the point of being dry and didactic.
Acknowledgement
The author would like to express his gratitude to Lisa Xie (Washington D.C.) for the invitation to this concert. Lisa Xie also located the pictures from the recital via Chinese social media (Weibo). She stated that using these photos should not pose any problems. Just to be on the safe side, I marked them all with “© 糍粑醪糟冰粉 / weibo.com, all rights reserved.”
