Yundi Li
Yundi Li, popularly known as Yundi or YUNDI, is among the most acclaimed and popular Classical pianists of his generation, ranked only behind Lang Lang as the best-known pianist to have emerged from China. Yundi rose to instant stardom with his victory at the 2000 International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, and he has since won over an ever-growing and devoted following both from his numerous acclaimed concerts and high-profile, award-winning recordings. His performance style is broad, almost chameleonic, sounding plush and Romantic and fiery for Chopin and Liszt, but turning grittier and darker for works like the Prokofiev Second Concerto and playful and bouncy for the Ravel G major Concerto.
Yundi Li (or, as the Chinese order his names, Li Yundi) was born on October 7, 1982. At age four, he was playing the accordion and by seven was taking piano lessons. His progress was astonishing: in 1995, he won the U.S.-based Stravinsky International Youth Competition. Successes in other competitions followed in the next few years, with a third-place finish in the Liszt International and a first prize at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. After becoming the youngest pianist ever to capture first prize at the Chopin Competition in 2000, at age 18, Yundi was suddenly in demand. His first recording, an all-Chopin disc on Deutsche Grammophon, was released in 2003. Also, in 2003, Yundi made his Carnegie Hall debut to great acclaim, and DG released his second album, an all-Liszt recording, which The New York Times named "Best CD of the Year." Yundi was initially associated with the works of Chopin and Liszt, but his repertory expanded, taking in works by Domenico Scarlatti, Mozart, Schumann, Prokofiev, and Ravel.
In 2006, Yundi relocated to Hong Kong. His 2007 DG release of the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 and the Ravel G major Concerto, with Seiji Ozawa and the Berlin Philharmonic, became a bestseller, making the Classical Billboard chart. The album was cited once more by The New York Times, in this instance, as one of the best classical CDs of the year. After moving to EMI Classics in 2010, Yundi has continued regularly issuing recordings. Among these are Live in Beijing (2011), the first live recording from the city's National Centre for Performing Arts, and The Red Piano (2012), which highlighted piano works by Chinese composers. In 2020, Yundi issued a recording of the Chopin Piano Concertos on Warner Classics, leading the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra from the keyboard.
© Robert Cummings & Keith Finke /TiVo
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Mozart: The Sonata Project - Salzburg
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 5 Apr 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin : Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 2
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 18 Dec 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: Piano Works
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 3 Mar 2003
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven - Pathétique, Moonlight, Appassionata
Classical - Released by Mercury Classics on 1 Jan 2012
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Yundi: Red Piano
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 20 Sep 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin : Preludes
Classical - Released by Mercury Classics on 11 Sep 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin : Ballades, Berceuse, Mazurkas
Classical - Released by Mercury Classics on 26 Feb 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op.16, Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
Yundi Li, Berliner Philharmoniker, Seiji Ozawa
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Emperor / Fantasy (Beethoven & Schumann)
Yundi Li, Berliner Philharmoniker, Daniel Harding
Classical - Released by Mercury Classics on 1 Jan 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Nocturnes
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 15 Mar 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin: Recital
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin: Scherzi; Impromtus
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 16 Mar 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Art Of Yundi
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vienna Recital
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live in Beijing
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 7 Mar 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt & Chopin: Piano Concertos No.1 (Bonus track version; e-album)
Yundi Li, Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: Piano Recital
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 3 Mar 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin Preludes
Classical - Released by Mercury Classics on 11 Sep 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331 "Alla Turca": I. (f) Variation V
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 15 Mar 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin: Scherzi; Impromptus
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331 "Alla Turca": III. Rondo alla turca. Allegretto
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 9 Feb 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo