Wearing a casual white T-shirt paired with navy blue jeans and trendy sneakers, pianist Li Yundi looks every bit a Mando pop star. The 29-year-old is a star, a huge celebrity, but moves in very different musical circles within the world of classical performance. Last month he launched his new album Red Piano, the first in which he focuses only on Chinese folk music masterpieces.
Li says the recording is a milestone turning point in his musical career. After years of playing Western classical music Red Piano reveals the young man's desire to look for new inspiration by returning to his own cultural roots.
"I hope Red Piano opens a new gateway for music lovers in the West. They may better understand the folk features of Chinese music and it may spark their interest to know more about China, the place where I come from," Li says.
Li knows the power of music and its global reach. "Music is the best communication tool that does not need language and can bring people from different cultures together. My new album is an opportunity to win glory for Chinese music."
Li also knows about the glory of music.
When Li was just 18 he walked onto the international stage and was rocketed to fame when he won the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2000. He became the youngest winner of this prestigious prize.
After the victory, Li studied in Hanover, Germany, with Israeli classical pianist Arie Vardi. Since then Li has dedicated himself to the works of Chopin, and proved himself a stunningly talented pianist with his masterly techniques and wondrous colorings of many Chopin recitals.
"I prefer Chopin's elegant and artistic music style and admire his persistent spirit of musical creation. I want to capture the inner world of Chopin and also ponder my own feelings when I play his music."
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