George Li – Live at the Mariinsky (2017) [Qobuz FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

This enthralling recital by the young American pianist George Li, silver medallist at the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition, marks his recording debut and launches a new relationship with Warner Classics. Captured at a live performance in the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St Petersburg, it presents a dramatically conceived programme of works by Haydn, Chopin, Rachmaninov and Liszt: a descent into deep darkness; re-emergence into the light, and a concluding, boisterous celebration.

Li, now 21 years old, was born in Boston to music-loving parents who came to the USA from China. He started taking part in music competitions as a child and experienced something of an epiphany when, as a young teenager, he performed a Beethoven concerto with orchestra. As he told Pianist magazine: “All of a sudden I felt like I had entered a different world… It was a unique and amazing experience: for the first time I was feeling music a lot more emotionally, rather than just remembering the right notes and where to come in. Afterwards people were coming up to me and saying that listening to me had changed their lives. I was shocked. I didn’t know before that music had that kind of power. After that, I just wanted to be able to find that feeling again.”

Tracklist

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Piano Sonata in B Minor, Hob. XVI: 32
1 I. Allegro moderato 04:47
2 II. Menuetto 03:33
3 III. Finale. Presto 03:06

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 35, CT. 202
4 I. Grave – Doppio movimento 07:38
5 II. Scherzo 06:28
6 III. Marche funèbre. Lento 09:03
7 IV. Finale. Presto 01:30

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42
8 I. Theme (Andante) 00:57
9 Variation 1 (Poco piu mosso) 00:38
10 Variation 2 (L’istesso tempo) 00:34
11 Variation 3 (Tempo di Minuetto) 00:35
12 Variation 4 (Andante) 00:50
13 Variation 5 (Allegro ma non tanto) 00:20
14 Variation 6 (L’istesso tempo) 00:19
15 Variation 7 (Vivace) 00:30
16 Variation 8 (Adagio misterioso) 00:56
17 Variation 9 (Un poco piu mosso) 01:05
18 Variation 10 (Allegro scherzando) 00:32
19 Variation 11 (Allegro vivace) 00:19
20 Variation 12 (L’istesso tempo) 00:36
21 Variation 13 (Agitato) 00:31
22 Intermezzo 01:23
23 Variation 14 (Andante [come prima]) 00:55
24 Variation 15 (L’istesso tempo) 01:36
25 Variation 16 (Allegro vivace) 00:27
26 Variation 17 (Meno mosso) 00:49
27 Variation 18 (Allegro con brio) 00:29
28 Variation 19 (Piu mosso. Agitato) 00:25
29 Variation 20 (Piu mosso) 01:05
30 Coda (Andante) 01:53