Customer Reviews

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No 2; Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This disc caught my eye, for one attractive reason, and provoked anticipatory reservations at the same time.

Having just added Yundi Li's prior concerto album to my shelves, I was happily surprised to find he had released another concerto recording, soon upon the heels of that first success. Catching sight of conductor Seiji Ozawa as leader, I paused a bit. I have never been a fan of his complete Prokofiev symphonies with the Berlin PO, and although I do like some of Ozawa's releases, I find him disappointing at times. He often seems content to skate on the beautiful surfaces of the music, resisting deeper involvements and deeper insights. His mastery sounds too slick to my ears in some past recordings, so I wasn't going to anticipate too much under him even with Yundi Li at the keyboard.

Suffice it to say that this release is worth having, but maybe not the undisputed top-notch Great Recording of the Century that the marketing departments might have been casting in their business mix.

For one thing, the Prokofiev competition is pretty strong. The second piano concerto has already been seriously well-served by Ashkenazy, Demidenko, Kun Woo Paik, Horacio Gutierrez, Toradze, Igor Ardasev, Viktor Krainev, Michel Beroff, and John Browning. On the conducting side, Ozawa has to compete with the likes of Neeme Jarvi, Previn, Masur, Antoni Wit, Lazarev, Dimitri Kitaenko, the superstar Gergiev, Erich Leinsdorf, and the brilliant but unknown Leos Svarosky.

Any of these alternative recordings will do just fine, probably. So it is high marks for Yundi Li to fit in so well with this challenging field of pre-existing musical excellence. He places the second Prokofiev, deftly, smack dab in the early twentieth century's post-wars modernity, right in the continuum with Bartok and Ravel and Stravinsky. Unlike Ozawa's work with Berlin in the complete symphonies set, the conductor at least doesn't work against Yundi Li and the orchestra this time out, which is saying something in this case, considering the sappy failure of the symphonies set.

Audience applause at the end of the Prokofiev put me on alert that this performance was recorded live, and that, in retrospect, raises its class marks. I still could do without live audience applause in most instances.

Then we get to the Ravel g minor concerto. Here Yundi Li does everything just right. Ozawa is just a tad less apt than his younger self, leading a French band to accompany Alexis Weissenberg in a stunning g minor outing. The real gem of this Ravel is the middle movement, a devilish tightrope act to get just right. Tempo, touch, and Olympian simplicities are needed, recalling Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, and guess what? Yundi Li compels in this middle movement. By the frisky, jazz-inflected third, all the players are hi jinks acrobats wearing Gene Kelly top hat and tails.

As the Ravel ends, no audience applause, thank goodness. Neither of these recordings is going to brashly supplant the available alternatives, but Yundi Li is good enough to fit in with the best of the available past artistic and musical company. And that is saying quite a lot, actually. Recommended, as a first recording, or an umpteenth of this repertoire.

Fans of Chinese pianist Yundi Li - of which I am one - ought to rejoice after hearing his newest Deutsche Grammophon recording, which has him tackle Prokofiev's fiendishly difficult 2nd Piano Concerto with Ravel's jazzy Piano Concerto in G major alongside conductor Seiji Ozawa and the Berliner Philiharmoniker. A recipe for artistic disaster you might ask? Perhaps if Li was less than the truly capable artist that he has demonstrated already in his critically acclaimed Deutsche Grammophon recordings, especially of Chopin and Liszt. If nothing else, Li demonstrates that he has much technical as well as artistic sensibility in both pieces, especially the Prokofiev, since it demands a lot from the soloist in its difficult cadenzas in the first and fourth movements. Indeed, in the liner notes, Li observes how much is required of him in playing these cadenzas, noting especially that "the whole fourth movement is impassioned and aggressive and is incredibly difficult with its wide leaps" (The concerto is organized as follows: Andantino - Scherzo (Vivace) - Intermezzo (Allegro moderato) - Finale (Allegro tempestoso).). Artistically, Li finds himself in more familiar terrain in his exquisitely tranquil interpretation of the Ravel Piano Concerto in G major, allowing his Romantic sensibilities to emerge in his performance of the second movement (This concerto is organized as follows: Allegramente - Adagio assai - Presto.). In the liner notes Li praises conductor Ozawa for acting as a most thoughtful, sympathetic mentor and acknowledges the Berliner Philharmoniker as the world's finest symphony orchestra (Of course the orchestra under Ozawa's direction performs impeccably in both pieces.).

Without question, this new recording from Yundi Li is an important milestone in his artistic career. It demonstrates that he is indeed a serious artist, whose repertoire is not only firmly entrenched in the Romantic tradition emphasized by Chopin's and Liszt's works for the piano. On a more personal note, I had the pleasure of meeting him after his Carnegie Hall solo recital debut. He struck me as a most gracious, and quite humble, person; admirable traits that I have since heard in radio interviews and read in print as well. Admittedly, this may be another reason why I have a lot more respect for him artistically, than I have for another well-regarded young Chinese pianist, who will remain nameless. Fans of Yundi Li's artistry and those seeking fine recordings of the Prokofiev and Ravel piano concertos shouldn't hesitate in buying this superb Deutsche Grammophon CD.

Yundi Li, like his compatriot Lang Lang, was born outside Western musical traditions, and even with amazing technical gifts, he is faced with assimilating the various styles of German, French, and Russian style. So far, Yundi has been most successful in Chopin and Liszt, the former becasue Chopin provides a wide latitude of intimate personal expression, the latter becasue Liszt demands virtuosity first and style second.

On this new CD the stylistic is mixed. Yundi's way with the Prokofiev Second is Lisztian -- he gives us overwhelming technical displays first and foremost. Frankly, there's a lot of pounding here, but Prokofiev championed a percussive, not to say Machine-Age style of pianism. Where Yundi is all locomotion, Ozawa's conducting is rhythmically soft. It's not a mismatch, fortunately, and thanks to DG's ultra-detaile piano sound and the Berliners' effortless virtuosity, the end result is about as flashy a Prokofiev Second as one could wish for.

The Ravel G major has become a showpiece for Argerich, Aimard, and Thibaudet, all keyboard dazzlers, and Yundi fits right in. There used to be a true Gallic style of wit, dry sophisticaiton, and boulevard smartness that this concerto fits perfectly. You won't hear those qualities in Ozawa's straight-laced orchestral accompaniment, which is perfectly executed yet devoid of any particular style at all. The pianist is equally divorced from the music's Parisian origins, but nobody could complain about the dazzle factor here.

In all, I don't think this CD marks any advance in Yundi's musicianship, but he's in very good form. That's satisfying enough for an absorbing listen. The fact that the total timing is about 52 min. seems a shame. Yundi could have given us any number of fillers from Prokofiev's Visions fugitives or Ravel's solo keyboard works.

...to review performances of piano concertos by "young sensations"! Wow, piano aficionados are almost as passionate in praise and denunciation as film critics. Read the previous reviews of this performance if you care to understand my anxiety about venturing an opinion based on my anachronistic taste.

The three piano concertos by Serge Prokofiev are marvels of bravura. I wrote my PhD thesis in history while listening to various recordings of #1 and #3 played again and again, until the vinyl grooves began to crackle. That was a long time ago, and I didn't have a recording of #2. If I'd had this #2 energizer, I'm sure my thesis would have been published and become a best seller, and I wouldn't feel the urge to write reviews for amazon gratis.

There are people who listen to music without much emotional involvement, hearing only the musical ideas, and they are not all mere idiot savants such as described by Oliver Sacks in his book Musicophilia. That may be how I listen to this disk. I'm told that Prokofiev's music is full of dark forebodings and socio-political angst, but that's not what I hear. I hear thrilling musical athleticism and, in this case, youthful confidence in powers of chromatic orienteering. Yundi Li seems to hear Prokofiev rather similarly, with the result that his interpretation seems beautifully congruent with the music itself. Seiji Ozawa follows Li's lead intuitively, the Berliners play crisply, and that's all to the good. The Ravel concerto is full of its own laid-back charms. Reviewers seem to hear echoes of "jazz" in it, but to my pre-modern ears it sounds more founded in pre-Wagnerian "enjoyment" than in 20th C expressionism - a picnic on the musical lawn, as it were. Yundi Li, once again, plays it as I hear it.

Prokofiev's #2 is an eccentric piece, perhaps almost an "unfinished" piece in terms of the odd imbalance between the movements, the first and fourth so massive, the second almost a gymnast's whimsy, just a minute and a half long. Frankly, it's too exciting bar-by-bar for me to worry about musical unity. It's a young composer's outburst, performed vigorously by a young pianist, and I'm glad I feel young enough to be "down with it."

I now have 6 recordings of Prokofievs 2nd Piano Concerto, with this one by Yundi Li as one of the very greatest accounts I have ever heard.This Concerto is the most technically demanding in the entire piano repertoire, and for many years only Jorge Bolet's old recording of the 1950's when he was a young man, on the Remington LP label, combined transcendental virtuosity with a deeply felt musicianship, embracing all of Prokofievs moods vividly inspite of the overwhelming tecnical difficulties.Today at last, both Yundi Li and Yevgeny Kissin have done justice to this work, which is at least equal to the young Jorge Bolet.Yundi Li I believe understands the final 4th movement better than anyone, giving the main theme a folk like quality, which seems to escape Kissin.But Kissins movements 1 through 3 have countless fresh new insights, that are even more profound than Yundi Li.I would therefore not be without both recordings, both of which have superb sound quality.As for the Ravel Concerto I must confess, I really dont care for the music, however Yundi Li appears to play it as well as Michelangeli, who is considered the very best.

This rate is an average for the two works included in this CD.

There are undoutebly performances that make us to reconsider our opinions
on some overlooked works. Yundi Li and maestro Ozawa do a great job in this
goal, delivering a fantastic performance of the devilishly difficult Prok's
2nd PC. This Li's reading is a matter of miracle, just comparable to a high
landmark set by a monster called Alexander Toradze. Ozawa and the berliners
are the perfect partners to do the perfect and great performance for ages
(5 stars).

Unfortunately, that's not the same for the Ravel concerto. This is a just
average performance, and despite Li's very good reading, he sounds a bit overcontrolled and even sometimes hesitating, not enough daring, not enough
wild, not enough french. Furthermore, the orchestra accompaniments sound
thin and distant. Just check the Bernstein video playing this concerto, or
listen performances by Collard, Francois or Larrocha and compare. You could
be a bit disappointed after listening such a miracle in Prokofiev's concerto
(3 stars).

In conclusion, a very recommendable CD but just for this Prokofiev's 2nd.

--I certainly could not argue against that statement should Yundi Li wish to defend his playing on this disc. What made me dig out this recent but already tragically stuffed away disc is Kissin's newly released coupling of Prokofiev's two greatest Piano Concertos (Prokofiev: Piano Concertos 2 & 3).

So, let's cut to the chase: Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto is on my shortlist of favourite musical compositions. It goes without saying it is not an easy work to bring off--neither for the soloist nor for the conductor and orchestra. Indeed, it does contain both really fast and very loud passages, where Li seems to feel reasonably at home--and yes, there is some occasional if empty excitement. However, when it comes to its greatest virtues--the unique atmosphere, thrilling suspense and inventional structure and textures--Li sounds entirely oblivious. In short, this is the most unsophisticated version of this masterpiece currently in the catalogue--turned from daring masterpiece into reckless, monochromatic percussion display. As far as my knowledge extends, this is the first live recording of the work. Fiendishly difficult as it is--the first movement Cadenza is the most colossal in the repertoire--Li at least had one thing in his favour (the rather high number of slips in the first movement are surely forgivable). 'Had', indeed, since Kissin's generally preferable rendition (instead demeaned by over-politeness and near-apathy) is also recorded live (unbelievably, without a single slip!).

Let's consider some telling examples: The beginning of the first movement is permeated by hair-raising suspense, which of course is totally absent at near-forte. The second A-minor theme (3:10) is delivered with virtually no contrast in either dynamics or characterisation. The start of the Cadenza (5:32) repeats the same suspense problem, which may explain why Li resorts to purely banging out the melodic line of the first climax (8:17)--not to mention the totally overboard culmination (9:35). The second movement Scherzo is unquestionably Vivace but without any of the colour or panache of Gutierrez/Järvi and Toradze/Gergiev, respectively. The third movement Intermezzo at 5:41 is simply too fast--also too loud ranging between relentless forte and fortissimo. The Finale begins promising with some wildly thrown away leaps from Li (one of the few advantages of his general immaturity), but with the lyrical central section (2:16) the first-movement problems resurface yet again; a well-executed Cadenza and pushed Coda at least provides a proper round off. Ozawa is mostly weak, whereas the Berliners and the sound are serviceable at best. In fact, Li/Ozawa largely resemble Béroff/Masur of 1974, which are equally brisk, if more sophisticated save the harsh sound (Prokofiev: The Five Piano Concertos; Overture on Hebrew Themes).

Ravel's G major Concerto is also a favourite, although I slightly prefer his ingenious Concerto for Left Hand. This Concerto is harder to wreck, which is probably why Li and Ozawa fare far better here (maybe the studio setting also helps). All the notes are in place at good speeds, supported by routinely ravishing BPO playing and good sound. Alas, there is an overall lack of style, wit and above all poetry--although delightful dexterity saves the day in the first and third movements. The disaster comes in the second movement: In the hands of Argerich and Zimerman, the elusively simple E-major tune ascends as the angelic hymn it is; in Li's hands, it becomes grey prose (notice how he struggles to sustain the long phrases and with the noisy sustain pedal that is employed with a level of sophistication resembling a sledgehammer!); Ozawa's inelastic conducting does not help matters either.

As so often on this site, most reviewers are only able to come up with trivial praise along the lines of 'Fine New Recording', 'Great stuff', 'A Great Piece of Music'--generic descriptions commonly used for their most recent purchases. However, they are all partly excused when consulting the supposedly enlightened piano guru, Bryce Morrison of the Gramophone: 'Indeed, his performance of the Prokofiev, in its prodigious, unflagging power and brilliance, far surpasses any other in the catalogue [...] played with an authority that will make lesser mortals pale with envy and admiration.' Even though Mr Morrison already lost a great deal of his credibility--yes, the most proactive and indiscriminative of all 'professional' Hatto fans--he just sank ever further.

As a welcome contrast, Santa Fe aptly writes 'Yundi's way with the Prokofiev Second is Lisztian--he gives us overwhelming technical displays first and foremost. Frankly, there's a lot of pounding here'. And Scriabinmahler's conclusion is no less revealing: 'Li displays amazing texterity [sic] & artistic maturity too, but somehow sounds artificial & shallow. The numbers of second-hand CDs accumulating here tells the story, despite the high praise from critics.'

Six years after his 'Digital Dead End' Chopin recital debut (Chopin Recital), Li's interpretative skills have developed more or less nothing whatsoever. In fact, they may even have regressed as his digital virtuosity has been complemented with an all too often harshly metallic tone production. DG is likely to continue promoting its second politically correct Chinese superstar, just having added a third (Wang); but if this disc represents how he sounds live, a great deal of smart marketing will be needed to keep him busy.

TIMINGS: Prokofiev--11:11, 2:17, 5:41, 10:40; Ravel--8:15, 8:41, 3:52

REFERENCES: Prokofiev--Gutierrez/Järvi (Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3); Ravel--Argerich/Abbado (Prokofiev, Ravel: Piano Concertos, etc / Martha Argerich)

I confess that I have some aversion about oriental pianists. They are in general technically perfect, but without sensibility . Example of this is the well known Lang Lang. But I must confess that I was surprised with Yundi Li. I heard other records with him that are very interesting.The Liszt's B minor Sonata is really well played. But this recording with the concertos of Prokofiev and Ravel is really amazing. The Prokofiev, a live performance is really outstanding.He plays all the time with clarity and elegance , and at the same time , with one impressive furor. The orchestra and the conductor are fantastic too. The Ravel , by the contrary, is very poetic.What we can see is that Yundi Li is very intelligent and malleable. This is really one CD that deserves to be heard.

This album of Prokofiev piano concerto No.2 and Ravel concerto in G major is unique in the way that Li not only excels in both concertos, he also provided some fresh interpretations.

The masterpiece Prokofiev's piano concerto No.2 is not only difficult to play, it is also rather special in the way that it has got the rare wild temperament you seldom hear. This CD contains the most thrilling and fastest prokofiev concerto No.2 I have ever heard. A slow Prokofiev concerto No.2 will inevitably sound dull and uninteresting. One is impressed by Li's unique interpretation when he used sharp staccatos generously at the right places to produce some very spirited moments. One is also impressed by the enormous sound produced by his steely fingers especially during the third and the fourth movements. Li, together with Berliner Philharmoiniker, had succeeded in producing this truly unique, remarkable and thrilling Prokofiev concerto No.2. It is not only virtuosic, dramatic and colorful, it is also very expressive, spirited and thrilling. To excel in playing this concerto, being a virtuoso is not enough for a pianist, one needed to be able to catch the mood of this masterpiece more appropriately - Yundi Li is one such pianist.

Prokofiev's concerto No.2 was recorded live during the three night's sensational performances in Berlin. Yundi Li together with Seiji Ozawa and Berliner Philharmoiniker had done a marvelous job in giving the audiences in Berlin a memorable night.

All the four movements were indeed very well played by Li. Li started the first movement Andantino slowly and expressively, using more rubato than others. When it came to Allegretto, Li increased the speed significantly. For the long cadenza that lasted for 4'10", Li provided good contrast, was expressive, thoughtful and emotional. The difficult passages in the long cadenza were also superbly executed by Li. Although the piano sound was almost drowned by the full orchestra near the end of the long cadenza, you do not mind the least as you really need the full orchestra to build the music to its climax. If one insists on hearing the piano more clearly for these few bars, you will have to tone down the orchestra like what the pianist Horacio Gutierrez together with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra had done. Li had taken 11'02" for the first movement, not 11'12" as given in the booklet.

The second movement Scherzo was played with an incredible speed by Li , 2'9'' to be exact. It is not 2'17'' as stated in CD booklet. Two minutes and nine seconds is really incredibly fast when one needs to play so many notes non-stop in such a short time. That requires good concentration. Still, the piano and the orchestra were in good unison throughout the second movement.

The third movement Intermezzo which took 5' 34" by Li, was played with strong character and good variation of tone color. It was played with more staccato, more spirited and energetic playing that sounded like a march. Horacio Gutierrez had played this movement one minute slower with a rather different mood - milder and more gentle.

The fourth movement Allegro tempestoso began with passages that sounded like a cat screaming and jumping wildly on a hot tin plate. Li's steely fingers that produced steely sound, had really done a good job in bringing out the wild temperament of this movement. With more fiery passages and spirited staccato, the concerto finally ended with the piano and the orchestra playing the same fiery note. This movement took Li 10'33", not 11'03" as given in the booklet.

Ravel concerto in G major is rather interesting with its strong rhythms for the first and the third movements. Most people will enjoy its strong rhythms. Is this piece supposed to be dramatic for the first and the third movements but sad for the second movement? Ravel believed that a concerto can be lighthearted and brilliant instead of dramatic when he talked about this concerto. Hence, one should not expect this piece to be dramatic, instead, the first and the third movements are jazzy-like, simulating the rushing motor rhythms and perhaps the hustle-bustle sound of the city. You even hear the horse carriage through the sound made by the horse shoes at 0'59" into the first movement and subsequently at 1'18" etc. In fact, the first movement began with a sound of whip to start the horse carriage for an eventful ride through a busy street. Ravel had visited New York and just described what he saw in the street - an interesting concerto.

Some pianists had played the first and third movements in a more dramatic way while others less. Li began the first movement with a very lively and light-hearted allegramente to simulate that the traveller had started the journey in a high spirit. The jazzy-like passages in these two movements were very well played by Li, they are brilliant, crisp and fast with strong rhythm. With Li's virtuosic playing, there is no problem of adhering to the accurate and precise timing for these jazzy-like passages. Benedetti Michelangeli had sounded slightly slower for these passages compared with three other pianists that I had heard.

The second movement which is calm and beautiful had been thought by some to be a movement that is supposed to move one to tears. Perhaps that was how Benedetti Michelangeli had felt when he played this movement softer, slower, with more rubato and more seriousness compared with four other pianists such as Julius Katchen, Martha Argerich, Zimerman and Yundi Li. Will such a sad second movement blend well with the busy street scene described in the first and the third movements? Most probably not. Perhaps one could simulate the second movement with a calm and beautiful scenery seen by a traveller. Perhaps this is exactly how Yundi Li had perceived when he played this movement faster with less rubato and with more steady piano sound coming from his left hand to simulate that a traveller was on the move. With Li's more straight forward way of playing, the piano sound was aided by the orchestra in setting the music in such a deep tranquility that you can picture yourself as traveling slowly from a quiet wood to a more eventfull surrounding and then back to quietness again. I particularly enjoy Li's playing of this movement that had brought you through a journey of calm, beautiful and joyful ride. Very impressive playing by both Li and the Berliner Philharmoniker.

.................................................................

Alexander Toradze is far too slow for his interpretation of Prokofiev concerto No.2 to be acceptable. His third and fourth movements are so slow that the music is somehow distorted. His second movement is good but not his first movement - there is some obvious struggling with the massive chords in the long cadenza. Near the end of the long cadenza, in order to make it sound grand, he seemed to have added in many chords not written in the original music score. For this part of the music, you don't hear individual chords from Alexander Toradze like what you normally hear form other pianists. I have heard a few other recordings played by Ashkenazy,Horacio Gutierrez and Vladimir Feltsman. None of them played this portion in such a controversial way. Alexander Toradze seems to be the only one altering the music score by adding in many chords himself. You may think that the pianists I mentioned above are not among the best, let me quote the following from certain source:

"The Prokofiev Page (external links) unanimously recommends the 1991 recording with Neeme Järvi, Horacio Gutiérrez and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Catalogue num.: Chandos 8889). André Previn's rendition with the London Symphony Orchestra and Vladimir Ashkenazy (Philips 452588) is also extolled."

Furthermore, soon after Alexander Toradze's controversial playing, the orchestra came in with very heavy drum. Again, you don't hear this from other recordings. This kind of controversial playing do increase the volume tremendously and may be pleasing to those who may not be familiar with the piece. Thus, those who like this kind of controversial playing may give comments such as:

`terse and wild darkness; profound and dark emotional turmoil of this eerie piece'. Yundi Li still has some lengths to go before he would fully come to grips with the profound and dark emotional turmoil of this `eerie' piece'. Yundi Li's touching, in the first place, could be said to be somewhat lacking in its depth, and too tinkling for this piece.

How very wrong! Not everyone likes to play this part of the music this way because it may not blend well with the music. Furthermore, is Prokofiev's concerto No.2 about `eerie' , 'dark emotional turmoil'? Why eerie? Although Prokofiev did go through a period of emotional turmoil during that period, one may not like to over interpret the dark side of this concerto by altering Prokofiev's original score like what Alexander Toradze had done.

The only alternative to Malcolm Frager's classic and not reissued rendition of Prokofiev Nr.2. His comments show that Yundi Li has understood the qualitiy of this great and totally underrated concerto.