I was there that day, when he start to play nobody was making the most insignificant movement, like a spell.... even the jury!. When he finished the first etude I remember turning to see the jury they were astonished!!! Then I realize that we were listening one of most outstanding pianist of our time! This 30 min will live always in my mind!
George plays not only with uncommon virtuosity, but he has a very wide range of tonal subtlety, sensitivity and dynamics. Despite the fact that musical preferences may be quite subjective and vary, it is quite obvious to me that he possesses something very rare even among his rivals. I pray he gets his just due in this competition.
George Li is one of the most sensitive artists you will ever come across. I've had the privilege of working with him on a few occasions, and he is one of my favorite artists. Bravo George.
The opening Nocturne is magical; he 'contains' it perfectly while giving each section due expressiveness and variety. I've never heard it played better. The C# minor study is fiery without being aggressive (rare indeed nowadays, when few pianists seem to know the difference), the E minor playful but elegant, the central section effortlessly lyrical (again, too many pianists try too hard to 'sing') and the A minor fleet without sounding like a race. The Mazurka dances as it must (some even manage to labour these marvellous miniatures) and in the Scherzo, again, he generates excitement without assaulting the piano. There are mishits in all these performances, which show the boy is human! Someone has compared Li to Ashkenazy. I'd say nothing like (and I have Ashkenazy's 1962 recording of the Chopin Studies inter alia); Ashkenazy has never had such elegance, poise and natural eloquence! Li is not a great pianist in the making; he already is one! Thanks for posting.
I truly enjoyed this brilliant performance by George Li. My favorite was his interpretation of Chopin's Scherzo No.2 Op.31 in B-Flat Minor at the end. I was so happy to see that he was performing at the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. This is the level of performance where he belongs!
Really exquisite Chopin, very beautifully performed - thank you George Li ! Congratulations on winning your Silver medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow this year !
He did not need to enter a piano competition. He did not need to prove himself, he is already well established. We have many great pianists who never entered a piano competition and have or are still doing well. These judges can destroy this young man because many of them have chosen their winner well before the competition starts.
George, this was quite an impressive performance for the first round. You are now playing with such maturity, style & elegance. Well done! I'm sure you will go far in this competition. Good luck!
The 121 dislikers either are Lang Lang fans or think it's all about playing the right notes (there are a few mishits here). This is music-making of a rare order. Every piece is finely nuanced, sharply characterized and given a narrative thread. Li takes us somewhere, far away from this imperfect world. Unquestionably a star of the future.
The young George Li won 2nd Place in one of the world's most prestigious and challenging competitions, the 2015 Tchaikovsky. He should do quite well in the Chopin, but Aimi Kobayashi and Annie Zhou are both incredibly talented pianists!
If he doesn't end up as the winner or top 3 I'll be severely disappointed in the Polish. I have yet to hear Chopin of this caliber in one so young. While his interpretations aren't 100% traditional, they are 110% enjoyable. He makes me feel strong emotions, as if I'm seeing a flower bloom again, but this time a little more radiant then last year. The flower being Chopin's music interpretations. With proper guidance he can one day become a leading Chopin interpreter in my opinion.
+mcrettable He would have been one of the favorites. But he would have to be near perfect...Liu, Aimi and Cho were all great in the final's Concerto. And Lu is coming up today. If Li is at the finals, it could be a USA SWEEP! Since Liu and Lu have been near perfect so far! As for Cho who is Korean. He probably made 5 mistakes through all 4 rounds and he is artistic too. This is going to be VERY tough for the judges to determine the winners.
PSearPianist What is more impressive is he just made the final 6 in the finals of the Tchaikovsky Competition. So he has a chance to medal twice in one year at 19.
Ce garçon nous chavire les sens et nous remplit de frissons. Ces frémissements surviennent dans les passages lyriques aux difficultés techniques monstrueuses souvent insoupçonnées opus 25. no.5 mesures 45 à 95...et puis la merveille de l'opus 24 no.4, quel titanesque poète agile aux mains magnifiques et gracieuses!
Cool Kid aimi kobayashi is a nobody? Not saying George Li is bad.... but which of the two of them actually made it to the final stage of this competition? The “nobody” did. Not George li so... 👀nice try tho
@@paolovez9688 George li withdrew himself becasue he was too good for this competition and he got 2nd place in Tchaikovsky competition. He also goes to Harvard unlike Aimi.
@@paolovez9688 both of you are wrong, we decided who is the better the better pianist with our view and answer to how to interpret a piece, also to Cool Kid, Chopin competition is just as presetigious as The Tchaikovsky Competition, going to Harvard doesn't mean you are better than another pianist, in fact, majority of Harvard has nothing similar to these pieces in repetoire of Chopin, so keep your opinions to yourself on who is better.
BRAVO BRAVO. A joy to hear such musicianly growth. A big fan when he was 12 but my interest got very diluted during the boring show-offy stage a couple of years after that. Now a big big fan again. Congratulations on taking the true path.
All I can say is wow.. Bravo George! and here I thought how could he set the bar any higher. Brilliant performance and congrats getting to the finals in October.
Should be noted that the American Chopin Competition gave him third prize, but the world famous Tchaikovsky Competition gave him 2nd prize. Since we are not talking the difference between Bach and Tchaikovsky, just another example of the problems with judging systems. Trifonov wins the Tchaikovsky but in Warsaw just third. Warsaw's winner in that competition, Avdeeva is hardly known (anyone should be able to hear why). But the Tchaikovsky Competition knew their winners talent (even if I find him just bland) as again it was not the Chopin Competition that did not recognize the pianist who would reach international acclaim. Yundi Li is the last winner to make it not that long ago (even more so than Trifonov, but Trifonov is much younger) - but long enough to now ask a little bit about the judge's ability to predict the pianists who will have big performance careers. But then again, audiences don't do much better - it's just juries are supposed to be the experts. We'll see this competition - as they lost Li because Tchaikovsky discovered his talent before the Warsaw system could.
He is crazy!!! How can prepare for two interntional competitions at the same time o.0 ?! And by the way get the second prize... Real god… Hope he will give us another thrill in October~~
His best piece here is undoubtedly the Etude Op. 10 No. 4 which reminds me of Richter, who played it many times on UA-cam here. I think he is potentially the next Richter, if you watch the entire video again. Richter was not known as a great Chopin interpreter, but still a great pianist. His Nocturne is the only thing not quite up to his standard musically, but so what.
Yes, it is possibly the best performance of "The Governess Piece" I've ever been privileged to hear. It's so wonderfully expressive -- deeply felt, and utterly sincere. I corresponded with George about his then-child's interpretation of Beethoven Opus 57, and offered him some fairly severe-but-constructive criticism. I was impressed with the manly way he took my advice and the humility he showed. I found it very touching and have counted myself a fan ever since. I am happy to see that he has done more than live up to the potential I saw in him several years ago,
davidhertzberg Brilliant, ja aber mehr wie eine Etüde gespielt. Man vergleiche mit Rubinstein/Zimerman - da klingt jede Etüde wie ein grossartiges Werk, das sie eben auch sind! Da fehlt mir etwas die Herausarbeitung der Musik - nicht bloss der Technik (um der Technik willen)! Eigentlich schade bei diesem Talent ... ;)
Noah Michael who cares it’s the stupidest thing what really matters is that he showed that he loved music played with an enormous amount of musicality and he expressed himself
zastanawiam się, cóż za nowe słowo powstało na potrzeby eliminacji....naprawdę nikt nie widzi, że w połowie linków do występów artystów jest COMPETITON? A gdzie ostatnie "i"????? Competition...
annamusician Szanowna Pani, bardzo dziękujemy za zwrócenie uwagi. Nota bene takie zjawisko w żargonie redaktorskim nazywa się literówką i wynika z pomyłki technicznej operatora, nie ambicji słowotwórczych wydawcy.
Last year the admissible age was widened. One could take part, if was born between 1985 and 1999. More about the competition rules you can read here: chopincompetition2015.com/competition-rules
Vette gaddia Only a few winners of the (Chopin) competition have a long and successful career as Pollini, Argerich and Zimerman. For last time competition it's way too early to tell anything. And concert life and competition don't ask the same thing. The audience is different from the jury (all professionals)! There were 2 famous examples where two judges left the jury: Alfred Cortot (when Dinu Lipatti only got the 2nd prize instead of the first) and in 1980 Martha Argerich (when Ivo Pogorelich did not make it to the finals)! Of course Dinu Lipatti and Ivo Pogorelich are better kown then the winners ...
Alon Ostrun If people had to be at the same level as someone to critique them, then criticism would be incredibly stifled. Your comment is immature and wrong. However, I will say I very much disagree with the original comment in this thread. More musicality? The guy is a musical and pianistic genius obviously..
I was there that day, when he start to play nobody was making the most insignificant movement, like a spell.... even the jury!. When he finished the first etude I remember turning to see the jury they were astonished!!! Then I realize that we were listening one of most outstanding pianist of our time! This 30 min will live always in my mind!
My god he blew me away with that first etude! I wish I saw it live as you did.
why he withdraw
@@josielau1218 cuz he won the tchaikovsky competition that year and started to go on tour
@@simonhsing-hohou3585 He tied for 2nd, but you are right that he was too busy with concerts. Good for him!
George plays not only with uncommon virtuosity, but he has a very wide range of tonal subtlety, sensitivity and dynamics. Despite the fact that musical preferences may be quite subjective and vary, it is quite obvious to me that he possesses something very rare even among his rivals. I pray he gets his just due in this competition.
Why did he withdraw from this competition?
George Li is one of the most sensitive artists you will ever come across. I've had the privilege of working with him on a few occasions, and he is one of my favorite artists. Bravo George.
The opening Nocturne is magical; he 'contains' it perfectly while giving each section due expressiveness and variety. I've never heard it played better. The C# minor study is fiery without being aggressive (rare indeed nowadays, when few pianists seem to know the difference), the E minor playful but elegant, the central section effortlessly lyrical (again, too many pianists try too hard to 'sing') and the A minor fleet without sounding like a race. The Mazurka dances as it must (some even manage to labour these marvellous miniatures) and in the Scherzo, again, he generates excitement without assaulting the piano. There are mishits in all these performances, which show the boy is human! Someone has compared Li to Ashkenazy. I'd say nothing like (and I have Ashkenazy's 1962 recording of the Chopin Studies inter alia); Ashkenazy has never had such elegance, poise and natural eloquence! Li is not a great pianist in the making; he already is one! Thanks for posting.
I truly enjoyed this brilliant performance by George Li. My favorite was his interpretation of Chopin's Scherzo No.2 Op.31 in B-Flat Minor at the end. I was so happy to see that he was performing at the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. This is the level of performance where he belongs!
But he withdrew from the competition, didn’t he? Anyone knows why?
Really exquisite Chopin, very beautifully performed - thank you George Li ! Congratulations on winning your Silver medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow this year !
He did not need to enter a piano competition. He did not need to prove himself, he is already well established. We have many great pianists who never entered a piano competition and have or are still doing well. These judges can destroy this young man because many of them have chosen their winner well before the competition starts.
skimask777 In fact he even dropped out of the Chopin competition to join the Tchaikovsky Competition where he got the 2nd prize...
George, this was quite an impressive performance for the first round. You are now playing with such maturity, style & elegance. Well done! I'm sure you will go far in this competition. Good luck!
He can change the ambient mood in the very first few notes of Nocturne. Such an ability is rare.
The 121 dislikers either are Lang Lang fans or think it's all about playing the right notes (there are a few mishits here). This is music-making of a rare order. Every piece is finely nuanced, sharply characterized and given a narrative thread. Li takes us somewhere, far away from this imperfect world. Unquestionably a star of the future.
No need to hate on lang lang tho
@@youriwatson930 there is, his technique is dangerous
i can feel the jealousy of the downvoters lmao
r/thisisnotreddit
The young George Li won 2nd Place in one of the world's most prestigious and challenging competitions, the 2015 Tchaikovsky. He should do quite well in the Chopin, but Aimi Kobayashi and Annie Zhou are both incredibly talented pianists!
If he doesn't end up as the winner or top 3 I'll be severely disappointed in the Polish. I have yet to hear Chopin of this caliber in one so young. While his interpretations aren't 100% traditional, they are 110% enjoyable. He makes me feel strong emotions, as if I'm seeing a flower bloom again, but this time a little more radiant then last year. The flower being Chopin's music interpretations. With proper guidance he can one day become a leading Chopin interpreter in my opinion.
+mcrettable The jury is composed of members from different countries - it is actually of international character.
+mcrettable He would have been one of the favorites. But he would have to be near perfect...Liu, Aimi and Cho were all great in the final's Concerto. And Lu is coming up today. If Li is at the finals, it could be a USA SWEEP! Since Liu and Lu have been near perfect so far! As for Cho who is Korean. He probably made 5 mistakes through all 4 rounds and he is artistic too. This is going to be VERY tough for the judges to determine the winners.
+mcrettable here's a nice analysis .& 2 sim price of deserved international contest.
mcrettable he chose to not move on
Wow, i didn't expect he is this exceptional at Chopin. All is so natural!
GREAT YOUNG MUSICIAN!!!
I AM SURE THAT GEORGE DEFINITELY WILL BE ONE OF THE FINALIST FOR THIS COMPETITION...GOOD LUCK!!!
Shall we bet ? :)
My god, etude op 10 no 4 was the best i have ever heard!! Amazing
Ikr
I just heard that he has made the finals in October! Congratulations to him!
PSearPianist Hi Friend. Did your hear this from a good source?
Francis Fawkes Here is my source: bit.ly/1JGaQ6P
PSearPianist What is more impressive is he just made the final 6 in the finals of the Tchaikovsky Competition. So he has a chance to medal twice in one year at 19.
Vette gaddia That's right - I congratulated him on Facebook (as did lots of other people!)
Vette gaddia What is even more impressive is he won the Silver medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition !
Who are the deaf idiots who gave this a thumbs down . His playing is amazing , brilliant.
Ce garçon nous chavire les sens et nous remplit de frissons. Ces frémissements surviennent dans les passages lyriques aux difficultés techniques monstrueuses souvent insoupçonnées opus 25. no.5 mesures 45 à 95...et puis la merveille de l'opus 24 no.4, quel titanesque poète agile aux mains magnifiques et gracieuses!
Excellent. I’m at a loss to understand anyone giving George a thumbs down. Must be deaf....
i'm listening to this again and the etude op 10 no 4 is easily the best rendition in this whole competition
I’d have to argue. Aimi Kobayashi’s has more subtleties and dynamics that distinguishes her apart
@@paolovez9688 dont compare george li with aimi shes nobody
Cool Kid aimi kobayashi is a nobody? Not saying George Li is bad.... but which of the two of them actually made it to the final stage of this competition? The “nobody” did. Not George li so... 👀nice try tho
@@paolovez9688 George li withdrew himself becasue he was too good for this competition and he got 2nd place in Tchaikovsky competition. He also goes to Harvard unlike Aimi.
@@paolovez9688 both of you are wrong, we decided who is the better the better pianist with our view and answer to how to interpret a piece, also to Cool Kid, Chopin competition is just as presetigious as The Tchaikovsky Competition, going to Harvard doesn't mean you are better than another pianist, in fact, majority of Harvard has nothing similar to these pieces in repetoire of Chopin, so keep your opinions to yourself on who is better.
Op 10 no 4.....omggggg.....brilliantly played!!
BRAVO BRAVO. A joy to hear such musicianly growth. A big fan when he was 12 but my interest got very diluted during the boring show-offy stage a couple of years after that. Now a big big fan again. Congratulations on taking the true path.
wow how old is he? a prodigy? as good as concert pianists i've heard
Marvelous, just marvelous! Best wishes for the finals!
Great sense of sound quality and such a great technique. I feel comfortable with his interpretation. Reminds me of Ashkenazy
All I can say is wow.. Bravo George! and here I thought how could he set the bar any higher. Brilliant performance and congrats getting to the finals in October.
One of my favorite etude 10:4 and Scherzos 👏
Should be noted that the American Chopin Competition gave him third prize, but the world famous Tchaikovsky Competition gave him 2nd prize. Since we are not talking the difference between Bach and Tchaikovsky, just another example of the problems with judging systems. Trifonov wins the Tchaikovsky but in Warsaw just third. Warsaw's winner in that competition, Avdeeva is hardly known (anyone should be able to hear why). But the Tchaikovsky Competition knew their winners talent (even if I find him just bland) as again it was not the Chopin Competition that did not recognize the pianist who would reach international acclaim. Yundi Li is the last winner to make it not that long ago (even more so than Trifonov, but Trifonov is much younger) - but long enough to now ask a little bit about the judge's ability to predict the pianists who will have big performance careers. But then again, audiences don't do much better - it's just juries are supposed to be the experts. We'll see this competition - as they lost Li because Tchaikovsky discovered his talent before the Warsaw system could.
Damn... I think George will arrive very very far...
Gabriel San Antonio Hi
Plays as though he's much older
If he hadn't withdrawn, he would've won. Definitely a contender in 2020
Amazing!!!! I bet he will be on the final!
He is crazy!!! How can prepare for two interntional competitions at the same time o.0 ?!
And by the way get the second prize... Real god… Hope he will give us another thrill in October~~
Piano Man trifonov. For 3
Bravo!! Fantástico George Li! 🌹
The Yamaha concert grand sounds fantastic for Chopin!
Congratulations! Wish you the Best at upcoming finals.
Absolutely Brilliant !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Spellbinding performance ~
Superior!
EXCELLENT ! ! ! We wish you the BEST ! !
Браво, Джордж! Удачи на конкурсе!
Congratulations !
Rooting for you, George!
Jane I respect you for your service thanks for all the videos.
Bravo! Wonderful performance!
He graduated with the Harvard University and New England Conservatory joint degree program, very impressive young man!
Bravissimo,George!!!
Very filigree and brilliant!
Magnificent performance!!!
Marvelous sound
Great job, George! Bravo!
I think you should win Tchaikovsky Competition George Li, I hope you win both! Best wishes to you + love your playing.
The Scherzo sounded like it was singing to me.
Very Nice. Plays with authority.
He played the Mazurka really good!
All my best wishes to you.
The introduction said he has withdrawn? Oh, what a pity. Nice playing.
His best piece here is undoubtedly the Etude Op. 10 No. 4 which reminds me of Richter, who played it many times on UA-cam here. I think he is potentially the next Richter, if you watch the entire video again. Richter was not known as a great Chopin interpreter, but still a great pianist. His Nocturne is the only thing not quite up to his standard musically, but so what.
This is pure pleasure ~
¡ Brillante, felicitaciones y éxitos, eres genial querido George, saludos a distancia desde Chile !!!!
I really like the scherzo
Yes, it is possibly the best performance of "The Governess Piece" I've ever been privileged to hear. It's so wonderfully expressive -- deeply felt, and utterly sincere. I corresponded with George about his then-child's interpretation of Beethoven Opus 57, and offered him some fairly severe-but-constructive criticism. I was impressed with the manly way he took my advice and the humility he showed. I found it very touching and have counted myself a fan ever since. I am happy to see that he has done more than live up to the potential I saw in him several years ago,
George li starts playing at 2:04.
Just checked the list of winners, and showed George Li "withdrew." Does anyone know what that means?
pianist he withdrew from the competition. The reason why he did this is explained in a letter, which you can find on the internet.
Wonderful - Wonderful - Wonderful -
Brilliant!
Großartig!
Danke, David !!
davidhertzberg Brilliant, ja aber mehr wie eine Etüde gespielt. Man vergleiche mit Rubinstein/Zimerman - da klingt jede Etüde wie ein grossartiges Werk, das sie eben auch sind! Da fehlt mir etwas die Herausarbeitung der Musik - nicht bloss der Technik (um der Technik willen)! Eigentlich schade bei diesem Talent ... ;)
He'll be next to Krzysztof Ksiazek.
Bravo!
Bravo !!! Good luck!
Fantastico!
at 10 minutes he's actually playing op 25 no 5, wrong note etude. no op 10 no 2
Noah Michael who cares it’s the stupidest thing what really matters is that he showed that he loved music played with an enormous amount of musicality and he expressed himself
2:00 start
George....???? You might have taken this thing....
his possessed by the sound of music
bjorn ang aimi is the one possessed; but he is amazing too.
Rat kha. Bravo !
so talented
Gostei de mais, (I Like very) Muito bom Tocou com autoridade (Very Nice. Plays with authority. I am Brasilian - Brasil- Sao Paulo-Carapicuiba
oh my gosh…
His choices are safer...
Grossartig!!
랑랑 요즘 뭐하고 사나요 이 친구는 멋진 후배이네요 ㅡ
his op10 no4 is how to say...unsteady? out of shape? /there is something wrong compared to Aimi's.
zastanawiam się, cóż za nowe słowo powstało na potrzeby eliminacji....naprawdę nikt nie widzi, że w połowie linków do występów artystów jest COMPETITON? A gdzie ostatnie "i"????? Competition...
annamusician Szanowna Pani, bardzo dziękujemy za zwrócenie uwagi. Nota bene takie zjawisko w żargonie redaktorskim nazywa się literówką i wynika z pomyłki technicznej operatora, nie ambicji słowotwórczych wydawcy.
Lol
I like him
He got to first stage but withdrawn unfortunately 😰
How old was he then??
21 or so
its the junior competition or the competition for professional ?
Last year the admissible age was widened. One could take part, if was born between 1985 and 1999. More about the competition rules you can read here: chopincompetition2015.com/competition-rules
thanks i didn't see your comment , i was born in 2001 and i want to participate in this competition :-) in 2020 .
I'm also going to apply. Fortunately, Leo, I spend my time practicing. Not spamming the channels of other young pianists.
Scherzo in B flat, I think he's heard too much.
oh he has decided to withdraw from the competition...What a sad news.
Lolllolloolololoollolllolloll amazing
8.5/10
2:00
well, aimi is going to eat all of them alive. good luck!
Javascript Kiddie aimi kobayashi?
Javascript Kiddie Aimi is my favorite too. But Trifonov was my favorite last time, and he only got 3rd. So the most talented don't always win.
Vette gaddia Maybe they are not that much talented as you thought they were ... Last time (2010) the best clearly won ... xD
MusikPiratCH And where is the 2010 winner doing now comparing to Trifonov who is now a superstar?
Vette gaddia Only a few winners of the (Chopin) competition have a long and successful career as Pollini, Argerich and Zimerman. For last time competition it's way too early to tell anything.
And concert life and competition don't ask the same thing. The audience is different from the jury (all professionals)!
There were 2 famous examples where two judges left the jury: Alfred Cortot (when Dinu Lipatti only got the 2nd prize instead of the first) and in 1980 Martha Argerich (when Ivo Pogorelich did not make it to the finals)!
Of course Dinu Lipatti and Ivo Pogorelich are better kown then the winners ...
Some people say he will be the next Lang Lang but I think he is more a little Yundi Li.
eun jae Lee He is "THE" George Li, unique and special in every respect !
Never pianist play the n°2 op.10 so speed.
A best rendition below:
m.ua-cam.com/video/6OBNdpPY1kI/v-deo.html
è ancora più antipatico di Lang Lang
Hi George,
Have you met Aimi Kobayashi and Tiffany Poon? How do you like them? I hope you can marry one of them someday in the future! Thanks.
one more Asian pianist with phenomenal technical skills and without good understanding of European classical music.
Damn, too many mistakes for this competition level... there's no way he could've won with this many mistakes.
Ben Shapiro sent me.
brilliant technic but no emotion... like piano machine
What are you talking about!!? He is full of emotions!!!
He was cute as a prodigy but now his time is over. His Chopin is rubbish. He will not even medal.
Speed okay, dynamics weaker, techniques in control, musicality needs more.
Stop jealous .. Look where is he, and where is you.
He won 2nd prize at tch 15 , and you nothing.
Shut the fuck up, and go shit somewhere...
Alon Ostrun If people had to be at the same level as someone to critique them, then criticism would be incredibly stifled. Your comment is immature and wrong. However, I will say I very much disagree with the original comment in this thread. More musicality? The guy is a musical and pianistic genius obviously..
Lol needs more musicality? From what I can hear its pretty musical and very free-flowing.
George li is an amazing pianist so shut up and look where you’re at
Superior!