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Anatomy of a pianist
08/01/2010 07:31
THE young woman is sitting on the bench in front of a piano playing Chopin under the glare of stage lights and cameras. She's playing what she has likely practised for hours on end. But her 24-year-old teacher, a world-renowned pianist says she just can't seem to get it right.
"Da dada da dada," the teacher sings before reaching over the piano to show the young woman how to do it properly. His eyes are hidden behind strands of his hair. His ears are tuned to the echoes of Chopin. His fingers dance on the keys.
He is Li Yundi who will have a concert in Beijing on December 3. Born in Chongqing in 1982, Li went to the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in 1994. Li went on to take the top prize at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Poland in 2000. He was the youngest first-prize winner in the contest's history.
Li has just graduated from the Hanover Conservatory of Music, Germany after five years study.
In a recent exclusive interview with Li in a Beijing pub, I was able to examine his body from head to toe as I wondered how a pianist makes all his body parts produce this magic.
Here's the anatomy of a pianist:
Eyes & mind
Though Li's interpretation of Liszt and Chopin may take listeners to dreaming places, Li insists he cannot free his mind to go with them. "I can't [go places] because I must concentrate on the logical side. I need to understand what I am doing. But, also, I need to be in the box — or space. First, I need to control it. And, second, I need to find the balance, how I can be relaxed to go somewhere by feeling. I cannot go outside the box."
Ears
Among the sounds that inspire Li are car engines (especially really powerful ones), waves on the shore, the quiet of an early morning, and vocal music.
Oh, yes, classical pianists can enjoy a good hip hop beat too.
But for Li, music is best listened to on a CD player. "I have an iPod, but I never use it. I like to take every CD with me. I feel it is a kind of art. I don't want to see it only as a computer piece."
Mouth
"I like vocal music — especially opera," Li says. "I think an opera singer can give me a lot of ideas because of the melody, and because of how they breathe. Singing is the part of music that can touch people directly. An instrument has difficulty getting to that level. But that is the best way for a pianist to play."
Hands
Although Li says that he's never taken out an insurance policy on his hands, he admits to avoiding "dangerous sports" like basketball. After all, "Everything comes from my hands. The music is from my hands. The money of course is from my hands. Everybody knows me from my hands."
A broken finger, no doubt, would mean a big challenge.
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