Brits were easily outnumbered by Chinese in the Festival Hall last night. Such a legend among his people is the Chinese pianist Yundi (the artist formerly known as Yundi Li) that he now commands bilingual announcements — not that much attention was paid to the proscription of photography.
When he played here in 2010 he ravished the ear with perfectly weighted melodies and subtle tonal colourings. Alas, there was little of that yesterday. His technique is as prodigious as ever (though risk-taking results in frequent spills) but now it is exploited in readings of grotesque vulgarity and poor aesthetic judgment. Both Schumann’s Fantaisie and Beethoven’s Appassionata Sonata were ruined by clangy tone, unconvincing lurches between sections, and cheap, crowd-pleasing effects. The Appassionata in particular was light years away from Beethoven’s emotional and intellectual world, its accelerating coda closer to a Sochi-style skeleton run.
Liszt’s showpiece, Tarantella, was slickly dispatched, while a group of Chinese folksong arrangements offered a modicum of lyrical charm and a range of pastel colours. There were no encores to impede the rush to the CD signing.
Much as one admires Yundi’s ambassadorial role inspiring millions of Chinese children, one can only deplore such a degradation of talent.
