Chopin and changing

"Li Yundi is one of the best interpreters of Chopin's music, as his playing is poetic and lyrical. He is an ambassador of not only Chopin's music, but also of Polish culture," says Wojciech Zajaczkowski, Polish ambassador to China, in Beijing.

Shortly before winning that first award, in 2003, Li made his debut in the United States at the Carnegie Hall, where he performed Chopin's Piano Concerto No 1.

He gave an all-Chopin recital at the Royal Festival Hall in London in 2016, with four ballades and 24 preludes.

He has also released albums of the composer's music, including Chopin: Preludes in 2015 and Chopin: Ballades in 2016.

As coming full-circle, Li was one of the jurors at the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in 2015.

Li picked up the baton for the first time in 2017, leading the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra on a five-city tour of China, playing two Chopin's concertos: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No 1 in E Minor and Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No 2 in F Minor.

When Li celebrated his 34th birthday in Warsaw, performing Chopin's concertos with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the orchestra played Happy Birthday for the pianist at the end of the recital, delighting Li with the surprise.

With his hectic schedule of touring, Li is also working on his new album, which, he says "is to be released soon".