Eight days before this promising recital, an event of the highest musical level of this current Fall, I endeavoured to have a small dialogue with this charming, cultured and civilized personality of our essential Classical music world.

As this interview was conducted in English, I will have exceptionaly translated myself with the proper terms and images immanent to our French culture and language as to not replicate a simple pasted version (hence a separate article in French) of how I perceive this interview’s essence and the magnitude of this artist that I consider so highly as to be the nec plus ultra of his generation (with a very selected inspired group of talented Happy Few young pianists, male and female).

George Li’s program at Oscar Peterson hall (Concordia’s Sir George Williams campus as McGill’s Pollack Hall is being renovated) will exactly replicate the one on his most recent Warner CD, released a few weeks ago, which, by the way, will be available at intermission on recital day. It entails the following works: Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Arabeske in C major,Op. 18 (1839), Davidsbündlertänze or David’s Dances opus 6 (1837), Maurice RAVEL (1875–1937) Valses nobles et sentimentales (1911), Igor STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) Three movements from Petrushka (1921).

I reached George Li at his home in Boston, in the late afternoon of Friday September 20th 2024 and, as I only had 7 or 8 humble questions to ask the artist, I will outline these before typing in Mr Li’s answers.

Éric Sabourin : In today’s world of classical music performance what advice would you give, let’s say 3 main things one ought to conquer, to a very talented young performer wanting to achieve fame and success?

George Li : Firstly, well from the point of view of personal growth in order to better understand music and even beyond that, in order to understand or perceive our human condition, I mean what fundamentally makes us humans, one has to explore the musical connotations, the context in which this music was written by Schumann, Beethoven or Liszt was conceived. Discover the chore principles and motivations or intentions.

Hence a precise view of the period as a whole has to come to mind. Also it is important to read the high literary works of the period, literature is an essential mirror of the period.

Secondly, for the benefit of your career, as much as I have reservation about the limited use of it, one must acquaint one’s self with social media, to learn to use it to your aim, that is the schowcasing not only of yourself but of the perception of your carreer’s accumplishments.

Thirdly, as a pianist, expand your ear, explore other music (even blues and jazz) everything including pop music: it will expand how yourself you perceive your own playing.

Éric Sabourin : How much time at home does a soloist of your stature has left per year or in average per month to devote to your own favorite away-from-career hobbies?
George Li : Maybe one week per month at best.

Éric Sabourin : Given the fact you play everywhere on Earth, how do you deal with the intense, constant travelling away from home, the lengthy time spent in hotels and in transit in all these airports?
George Li : I have a very strong, fixed, disciplined routine, essential sleep and exercize are fundamental, and I love reading a lot.

Éric Sabourin : What do you say about practising, the dangers of overpractising and the sound, constant acquisition of new repertoire?
George Li : This is a very important topic. This task, really, it feels so intense at times, because there is so much piano repertoire out there, but during the quieter summers, mainly, I attempt or try to explore new repertoire. As for what practising entails, I have extensive practising schedules, it is split in different repetitions sessions, in short, I would say 3 to 4 hours daily of working around the details of every work chosen for my recitals, and a 2 hours daily period of reading new repertoire.

Éric Sabourin : How many complete recital programs do you have ready that you could give at a minute or a day’s notice?
George Li : Entirely ready? I would say 3 to 4 current recital programs.

Éric Sabourin : How many fully memorized concertos do you have at hand in your repertoire at a few days or a few hours notice when asked by an orchestra to replace a suddenly ill colleague, when requested to, by your agent?
George Li : At that level of performance I’d say 15 concertos are ready to be played at a moment’s notice out of the 30 concertos I’ve memorized and integrated in my repertoire.

Éric Sabourin : Can you name seven (7) of these from the top of your head, let’s say the absolutely easiest ones for you to recall, act upon and render immediately to the public?George Li : Rachmaninov’s Second and third concertos and his Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Tchaikovsk’y first concerto, Saint-Saens’ second concerto, Chopin’s first concerto, Beethoven’s fourth and fifth concertos.

Éric Sabourin : Which five all-time virtuoso’s recital or current soloist’s recital are you still so totally highly admirative of, that you would run a mile on your heels even to arrive entirely breathless and exhausted in order to be on time to listen to their playing?
George Li : Martha Argerich, even yesterday and today I mean her playing has evolved in such a fascinating way like for instance her Chopin third piano sonata, it’s just amazing, then I’d say Alfred Cortot, then Svjatoslav Richter, also Maria Joao Pires, and of course Vladimir Horowitz.

Well I must say that this list of five great interpreters he’d run to hear are precisely the ones he embodies in essence in his playing in quality of tone, color, technique, fine musical mind, and the feeling conveyed of controlled intensity. He offers vitality, freshness, joie de vivre in splendid music! In my opinion, George Li brings heartfelt and incandescent excitement to the concert platform.