Arts and Entertainment

Piano prodigy George Li visits the Hill

By Cedar Weyker ’17

Hamilton’s music department is known for providing students with an engaging and dynamic array of talented artists. Last Friday’s concert in Wellin Hall, headlined by 19-year-old pianist George Li, certainly upheld the stage’s reputation for excellence. His performance demonstrated an extraordinary level of technical and interpretive prowess for someone so young. Li’s younger brother, Andrew, joined his brother in the program and exhibited a similar level of stylistic ingenuity.

Li opened the concert with several pieces by Frédéric Chopin, displaying his excellent control of dynamic contrast. In his Études, Li exhibited masterful control of the birth and decay of every note, indicating an impressive attention to detail. His repertoire, which continued after the intermission with Franz Liszt’s “Consolation No. 3” and the “Reminiscence of Don Juan,” showcased electric motivic variation interspersed with seamless melodic continuity. During “Don Juan,” he impressed the audience by smoothly crossing voices and hands to create intricate melodic arcs. Throughout the evening, I was struck by the purity of his tone. His seemingly effortless execution of many extensive melismas echoed cleanly throughout the hall.

Andrew Li, who began high school this fall, played pieces by Debussy and Grünfeld after the intermission. He also demonstrated an astounding level of technical mastery. 

George Li began competing at a young age, and has won several international competitions. Over the years, he has collaborated with several internationally acclaimed orchestras, including the Nordic Chamber Orchestra of Sweden, the Boston Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra. He is also no stranger to the talk show Circuit, and performed at the White House in 2011. Li is currently enrolled in the Harvard University/New England Conservatory joint program and continues to maintain a performance schedule.

George and Andrew came to the attention of Hamilton faculty six years ago when he performed at a recital in honor of organ instructor Stephen Best. Colleen Pellman, a lecturer in piano, remembers that “Mr. Best and I agreed that it would be great if we could have them play a concert at Hamilton.” Thanks to the dedication of Mr. Best, who Pellman explains “worked diligently as a liaison between the Li family” and the College, the two brothers appeared on this year’s program as part of the Shute Piano series, named in honor of Hamilton’s first music department chair, Berrian Shute.

The afternoon following the concert, Li held a master class that featured six Hamilton piano students (Louise Owen ’16, Noha Mohamed ’15, Emily Snider ’15, Jin Zhou ’15, Rui Osaka ’17, and Eliza Burwell ’17). During master classes, musicians perform in front of their peers and receive constructive criticism from a guest teacher. These events help performers improve their repertoire and practice their stage presence. Burwell, who hopes to perform a full recital within the next few semesters, played three variations from movement three of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1. “It felt very nerve-wracking to perform a piece that I’ve only been working on for a couple of months in front of a pianist that is as talented and as widely known as he is,” she noted, “but it ended up being a much more relaxed setting than I thought it might have been.” As music faculty looked on, Li gave each student interpretive suggestions. When asked what piece of advice she found most helpful, Burwell answered “I think the most helpful part was the advice he gave me for the last variation of the piece—he pointed out that the high point of the variation isn’t until the very end, and that I should make a very gradual, slow build up to that point.” She pointed out that she also learned a lot from watching other students work with Li, because “even if you’re not playing, you can still learn a ton.”

“It was wonderful to hear not only the technical brilliance of both [George and Andrew Li], but also their musically mature interpretations. It was very clear that they enjoy making music!” Pellman remarked. Indeed, their expressivity conveys a genuine love for performance. Their indisputable talent and enthusiasm will undoubtedly continue to mature and flourish in the coming years.

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