Gramophone Magazine
August 2024
Editor's Choice

George Li (piano)

Schumann: Arabeske in C major, Op. 18
Schumann: Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, Heft I
Schumann: Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, Heft II
Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales
Stravinsky: Three Movements from Petrushka

In choosing Movements as the title for this album of piano works, George Li highlights both their structure and their dancing spirit: the 18 movements of Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze (supplemented by his Arabeske in C major) are followed by Ravel’s eight Valses nobles et sentimentales and three movements from Stravinsky’s score for the ballet Petruskha.

“There are intriguing and intoxicating elements in this dance programme that captured me from the outset when crafting it,” says the Boston-born pianist. “Broadly speaking, I love the effects of colour and harmony in these works, as well as the general feeling of an evolution, or perhaps a continuous battle, between the introverted and extroverted impulses … The Davidsbündlertänze embodies the full spectrum of human emotion – despair, anxiety, sorrow, triumph, bliss, or pure love, to name a few … Another fascinating element in this program is the motivic and harmonic threads which connect the smaller pieces into a cohesive whole. Recently, I’ve developed a great obsession with learning how to weave musical moments into a single overarching architectural narrative. This program offers a different challenge – giving space for each musical moment to be its own distinct individual voice, while also still maintaining the narrative arc …”

"I can’t think of another pianist who portrays Ravel’s aesthetic with greater relish or sympathy. The subtlest rhythmic impulses are given their due, even as the colour and dynamic spectra seem almost incalculably wide." - Gramophone Magazine, August 2024