On October 21, "Chinese Chopin" Li Yundi was detained by the Chaoyang Branch office in Beijing on suspicion of prostitution.
He became famous at a young age and won the gold medal of the Chopin International Piano Competition, known as the "Nobel of Music", but he went high and low, and finally became a bad artist. At the same time, he was left far behind by Lang Lang, who had once been equal.
In an interview, Li Yundi was asked about his personal relationship, and he replied:
"Now it's more difficult for me to find a girlfriend, one is that I don't have time;
The second is that I am more stubborn, and in some things, I am extremely personal, I am afraid that girls are difficult to accept, after all, I can't ask my girlfriend as a work team;
Besides, I still have a lot of unmet interests, so I haven't thought about it too much. ”
Li Yundi's childhood was quite depressed, spending most of his time pressing the black and white piano keys.
He wanted to go out and play like other children, but his mother Zhang Xiaolu would always sit behind him with a sign to knit a woolen coat and watch him. If the shape of his hand practicing the piano changes, Zhang Xiaolu will quickly correct it with the tip of the sign, and if he is distracted, the sign is likely to fall rapidly on his arm, thigh or other parts.
7-year-old Li Yundi changed from accordion to piano and became an "older child" in the juvenile palace, fortunately, he made rapid progress, always able to skip grades and play scores, and the teacher felt that his understanding was particularly high.
Of course, all this is closely related to Zhang Xiaolu.
In addition to holding a sign to urge Li Yundi, Zhang Xiaolu also made a strict plan for him. In the plan, Li Yundi went to class in the morning, practiced in the afternoon, and practiced more after dinner in the evening.
In the day, Li Yundi's most anticipated thing is 6:30 p.m., when he can turn on the TV and eat while holding the bowl.
In the audience are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Saint Seiya and Transformers. Li Yundi liked it too much, but as soon as 7 o'clock arrived, the prelude to the news broadcast sounded, and the dream woke up immediately, and he immediately jumped to the piano and prepared to practice.
Once, taking advantage of Zhang Xiaolu's absence, Li Yundi secretly turned on the TV, and was caught squarely. Zhang Xiaolu touched the hot TV set and scolded all the time angrily. She made up her mind and moved the TV set away.
That day, 11-year-old Li Yundi cried uncontrollably.
But after crying, you still have to continue practicing, every time you play wrong, Zhang Xiaolu's signature will definitely arrive, without exception.
Once, a song, Li Yundi played for a long time without passing, Zhang Xiaolu slammed the door and left, leaving Li Yundi alone in the room. After a moment of fear, he practiced like crazy. Later, Li's father came home and couldn't bear to see him like this, so he pleaded with Zhang Xiaolu and begged her to come back and listen to Li Yundi's bomb.
After Zhang Xiaolu returned, Li Yundi breathed a sigh of relief, tightened his fingertips and pulled against the piano keys, and a lot of sweat came out of his back. He looked up timidly at Zhang Xiaolu.
Zhang Xiaolu said at this time: "Yes." ”
After a while, Li Yundi skipped a textbook on the progress. The teacher of the Children's Palace really couldn't teach, so he recommended Dan Zhaoyi, the piano professor of Chuanyin, to Li Yundi's mother and son.
One evening in November 1991, Zhang Xiaolu led Li Yundi to visit Dan Zhaoyi. After seeing Li Yundi's skills, Zhao Yi was very surprised, this child is not only highly talented, but also the concentration when playing the piano is very impressive.
Before that, although Li Yundi played well, teachers who had seen him play would always put forward a fatal weakness - this child's hands were too small, and he might not be able to play a song with too much span in the future. But Zhaoyi told Li Yundi very firmly: "The hand will grow slowly, and music is the most important." ”
Li Yundi followed Dan Zhaoyi for a short time and trusted him very much. But the teacher is gentle, speaks very softly, and will give people three opportunities to correct mistakes, and will not hit people.
More importantly, he knew Li Yundi's talent.
In 1994, Li Yundi was admitted to Sichuan Music High School. A year later, the Shenzhen Art School invited Dan Zhaoyi to teach. At this time, the question was in front of Li Yundi and Zhang Xiaolu, whether to stay in Chongqing or follow Dan Teacher to Shenzhen.
At that time, Li Yundi had already won the first place in the Chongqing Children's Piano Competition and the first place in the "Huapu Cup" National Children's Piano Competition. After knowing Dan's decision, Li Yundi said: "But wherever the teacher goes, I will go." ”
Zhang Xiaolu also quit his job and went south with Li Yundi and Dan Zhaoyi. From a person who did not know how many keys the piano had, to a person with the ability to guide the piano at a young age, her ears became particularly smart, and once Li Yundi played it wrong, she would immediately find out. Under such a high-intensity gaze, Li Yundi practiced for 3-5 hours a day.
At that time, Li Yundi especially loved to play table tennis, but every time he played, as long as he heard a sharp shout, he would immediately throw down the sign, run on his legs, and the ping-pong ball fell to the ground and bounced back at once. After he had been gone for a long time, his partner reacted, and the man just shouted "Your mother is coming."
Li Yundi's participation in group activities was also restricted, and the only spring excursion he participated in after arriving in Guangdong was to go to Luofu Mountain. On the morning of departure, Li Yundi consciously got up at 5:30 a.m. and went to the piano room to practice the piano for 2 hours before meeting with his classmates and setting off.
Later, when his class teacher talked about this matter, he said: "But with such diligence, it is strange that it is not successful." ”
At the end of the 1990s, Li Yundi began to participate in international competitions.
Every time he participates in international competitions, Mr. Zhaoyi will go abroad with Li Yundi.
In 1999, Dan Zhaoyi took Li Yundi to the Netherlands to participate in the Liszt International Piano Competition. They lived in an old man's home in the suburbs, and because they didn't want to cause trouble for the old man, they ate biscuits and bread for several days. This caused Li Yundi to often be hungry and weak.
Later, on the day of entering the final and preparing to move to the city, the teacher himself went to the market to buy stuffing and skins, and wrapped a wonton for Li Yundi.
In the final, Li Yundi was the youngest player, sitting in the audience, Princess Margaret, the sister of the Queen of the Netherlands, and in the end, Li Yundi won the third place and the "Public Award". After receiving the award, a Dutch agent came up to Li Yundi and said:
"You're a real artist, and the other two winners are only suitable to be teachers."
In 2000, the 14th Chopin Piano Competition began, and Li Yundi was selected by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China.
When he received the notice, he had only been away from the game for 8 months, and the master and apprentice had to make up Chopin's song.
This award is called the Nobel prize of the music industry, it values the skill and quality of musicians, if it does not meet the standards, there will be no gold medal. Since 1985, when Bruin in Russia won the gold medal, no one has won it for 15 years.
On October 4, the competition officially kicked off. Li Yundi, accompanied by his teacher Dan Zhaoyi, came to Warsaw.
Shortly after the first round began, it came to Li Yundi's birthday. Taking advantage of the gap in practice, Zhao Yi took Li Yundi to the nearby KFC and ordered him fried chicken and Coke. Li Yundi chewed heavily, but Zhaoyi held up the Coke bottle and touched the cup with the disciple, wishing him good results.
In this competition, 98 people from 23 countries came, and Li Yundi was the youngest. After the first round, the 98ers were eliminated by 60, and Li Yundi was not among them.
After the previous exercise, his mentality was much more stable than the first time, but after each performance, he must run to Dan Zhaoyi, listen to the teacher's evaluation, and hug the teacher.
In the second round, the "high priest of the piano world" Agridge joined the jury, and before the start of the competition, Li Yundi suddenly said to Dan Zhaoyi: "I am so nervous, my mind is blank." ”
Seeing Li Yundi's appearance, Zhaoyi quickly took out a note from his body, wrote down four words forcefully, and handed it to Li Yundi. Li Yundi clutched the note, which read "selfless and fearless."
At the end of the second round, there were 11 people left.
At the end of the third round of the game, Li Yundi's points had already ranked first.
On the final stage, he played Chopin's Concerto No. 1, after which he ran into the crowd as usual to look for Dan's teacher. But the teacher smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder, and the expression on his face changed from nervousness to relief.
When the last note dissipated, all the audience and the 23 judges all stood up and gave a standing ovation.
Yazinski, chairman of the jury, said: "Li Yundi interpreted Chopin's compositions so perfectly that you can hardly find any flaws. ”
At 1:00 a.m., the results of the competition were announced, and the gold medal had not yet been announced, and another Russian player who had entered the final together picked up Li Yundi high. But Zhao Yi told him: "Smile, then the multimedia is shooting." ”
As a result, it was announced that many people rushed to Li Yundi, and many people wanted to know the first thoughts of the "Chinese Chopin" after winning the award.
Li Yundi said: "Mom, I succeeded. ”
After knowing that his son had won the award, Zhang Xiaolu flew to the Netherlands with her husband.
When she came back, she saw her husband carrying large bags and small bags, Li Yundi was empty-handed, and she shouted at Li Yundi: "Don't think that you are a star now, you want others to serve you, and you carry your own luggage." As a son, you also have to carry your father's luggage! ”
Li Yundi was stunned and apologized vigorously.
After returning from the competition, many media wanted to interview Li Yundi, and reporters from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan were very interested in him, and Li Yundi interviewed and gave concerts one after another every day. In recognition of Li Yundi's achievements, the Shenzhen Municipal Government rewarded the school with 1 million yuan.
On the eve of 2001, Zhang Xiaolu locked Li Yundi, who was so busy and dizzy, in his room that he asked Li Yundi to write greeting cards for his relatives and friends.
"You can have today, don't forget the great help of many people to you, the new year is coming, you have to personally send blessings to those who have helped you." 」 The list opened by Zhang Xiaolu, Li Yundi wrote it for 2 days.
In April 2001, during his performance in Tokyo, Li Yundi officially signed a contract with Deutsche Grammophon (hereinafter referred to as DG), the world's largest classical company, becoming the first Chinese pianist signed by the company, and since then he has been a "professional performer". Just when the noise had not subsided, he made a decision to study at the Hannover Conservatory of Music and Drama in Germany.
"After all, the origin of classical music is in the West, the piano is a Western instrument, and its roots are in Europe, so this time I am going to 'find the roots'."
On the eve of going to Germany, Zhang Xiaolu proposed to accompany him to read, but Li Yundi refused.
This time, he boarded a plane to Germany alone.
In Hanover, Li Yundi rented an apartment by himself, the furniture and decoration were all decided by himself, and finally had a sense of "domination", and soon after, he found that things were not simple, and it turned out that life was not just "just practicing the piano", but also cooking, paying rent and washing clothes. Li Yundi had never done this before, nor did he like to do it.
He fell in love with crispy German bread and crisp sausages, occasionally took out a bucket of instant noodles brought from Home to "improve his life", rubbed his shirt into a ball and threw it away when he wore it dirty, and rubbed it in a Chinese restaurant when he had time, although the taste was not so authentic.
In short, the problems in life are not problems, compared with "freedom", these are a fart.
Of course, here, in addition to German bread and hot dogs, Li Yundi also fell in love with girls, and his scandal became the talk of international students.
On December 5 of that year, Li Yundi's first album "Chopin Selection" was released by DG Worldwide. Unsurprisingly, the record sold 200,000 copies in Japan and 30,000 copies in Hong Kong, setting a record for the sale of classical records in Hong Kong. In that year, Li Yundi lived a life of "half student, half performer", taking 5 or 6 months of classes in Hanover every year, and then touring the world, and everywhere there was a large group of fans around to sign autographs.
In 2003, Li Yundi held the first China tour, the theme of which was "Improving the Quality of Children's Survival and Paying Attention to the Healthy Growth of Children".
Beijing Evening News said: "At that time, audiences in Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Beijing and Chengdu will appreciate Li Yundi's superb musical talent and healthy image." ”
It was also this year that the chubby young man who was born in the same year as Li Yundi also came to DG.
Not long ago, he became the first Bernstein Grand Prize winner for artistic achievement.
At the signing ceremony, Robert, CEO of DG Records, said: "Lang Lang is a sensational rising star in the international music scene that has not been encountered in a hundred years, and I am very happy that he can join the DG family with a century-old history. ”
Since then, there has been an argument about which of the two is better.
Different from Li Yundi's half-work and half-study, after signing the DG, Lang Lang has to do a lot of performances every year, about his annual performances, some people say 100, some people say 150, some people say 200. In the eyes of many people, this is not only energetic, it is simply excessive energy.
Someone specifically asked Li Yundi's opinion on Lang Lang's frequent performances, and Li Yundi said:
"It's an amazing number, but everyone has a different opinion, I feel like I can't afford such a heavy performance, I've played 7 times in a row, and finally the freshness and desire to express are almost gone."
Later, a large number of articles appeared on the Internet about "why Li Yundi's fame is not as good as Lang Lang", most of whom said that Lang Lang was good at marketing himself and knew how to publicize and advertise, while Li Yundi was calm and introverted, and he was at ease making music, so he was not well known.
Many people listened and listened, and they believed.
In 2006, Li Yundi graduated from Hanover. A year later, Huacheng Publishing House published him an autobiography, with an autobiographical cover, and his name was no longer preceded by "Chinese Chopin" or "Piano Prince", but "Chinese Piano Myth Li Yundi".
But at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, it was found that it was not Li Yundi, the "Myth of the Chinese Piano", who represented China on stage to the world, but the chubby Lang Lang.
At this time, Li Yundi also officially terminated his contract with DG Company, according to Li Yundi, it was the company that encountered difficulties in marketing. However, a large number of industry insiders said that Li Yundi did not take the initiative to terminate the contract, but was terminated. Because DG can't tolerate a person who is negligent in self-management, doesn't care about his career, and repeatedly warns without repentance.
At that time, Li Yundi often reported new songs before the concert to attract attention, but changed back to the old tracks on the spot, because "he did not practice the new songs at all." As the days went on, the top brass couldn't stand it.
It was also this year that Li Yundi and the famous Hong Kong star Peng Dan spread a scandal. Peng Dan was 34 years old at the time, charming, and the two were photographed having dinner in Shanghai until late at night, exchanging phone numbers, and behaving quite intimately.
Li Yundi hurriedly responded to reporters: "How can I be involved with middle-aged women?" ”
In 2010, the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth, the Polish government awarded Li Yundi the "Glory Art" cultural medal and gave Li Yundi the world's first "Chopin Passport".
In March, the new company EMI Classics recorded and released "Chopin's Complete Nocturnes" for Li Yundi, which won platinum sales; Li Yundi seems to still have to be linked to Chopin is the right way, but at this time, Li Yundi has a new interest.
In 2012, he appeared on the Spring Festival Gala and cooperated with Wang Lihong in "Golden Snake Dance" and "Descendants of the Dragon", which has since led to the famous "Hongdi" CP.
A year later, Liu Qian's sentence "Find Li Hong" pushed this "Hongdi fever" to a climax. Many people may forget that in fact, in 2013, Lang Lang also took the stage, but he did not act as Liu Qian's "magic tool man" like Li Yundi, but cooperated with Hou Honglan in the music and dance "Fingertips and Toes".
After the Spring Festival Gala, the Beijing Daily, which supported Li Yundi at that time, published an article titled "Li Yundi, Sliding to the Pool of Entertainment." The article mentions: "If Chopin were alive, I don't know how to feel when I saw the gold medalist of the Chopin Competition in the past doing magic tricks on TV? ”
But what will really make Chopin angry is probably not yet coming.
In 2014, the official website of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage released the list of judges for the 17th Chopin International Piano Competition in 2015, and Li Yundi became the youngest judge in the history of the Chopin Competition. As a result, he was gone two days before the start of the schedule.
It turned out that he was giving his good brother Huang Xiaoming a groomsman.
Also in 2015, on the evening of October 30, Lee Yun-di was playing Chopin's First Concerto at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall when he had a severe memory lapse and was forced to stop playing it again. And this piece was played by him at the final of the Chopin International Piano Competition that year.
After a major accident, Li Yundi's mood was not greatly affected, and on the night of the end of the performance, he posted a Halloween modeling picture on Facebook and Weibo, with the text:
"I'm going to dress like this tomorrow to scare people, you're afraid."
Later, his team explained that the reason for the mistake was "boat and car fatigue". The Shenzhen Evening News reporter contacted Dan Zhaoyi about this matter, but Zhaoyi refused to be interviewed, and only sent a paragraph:
"The last two things have saddened us very much. Speechless heart is heavy, I am still speechless in the face of you. Honor is not his own, Chopin competition asked him to be in the name of representing China;
Performing in South Korea is also titled as a Chinese pianist. He should know how to love the country and love music; know how to respect himself and love himself; understand that there is no one in the world once and for all, and there will be no unearned gain.
What happened further proved a truth that everyone says every day: first be a man, then an artist, a musician, and finally a pianist, and the other way around is not feasible. ”
In 2016, the British authoritative ClassicFM radio station selected "the 25 greatest pianists in history", and Lang Lang was selected, surrounded by Beethoven, Liszt, Schumann, and Chopin.
After more than 20 years of struggle in Lang Lang, he finally ranked with Chopin, and this year "Chinese Chopin" Li Yundi participated in the recording of a variety show called "Familiar Taste".
In the show, he used the pair of insured 9-figure hands to make a pot of sauerkraut fish for Zhang Xiaolu.
This is not the first time he has participated in the recording of variety shows.
After cooperating with Wang Lihong in 2012, the number of variety shows he participated in soared; he pinched a clay pot in "Twelve Sharp Tastes", acted in sketches in "King of Crossover Comedy", served as a laugh leader in "Talk Show Conference", sang "Dashing Walk" with Zhong Chuxi in "The Masked Singer King", and played game consoles in "Brother With Thorns".
After staying away from the "middle-aged woman", the scandal about his feelings has not stopped for a moment.
In addition to Tian Fei, who was released in 2013, the women who have passed on the scandal with him, from celebrities such as Tang Wei to unknown "hot pants girls", "long-haired girls", "girls in white clothes", "rich girls", and rumors that he has long been married.
In 2019, Lang Lang married his daughter-in-law Gina, who is also a pianist. Li Yundi drove a luxury car late at night to send the girl home, and even untied his hand on the road, which was in the negative news.
However, it all ended two years later on October 21. On this day, Li Yundi was formally detained by the Chaoyang Public Security Bureau on suspicion of prostitution.
After the incident, an urgent media call reached Dan Zhaoyi's home again.
But Zhao Yi first angrily turned off the mobile phone, and then could not stand the other party's frequent contact, in the phone, he said "very sad" as last time, this time he said three times in a row. Li Mu Zhang Xiaolu did not respond.
Twenty-one years ago, 18-year-old Li Yundi won the gold medal at the Chopin International Piano Competition from Warsaw.
Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng and famous musician Wu Zuqiang came to greet him, and everywhere they went, the crowds were crowded and the sound was boiling, and Li Yundi was regarded as a new "piano idol" in All of China and even all of Asia.
His name was associated with Chopin from that time on.
Later, tired for a time, unwilling to play, unwilling to talk, unwilling to listen, he began to empathize with others—Schumann, Mozart, Procfiev, Ravel.
But in the end, he found that it was Chopin who touched him the most.
"Back at Chopin, I find that I love Chopin even more...
You know, passion for one person and one thing is hard to find. It's a lot like falling in love, it has to be subjective impulses and pursuits, and it's impossible to fall in love if you only consider each other.
When I talk to a lot of master conductors and big musicians, they all give me advice, no matter what the reason, you should make sure that you love the work more than 70%, so that you can convey the work well to the audience. ”
When he won the gold medal that year, Li Yundi was very reluctant to call "idol", and he publicly told the media:
"I want people to pay attention to me because of my work, and if you can personally understand the music I play, it will give me great comfort...
Choosing classical music is destined to be a difficult road, and there is no absolute diligence and hard work that cannot achieve a master. ”
Partial references:
1. "Chinese Piano Myth Li Yundi" - Huacheng Publishing House
2. "Li Yundi, Sliding to the Beach of Entertainment" - Beijing Daily
3. "Li Yundi: Conquering the World of Black and White" - Women's Newspaper Charm Emotion
4. "The Autobiography of The Piano Prince Li Yundi - New Romanticism" - NHK
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Author | Tan Yi