Taking the baton

Li Yundi (left) will take on the role of the conductor while playing with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra in his upcoming China tour. [Photo provided to China Daily]

At a recent news conference in Beijing, Li said working with the orchestra has been the process of realizing his dream, and he has been preparing to take the podium for over a year.

"The orchestra is very closely connected with the music of Chopin. Warsaw is the hometown of the composer. The orchestra has performed with the finalists of the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition each time. They have also performed Chopin's music with the most distinguished pianists in the world. All this has allowed the orchestra to develop its unique interpretations of the concertos," says Li, who was born in Chongqing and started learning piano at the age of 4.

Wojciech Nowak, director and conductor of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, met Li in 2000 during the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition and he was standing next to Li when he was announced the winner.

"From his performances during the competition, I knew he was going to be at the very top. Since then we had the pleasure to work with him numerous times when he played as the soloist with our orchestra or gave solo recitals at our concert hall. I always admired his playing and interpretations," says Nowak.

Last year, Li celebrated his 34th birthday in Warsaw and performed Chopin's concertos with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.

The conductor led the orchestra to play Happy Birthday for the pianist at the end of the recital, which surprised Li.

On Friday, the pianist played with the orchestra again during the 13th International Music Festival－Chopin and His Europe, an annual music festival held in Warsaw since 2005.

For the orchestra's upcoming China tour, Nowak says that it will be the first time the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra is performing Chopin concertos with the soloist leading the orchestra.