Show goes on for Li Yundi

CHINESE superstar pianist Li Yundi spent a romantic Christmas night with audiences in Shanghai, accompanied by Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra. Tickets were sold out weeks ago although there had been some concern after the musician hurt his hands during a performance in Chicago.

The 25-year-old classic music star was the youngest winner of the prestigious International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition and the first pianist in 15 years to be awarded the first prize. He became a household name after he emerged from five years practising in seclusion in Hanover early last year. He is known for limiting the number of concerts to guarantee top quality performances.

Li appeared on the press conference in formal black suit and talked about the Chicago incident. "It was too late to cancel the concert and I don't want to disappoint the audiences. I will try my best, but we did rearrange the repertoire because I can't play such technical programs considering the state of my hands."

Earlier this month, Li made a surprise appearance at pop star Jay Chow's concert. He said it was because they were friends but he also hoped to get some inspiration from pop music.