Li Chuan Yun (李傳韻),

Li Chuan Yun (李傳韻; born 1980), also known as Chanyun Li or Babeli, is a Chinese violin virtuoso. He began studying violin at the age of three and won his first prize in Beijing when he was five. Li performed all the violin solos for the 2002 film Together[1] and also starred in the film. He is often cited as having been one of the youngest professional violinists in the world.
Contents
1 Biography
2 Instruments
3 Discography
4 Films
5 Awards
6 References
7 External links
Biography
Born to a musical family in the coastal city of Qingdao in Northern China, Li's career began at the age of three, when his parents taught him to play the violin at home.
At five, Li won his first championship at the Beijing Youth and Junior Violin Competition. At eleven, he received the top award at the Fifth Wieniawski International Youth Violin Competition, becoming the youngest winner in the competition's history.
Professor Lin Yaoji from the Central Conservatory of Music, the most prestigious music education center in China, recalls the first time he listened to six-year-old Li Chuanyun: "I didn't take it seriously at first, a six-year-old playing Lalo, I just dismissed it. But once the boy started playing, I saw huge talent. I was amazed." Li studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing for 10 years before beginning studies at the Juilliard School in 1996.
At Juilliard, Li studied with Dorothy DeLay, Itzhak Perlman and Hyo Kang; he later continued his study with Delay and Kurt Sassmannshaus at the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.[2]
Professor Kurt Sassmannshaus commented, "It's very rare that one person has the ability to transform a musical idea immediately into sound. Most people have to think about the technique. But Li Chuanyun just plays."
Instruments
Li has performed on a 1784 Guadagnini on extended loan from the Stradivari Society.[3] He also performed with the following violins from the Stradivari Society in recording Stradivari Campaign.
"Lobkowitz" Amati of 1617 ($1,000,000)
"Ruby" Stradivarius of 1708 ($5,000,000)
"La Cathedral" Stradivarius of 1707 ($5,000,000)
"Sloane" Guarneri of 1742 ($4,000,000)
"Lenora Jackson" Stradivarius of 1714 ($5,000,000)
"Mantua-Ricci" Balestreri of 1771 ($4,500,000)
Osborn 1766
Discography
Paganini 24 Caprices (4-CD set, 1993 Hong Kong recordings and 2007 Beijing recordings), ISBN 9787798606461
Violin Operas
Romantic Moments, ISBN 9787798994612
Love Capriccio, ISBN 9787884815579
Prophetic Birds
Stradivari Campaign, ISBN 9787883192817
The Rebirth of Great Violin
La Ronde des Lutins (POLOARTS, 2005), ISBN 9787799915920
Salut D'Amour, Strauss Violin Sonata, and Favourite Encores (Hänssler Classics, 2004) ISBN 9787880713459
Films
Li Chuanyun is best remembered by Chinese audiences for his violin performance in the renowned Chinese director Chen Kaige's movie Together in 2002. The story relates the love between a father and a son who plays the violin. Li performed and recorded the soundtrack's solo violin music, which the Washington Post described as "ethereal playing…which has given the movie such a magnificent aural backdrop."
In 2004, Li appeared in a documentary series of Radio Television Hong Kong of outstanding young Chinese musicians along with Lang Lang, Yundi Li, Jian Wang, Xuan Zhang and others.[4]
Awards
At age 5, he won his first championship at the Beijing Youth and Junior Violin Competition.
In 1991, at age 11, he received the top award at the Fifth Wieniawski International Youth Violin Competition by the unanimous vote of 20 judges from 11 countries; he is the youngest winner in the competition's history.[4]
In 1998, at age 17, he won the first prize of Nakamichi Violin Concerto competition.
At age 19, he won the first prize of Saint Saens Violin Concerto competition.
In 2008, he won the China Gold Record award.
In 2009, he won the Best Artist Award of Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

[@PinacoladaMatthew]

He said once he only plays what was written in the score, what people thought of as "deviant, flamboyant or eccentric" could be explained simply with the word "Cadenza", implying ad libitum, at the virtuoso's pleasure, aka improvisation. Classical music has become so doctrinized and cannonized, that the free spirit of cadenza was forgotten and often looked down upon. What he did improvize was I think totally authentic and justified in accordance with the composer's style and temperament, in a way as if the composer himself would have otherwise written as such.

[@31527Joe]

Watching his performance is enjoyable. 👍👍 it’s like the violin is a part of his body. The best violinist in the world I can say. Amazing 👍

[@wh2174]

I was recently introduced to him. His playing is so brilliant like the violin is part of him! I would love to hear more of his cadenza.

[@drli8765]

The most under rated best violinist in the world. He can play the most difficult songs with ease and still have so much reserve to express emotion. Good luck to find another violinist like him.

[@fanmai9788]

Can’t find another. The last genius in our generation and deserves to be fully appreciated and supported. I’ve heard that he edits Paganini’s 24 pieces otherwise it’s too easy for him 😂

[@southernhawkstudios]

One of my favourite violinists of all time! Amazing!

[@shuliu99]

传韵诠释的“阳光照耀着塔什库尔干”，真是非常棒！他对此曲的改编出神入化，完全地表达了塔吉克民族的音乐风格！ Chuanyun's interpretation of "The Sun Shines on Taxkorgan" is really awosome! His adaptation of this song is superb and fully expresses the musical style of the Tajik people!

[@milchpuder]

So growing up playing the violin in Hong Kong in the 90s, this guy was a local legend and hero. Have had the pleasure of hearing him play in concerts with some regularity. Incredible player with an eccentric, flamboyant, sometimes questionable style but with immense technique. Good to have finally come across a relatively recent video of him still in great form 👍

[@thatoneguy8064]

he was playing for less than two seconds at 0:46, and while I can do better, I can't say that he has "immense technique" or great form for the rest of this

[@aikoenodame123]

Me too! I am so grateful to come across this recent video. I am so afraid that he is no longer performing.

[@asterixe1]

It's a shame this guy isn't better known. His playing and style is unbelievable! He plays with such a fascinating abandonment and singular style. I hate how he's so little known, maybe because he has slightly unconventional looks, is from China, and maybe hasn't been marketed well. All these aspects together make him yet another painfully unknown, super accomplished artist.

[@PinacoladaMatthew]

He said once he only plays what was written in the score, what people thought of as "deviant, flamboyant or eccentric" could be explained simply with the word "Cadenza", implying ad libitum, at the virtuoso's pleasure, aka improvisation. Classical music has become so doctrinized and cannonized, that the free spirit of cadenza was forgotten and often looked down upon. What he did improvize was I think totally authentic and justified in accordance with the composer's style and temperament, in a way as if the composer himself would have otherwise written as such.

[@homay9156]

​​@asterixe1 totally agree with you. only one thing to tell u, he's born and grown up in Hk..

[@michelecherchi154]

A gift! love his playing

[@chriswmao268]

Absolutely genius ！

[@user-td3cg9zs9m]

Chanyun played the Tajikstan melody with aboundant feelings, because the Tajiks are one of the56 tribes in China.His performance reminds me about a poem" Sogdian Whirl" 胡旋女 by 白居易° Xian gu yi sheng shuang xiu ju, Hui xue piao yau zhuan peng wu.( 絃鼓一聲雙袖舉，迴雪飄颻轉蓬舞）

[@mat_m378]

He is the best he is violin beast! Hope he is fine

[@user-wm3lg4rb8k]

出神入化的演奏

[@zitianwang1205]

He’s amazing. Proud for him. First piece btw? Second is 阳光照耀着塔什库尔干

[@henrycampbell8655]

Scherzo Tarantelle by Wienawksi

[@jackiec6579]

世界之最！独一无二的艺术家

[@jack-rp7vr]

李传韵琴拉的太轻松了。

[@kevomtb6882]

Only 3920 views???? This performance is legendary

[@lakshmanjosephdesaram3680]

If this were the 19th century, people would say he had a pact with the devil. Astounding.

[@user-td3cg9zs9m]

Chanyun Li is different from Paganini. Chanyun Li is himself. Babeli and Paganini are not the same. Every cloud has a silver lining.May Chanyun Li be well and come back to the concert hall.

[@fanwangfujian]

Technically amazing! notes are crispy, although a few hush. Musically confusing: should these pieces sound like this? Try to play this at 0.75. However, I totally agree on "世界之最！独一无二的艺术家"

[@masatdubi5142]

when was this video recorded? I have not been for years getting news about Li.

[@aikoenodame123]

Same question. I haven't heard from his updated for many years.

[@skyland4929]

Wish him well and return.

[@chszh3737]

2012 Lors du concert de Sion en Suisse

[@josephdickson673]

He so enjoy, and express this pieces really well. Omg, just like Jacha Heifetz, born to play violin.

[@kenc6082]

Rather listen to him than Heifitz.

[@user-op6vy3gg2b]

He makes the violin sounds like a Chinese instrument. Interesting. Incredible player Bravo

[@terryvaughn3179]

Totally awesome...really enjoyed the performance !!!!

[@tp7371]

All the violins he plays are sponsored by The Stradivari Society for free, and the average price of each violin exceeds 3 million US dollars.

[@asmith8815]

He has the best technique in the world today...better than James Ehnes and Maxim Vengerov to name a few. It is not surprising after he learned the ultimate technique from one of the great violinists, the late Ruggiero Ricci who possessed some of the best technique in the world. Chuanyuan Li is one of the few violinists who plays with ease and without limitations.

[@nihilistlemon1995]

The only dude who can compared technically to him is roman Kim. And that is saying the world haha

[@Kchkchkch8415]

@@nihilistlemon1995 no, Roman Kim is not the only one. You and the guy higher greatly exaggerate this violinist, saying,that he is better than everyone. I would even say there are many violinists whose technique is better than this guy’s. There are violinists with just flawless technique skills, like Augustin Hadelich. This guy us really good, but it’s completely false that his techniques are as good as you said. And Roman Kim’s techniques are also muuuuuuuuuch better than this guy’s.

[@nikoletaallkanjari6289]

Fantastic! Exellent interpretation!

[@purishare]

天才小提琴家！繼續彈！我們的榮幸能聽到絕世音樂

[@tomwong-re5sp]

This guy is the Chinese PAGANINI .🎻

[@YizhouJerryHao]

imagine the foil to itzhak perlman, talent that shoudn't have been brought to this world because we don't appreciate it

[@hinos-ccb-cto]

Genial

[@thunder8bunny]

I'm not the only one who feels he plays like a gypsy eh? such amazing talent & skills it's scary! P.S. I noticed some comments about Li's ADHD-like behaviours, but it doesn't bother me at all....perhaps it's because I'm a self-diagnosed ADHD myself. :p

[@GoodOldPal]

Wieniawski's Tarentelle

[@mileslee3133]

premium skills

[@zeynepakgol]

🌞☀️

[@yanran3295]

He is a genius!!

[@lugo1997]

Ok .auténtico y mucha presencia. Se puede tocar así. Y está bien.felicitaciones

[@olahvilmos567]

❤

[@davidw6025]

那把琴在他手中幾乎可以燒出火來...😂

[@matt-rq2rk]

When is this recorded? Latest?

[@user-gt7iz3mp4y]

2012

[@peteroh9319]

Yes I don’t think this is a recent recording

[@irisce2799]

it's all too easy for him, he's fed up and bored playing these same pieces again and again. he's hardly trying and it shows in the articulation and intonation in places but it's obvious he could play it 100% perfect if he tried.

[@Bailey-in-austin]

Is he the guy who has personality issue in one of most prestigious music colleges in U.S. and quit or was expelled?

[@user-bl2lq1uy4q]

看他演奏 音乐棒极了但总有些提心吊胆的感觉 不知他会做出一些什么出格的事情😂

[@jinjiang6743]

Def one the best in the world today!

[@NaydzArt]

Great player, however, this particular performance is too fast , too sloppy!

[@daikening9935]

这是啥时候的

[@jamieyun5948]

He was really a hero playing the violin in the film, "together"?? How old is he now?

[@JustFiddler]

i have no idea

[@peteroh9319]

I believe he was born 1980. Still very young. Maybe one day he will grace the world with his godly talent again

[@seonwlee2883]

What is the first piece???

[@laggyplayer2499]

Scherzo Tarantella

[@pelejuljus]

does he still alive and well?

[@unvioloniste]

ALIVE, not so well (but hopefully is recovering)

[@britniediep4314]

He never die...

[@butsirrr]

@@unvioloniste what happened to him?

[@KZ-mw9th]

Chinese Sarasate

[@thevector384]

What is the second piece his playing??

[@minkysukhoi4323]

Sunshine Over Tashkuergan

[@laggyplayer2499]

陽光照耀在塔什庫爾干 but in a very show off way

[@ernstmorales7088]

I always have thought he is good but plays too dirty. Also, he does not care on details, he just think he is too good for that. You can see clearly he has a lot of power, but he mistakes on playing the notes and not really play the music in a meaningful way, which is not the same. The Wieniawski was just not all good. Very boring.

[@homanning]

说这人已疯了

[@oldmanandthesea7039]

Using the slide(portamento/glissando) in this piece sounds very odd to my ears. I read that some conductors who worked with this guy were not happy about his eccentric interpretation of the music he played. To me he behaved more like an acrobat in a circus than a serious classical violinist. The swaggering way he treated the pianist is especially ungentlemanly. It’s sad to see such talent doesn’t get the world recognition it should command. Something didn’t go right in his development as a musician.

[@violaisreallycool]

It is quite hard for the pianist to see the violinist when they are behind them! But I love his unique playing of pieces that counters the stoic master style of preferring a perfectionist and rather difficult to tell apart interpretation. Similar to Ivry Gitlis but with a showmanship aura in the modern era.

[@wiltonpt1]

This performance ws not one of his better days

[@pablouuuu]

He died or something?

[@dingdingbella6521]

quit permanently

[@pablouuuu]

@@dingdingbella6521 why?

[@WilliamMunny1880]

流裏流氣，亂拉一通。

[@riccardopini9340]

Egli danza, come Fellini ....

[@michelecherchi154]

Grande !

[@oldmanandthesea7039]

Notice the way he treated his accompany pianist! So rude! He is a violin virtuoso all right, but his mannerism indicates that he is developmentally challenged. I speculate that his parents probably neglected this aspect of his development into full adulthood.

[@Tennisisreallyfun]

This was terrible. I mean, let’s for get for a moment that the beauty of the melody was lost in the insane tempo (this more specifically for the Scherzo Tarantelle, but still) and his little trills and affectations or the fact that it was out of tune for most of it, or that I simply couldn’t hear every note clearly. His sound is lifeless. Cold, empty, and hollow. There is no texture to this sound, no richness and no warmth. It sounds like he is beating his violin with a stick. Compare this to Perlman, Heifetz, Kogan, Midori, etc. and it’s a sad comparison, truly. It’s about sound, that’s what separates the true masters from the merely technically proficient (although his technique leaves a lot to be desired). And so many so-called “celebrities” these days just don’t have that sound.

[@ericshumsky9120]

Such a violin talent but music is far more important than entertainment and not fair to cheapen the music of such a great master as Wieniawski. I am disappointed to hear such Talent not geared to putting his powers to great music. You have enormous gifts. Don t allow yourself to pander down to the lower levels of entertainment seeking public. Make them come up to what you are able to achieve. Strive for much more and be humble in the face of great music. I am sure you love Heifetz. He would never allow himself to cheapen great art. Have more restraint and in actuality it will be far more interesting as well!

[@kommentar1709]

signed!

[@user-uc3pv4sh2x]

Dude.... how old are you......?

[@bernie57]

@@user-uc3pv4sh2x he is old enough to know profound things about art and life

[@miaseo3227]

You can’t dictate someone’s way of expressing themself with your beliefs, nor can you make assumptions about the person themself.

[@cornel999]

i agree. i don't like the clowning around on the Weiniawski. very off-putting.

[@thatoneguy8064]

He can't play in tune the notes that are written, so what does he do? adds more out of tune playing.

[@Tennisisreallyfun]

Thank you for stating this. It’s refreshing to see someone who actually understands how bad this was, someone with taste and an ear for music.

[@user-cf4ml9br8w]

한국사람인가

[@changzhang1119]

Chinese

[@stevengates4437]

He has quit...for good reasons.....the crowd is so nasty theese days,they treat artists like they are invisible and once they are off the stage the crowd does not treat them the way they need to be treated....so he has quit....the crowd has driven him nuts.....just like an employer who does not pay well and is ungrateful....drives people to exhaustion and madness.....I am one of thoose musitions like that too....now I have a farm and my animals love me and I love them back....screw the crowd,they suck....humans deserve nothing,such an ungreatful bunch....the early 1900s were when musitions were treated properly....now days people are self interested and trashy.....repent and worship the scriptures....Jesus is the word ....holy spirit please glorify yourself and accept my sincear apologies for my sinful ways and I repent....thank you for helping me to repent and love....love Steve...

[@butsirrr]

Did he really quit forever? That's such unfortunate news. Chuanyun Li will forever be my favorite violin prodigy artist

[@stevengates4437]

@@butsirrr yes my friend,he has quit,I feel the same way.....he is the teacher of all artists....he was even better than heifetz.....we should have looked after him way better....he did his job and we failed him.....that IS what happened,people will say he had mental problems,but that is because of how he was treated.......he proved himself to be the best and we just ignored it....we deserve nothing but ashes and hellfire....I hope you are a repenter and a believer is Jesus....praise be to the holy spirit...love always Steve...

[@sinakalkan3371]

@@stevengates4437 nobody even knows who heifitz is except classical musicians and he was a genius just like this guy, it's rlly unfortunate.

[@PedritoCarrillo]

Virtuoso yes! but no need to improve more notes, the piece it's perfect just the way it is.

[@theeagle4084]

technically, he is Ok but not enjoyable.

[@gabrielhwang6827]

Stay your legs while performance. That is so bad habit. You really need to learn how to play little bit slow. Fast technique is not always good. Think Music first in your heart. YOU MUST PRACTICE WITH STAY YOUR LEGS. DO NOT WONDERING AROUND WITH LEGS WHILE PERFORMANCE.

[@oldmanandthesea7039]

Gabriel Hwang, I agree with you. I think this guy has ADHD, and he couldn’t stay still. His technique is impeccable but very unfortunately this is the only thing he has to show. I guess in his child prodigy years, his teacher didn’t do enough to impute the concept that technique is not everything and the ultimate goal of music is to express yourself. What you see here is a machine like technician without a musical soul. Too sad. He behaved like a acrobat in a circus!

[@Glitchedcandy]

What a stupid comment, ignoring his amazing performance and just focus on his legs. You know who the guy is? Close your eyes and listen carefully again and then see if you can say “think music first in your heart” one more time.

[@user-ur6mt4xu2z]

I believed your music standard wasn’t high, otherwise ………