Famous Chinese pianist’s comeback concert reportedly canceled without notice

Chinese pianist Li Yundi’s planned comeback concert in China has been abruptly canceled, according to mainland Chinese media.

Li’s recital, “Yundi Plays Mozart: The Sonata Project 1,” on January 1, 2025 at the Grand Theater in Hangzhou, eastern China, would have been the 42-year-old’s first performance in the country in three years, after a scandal that saw him arrested by Beijing authorities on suspicion of dating a prostitute in 2021.

But it was discovered on December 5 that online booking for the concert was not available. Theater staff members said the performance was postponed due to scheduling issues, according to Chinese media.

It is not known if the concert will be postponed.

China’s “piano prince”, as he was widely known, first gained international fame in 2000 after becoming the first Chinese pianist and youngest first prize winner at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, in Poland, at the age of 18.

He then made his debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall in June 2003 and became the first Chinese pianist to record live with the Berlin Philharmonic.