George Li & Matthias Pintscher
REVIEW: George Li dazzles in Rachmaninoff with CSO under Matthias Pintscher
From the Cincinnati Business Courier
By Janelle Gelfand
Pianist George Li helped the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra welcome 2025 in a big way with his jaw-dropping performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 on Jan. 11. Soaring through a showpiece that pits staggering difficulties against romantic themes, Li kept his cool, only pausing after the formidable first movement to mop his brow.
The audience, having braved two snowstorms during the week, came out in parkas and boots for a rewarding program under the baton of the orchestra’s creative partner, Matthias Pintscher, the newly appointed music director of the Kansas City Symphony. Besides Li’s unforgettable performance, there was also the Americana of Aaron Copland’s midcentury Symphony No. 3. Pintscher opened the program with the orchestra’s first performance of Unsuk Chin’s “subito con forza” of 2020.
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Li tackled great fistfuls of treacherous figures with a glittering touch. He summoned orchestral sonorities in the first movement’s massive cadenza, yet his sound was never harsh. Rachmaninoff’s lyrical tunes were thoughtfully phrased, and he was able to illuminate lines within the dense textures of the composer’s writing. This was playing of the highest caliber.
The pianist didn’t linger on themes but played with momentum from beginning to end. His phrasing in the slow movement, “Intermezzo,” was impassioned, and the scherzo (playful) section sparkled with color. I’m not sure I’ve heard a more electrifying finale, taken at a supercharged tempo and capped by a thrilling climb to the summit.
Pintscher set a timeless mood in the orchestra’s opening bars and summoned lush support throughout, rarely overpowering the soloist. He was alert to the pianist’s every turn, even when Li’s tempos pushed ahead. The audience leaped up with a roar at its conclusion.