Prodiges Vi

Paul Ji (piano)

Paul Ji, winner of the Prodiges competition in 2019, is a 16-year old pianist, born in Chicago, USA to a Chinese family and raised in France since the age of five.

His first album, contains a selection of 16 Romantic masterpieces for the piano.

In his note for the booklet he explains: “ I want to bring to you and your family consolation with Liszt’s “Consolation No. 3”, love with “Liebestraum No.3”, empathy with Chopin’s “Tristesse” Étude, illustrating the intense suffering evoked by Scriabin’s 12th Étude, relief with a brilliant Chopin waltz, peace with Tchaikovsky’s Meditation, and purity of long ago memories with a dream of Schumann’s Childhood Scenes and Debussy’s Children’s Corner.

Finally, I want to thank the heroes of this pandemic, the medical care workers who fought so hard for us. My Chopin “Heroic Polonaise” is for you!

To thank the fabulous “Prodiges” which gave me this opportunity, I thought of representing the other categories of Singing and Dance which “Prodiges” wonderfully unites. Thus, I include Verdi’s “Rigoletto” Opera paraphrased by Liszt and Tchaikovsky’s “Pas de Deux” from the Nutcracker Ballet, as all forms of art are connected through our senses.”

Chopin:
 Étude Op. 10 No. 3 in E major 'Tristesse'
 Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor, Op. post.
 Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major, Op. 53 'Héroïque'
 Waltz No. 1 in E flat major 'Grande Valse Brillante', Op. 18

Liszt:
 Concert Paraphrase on Rigoletto, S.434 after Verdi's opera
 Consolation, S. 172 No. 3 in D flat major
 Grande Étude de Paganini, S. 141 No. 3 'La Campanella'
 Liebestraum, S541 No. 3 (Nocturne in A flat major)

Rachmaninov:
 Prelude Op. 23 No. 5 in G minor

Schumann:
 Träumerei (from Kinderszenen, Op. 15)

Scriabin:
 Prelude, Op. 8 No. 12 in D sharp minor

Tchaikovsky:
 Méditation (No. 5 from Morceaux, Op. 72)
 The Seasons, Op. 37b: June (Barcarolle)