In October 2021, Bruce Liu became the first Canadian to win the Chopin Competition. Delayed for a year due to the pandemic, the 18th edition of the competition will go down in history also because of the extremely high artistic level of its participants. Bruce Liu was the last performer of the competition’s twelve finalists, and the freshness of his reading of the Concerto in E Minor earned him a standing ovation of several minutes.
Bruce Liu is preparing two albums. “Can’t wait”
In cooperation with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, Deutsche Grammophon released an album of Bruce Liu’s live recordings during the subsequent stages of the competition. The album received rave reviews, with Gramophone magazine calling it “one of the most outstanding Chopin recitals of recent years, full of maturity and character”, while Classics Today praised “Liu’s incredible virtuosity, which consistently exudes charisma and freedom”.
On the occasion of signing the contract with Yellow Label, Deutsche Grammophon released a recording of the Nocturne in C sharp minor, No. 20, Op. posth as an e-single; the next e-singles will be released in 2022. The pianist is already planning two future albums. The first will feature a repertoire that includes works by Chopin and Rameau, and will reflect the pianist’s desire to explore the music of his birthplace and personal ties to France. The second album is a recording of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 2, a work that debuted in the UK earlier this month. As the Guardian writes, “There cannot be too many pianists in the early stages of an international career with this huge, daunting work in their repertoire, but apparently Liu has been playing it for many years. The tireless confidence with which he stepped into cascades of figuration suggested great knowledge of this song.
– I’m excited to join the DG family! says Bruce Lee. – I hope that being part of it will give me many opportunities to work with many very talented artists from various musical backgrounds, as well as work with the wonderful team that produced my album from the Chopin Competition. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
“We are very excited to welcome Bruce to the Yellow Label,” adds Dr. Clemens Trautmann, head of Deutsche Grammophon. – The Chopin Competition and all the concerts it has given since then have shown the world an intelligent and dynamic young artist whose pianism, imagination and spontaneity are simply electrifying. Here at DG, he joins fellow Canadian artists Emily D’Angelo, Jan Lisiecki and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, giving proof – if needed – that Canada is clearly a hotbed of musical talent today.
Bruce (Xiaoyu) Liu was born in 1997 in Paris and moved to Montreal with his father at the age of six. He speaks fluent Mandarin and grew up surrounded by Chinese culture, quickly implementing influences from North American culture as well as European history and musical traditions. In the years 2011-2018 he studied with Richard Raymond at the Montreal Conservatoire, where, at the age of only 15, he won the first prize at the Orchester symphonique de Montréal Competition. This success encouraged him to pursue a career as a pianist. He is currently a student of Dang Thai Son (winner of the 10th Chopin Competition). The artist is determined to find time for other passions, such as swimming, chess, karting, cinema, jazz and history, among many activities related to music. As he explains: – It is the balance between all my hobbies that makes me make music in a fresher way.
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Source: Gazeta
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
