The International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition is a grueling event with many rounds, a test of endurance occurring once every five years. Some of its winners -- Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich -- went on to fame and fortune. Sometimes the top prize is not awarded at all, so Deutsche Grammophon's releases of recent winners' performances have attracted a good deal of attention. This one, by the 2021 winner Bruce Liu, has hit classical sales charts. Liu is a student of 1980 winner Dong Thai Son, so he may have picked up ...
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The International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition is a grueling event with many rounds, a test of endurance occurring once every five years. Some of its winners -- Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich -- went on to fame and fortune. Sometimes the top prize is not awarded at all, so Deutsche Grammophon's releases of recent winners' performances have attracted a good deal of attention. This one, by the 2021 winner Bruce Liu, has hit classical sales charts. Liu is a student of 1980 winner Dong Thai Son, so he may have picked up pointers on impressing the jury, but his style is his own, and it's very exciting. He's both restrained and highly lyrical, with the result that the big tunes have listeners on the edge of their seats. Consider the opening Andante spianato and grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22: there's nothing fancy about it, but it's absolutely compelling. Liu is a superb technician (try the "Torrent" Étude in C sharp minor, Op. 10, No. 4), but even when he is in the midst of rapid passagework,...
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