19. Bruce Liu - The Winner of the XVIII International Chopin Competition
An extraordinary debut recording of an all-Chopin program
“I’m a revolutionary…” -Frederic Chopin
Welcome to #19 on our way to the top 50 classical recordings of all time. You may have noticed that many of the selections on the list thus far have been relatively old recordings. However, for this entry I have chosen an extraordinary recent recording made at the XVIII International Chopin Piano Competition. The all-Chopin program is played by the winner of the 2021 competition, the brilliant young Canadian pianist Bruce (Xiaoyu) Liu and recorded by Deutsche Grammophon.
The Chopin Competition is among the most prestigious, if not THE most prestigious, piano competition in the world. It has been held every five years since 1955, but the 2020 competition was postponed until 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of the finest pianists of the last century have won the competition, including Martha Argerich, Maurizio Pollini, and Kristian Zimerman.
It takes a phenomenal performance for a recent piano recital to make the top 50 list. This recording by Bruce Liu is just that good.
The Composer
Frederic Chopin was born in 1810 in Zelazowa, Poland and died in 1849 in Paris, France. Chopin is one of the most important and most original composers of the Romantic period. Chopin wrote exclusively for the piano only, with few exceptions. But the depth and range of expression Chopin was able to draw from the piano remains unsurpassed in the history of music, and his legacy both as a pianist and composer is undeniable.
Chopin’s father was French, and his mother was Polish. He was born, raised, and educated in Poland and even though he lived most of his adult life in France, Chopin fiercely considered himself Polish. He was raised for many years in Warsaw, but in the summers the family would go to the countryside, where the young Chopin heard Polish folk songs. These were to form a basis for many of his later compositions.
By the age of 8, Chopin was considered a child prodigy. He soon performed in private salons, and even began composing his own music for piano. He gave his first public recital in Vienna in 1829. After becoming a bit more well-known, he felt constrained by what he considered the backward cultural conventions of Poland, and by the ongoing political strife between Poland and Russia, and felt the need to move elsewhere to be appreciated. In 1832, he settled in Paris. Once there, he made a living primarily by being a private piano teacher to the wealthy class. On occasion, he would travel to perform in Germany, Austria, or France. Remarkably though, it is reported that Chopin gave less than 30 public performances during his lifetime. He grew to very much dislike performing in public and being on stage for large audiences, and increasingly he would only perform in private salons for friends and acquaintances. Chopin would compose and teach mostly, and his income consisted of teaching piano lessons and publishing his compositions. After establishing himself professionally in Paris, Chopin often longed to return to Poland, but unfortunately he no longer had the option to return due to the political situation in his homeland.
Chopin wrote many, many pieces for the piano. His pieces include preludes, waltzes, etudes, nocturnes, polonaises, mazurkas, scherzos, ballades, two sonatas, two piano concertos, and some other various pieces. Polonaises and mazurkas are dances traditionally based on folk tunes from Chopin’s native Poland. Considering the period he composed in classical music history, Chopin’s music is uniquely non-German sounding and has its own distinctive sound. Most pieces he wrote for himself to play, but he also published the scores. Some characteristics of Chopin’s music include grace, wit, intimacy, beauty, subtlety, power, and grandeur. Although many of Chopin’s pieces sound relatively simple, they are deceptively difficult to play and tend to be technically demanding.
In Paris, Chopin generally moved in aristocratic circles socially. He was a young man of impeccable taste, and was concerned with matters of propriety, clothes, and appearance. Along with meeting and knowing many famous composers of the day, Chopin also became friends with the writer Honore de Balzac, novelist Victor Hugo, and artist Eugene Delacroix. From accounts we have, Chopin was often witty and charming, but could also be malicious and unpleasant. Even though he is considered to be a Romantic period composer, Chopin disliked romanticism and what he saw as its excesses. In fact, although he became friendly with the composer Franz Liszt, he considered Liszt’s music and performance antics to be vulgar. He disliked fellow composer Robert Schumann’s music, and did not comment on the music of his friends Felix Mendelssohn and Hector Berlioz. Chopin felt more of an artistic kinship with Bach and Mozart, reflecting his tendency toward classicism and restraint. It should be noticed there is plenty of romantic feeling in Chopin’s compositions, but given that his instrument is the piano, everything is on a smaller scale.
Romance bloomed in Chopin’s own life when in 1837 he met Amandine Aurore Lucille Dupin, the Baroness Dudevant, better known as George Sand. Sand was famous for her pro-feminist novels, and was rather notorious for wearing men’s trousers and smoking cigars. Chopin was initially repulsed by Sand, but some months later became attracted to her, and Sand returned his affection in kind. The relationship was very good at the beginning, despite the fact that Sand’s current lover at the time, playwright Felicien Mallefille, did not take Sand’s rejection well. He staked out Chopin’s apartment, and was seen standing outside with a revolver waiting for Chopin to emerge. Chopin and Sand quickly left for the island of Mallorca to avoid Mallefille, and with the hope the weather would improve Chopin’s health.
Chopin had been a sickly child, and his illnesses continued his entire life. He would often suffer from influenza or bronchitis, and general ill health. The hope that the Mediterranean air would help was to prove illusory. Besides being rejected by the Mallorcans for their unmarried and unconventional relationship, the weather turned out to be cold and damp, which did not help. When Chopin was seen coughing up blood, it became clear he likely had tuberculosis. Sand took Chopin back to France on a boat with a cargo load of pigs, and Chopin convalesced in Marseilles until he was well enough to return to Paris.
Chopin and Sand coexisted for a while, they had neighboring apartments in Paris and would summer at Sand’s estate in Nohant. Chopin did some of his best composing during these years, but was slowed by his health and an increased need for perfectionism that at times left him paralyzed. However, Sand eventually tired of having to play nurse to Chopin and treat his frequent illnesses. Sand dropped several not-so-subtle hints that the relationship was broken, but Chopin didn’t pick up on the clues. One clue was Sand portraying Chopin poorly in a thinly-disguised character in her new novel Lucrezia Floriani. Chopin still didn’t get it. Sand finally emphatically broke it off.
In the 1840’s, Chopin was invited to England. Although his hostess, the singer Jane Stirling, was quite enthusiastic about taking Chopin all over the British Isles, Chopin was simply too ill to enjoy it. Stirling may have had romantic notions about Chopin, but the feeling was certainly not mutual. He said to a friend, “I’m nearer to a coffin than a wedding bed.”
Chopin died from tuberculosis in 1849 in Paris. His sister Ludwika came to Paris from Poland, and his friends organized a performance of Mozart’s Requiem at the funeral. Although Chopin’s body is buried in Paris, his heart was returned to Poland and is interred at the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw.
The Recording
The 25 year-old Canadian pianist Bruce Liu was born in Paris to Chinese parents, and was raised in Montreal. He rose quickly to international renown after becoming the unanimous winner of the XVIII International Chopin Piano Competition in 2021. This recording is taken from his performances at that competition.
The Chopin pieces Liu plays include a few more familiar Chopin pieces, as well as some that are less familiar. The recording consists of:
Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante
Mazurka in G sharp minor
Mazurka in D major
Mazurka in C major
Mazurka in B minor
Etude in C sharp minor
Etude in A minor
Nocturne no. 7 in C sharp minor
Waltz no. 5 in A flat major
Scherzo no. 4 in E major
Variations for Piano and Orchestra in B flat major on ‘La ci darem la mano’ from Mozart’s Don Giovanni
It is a varied program that shows off Liu’s technical mastery of Chopin’s works. I don’t recall listening to a piano recital that has left me as mesmerized as this one. Liu’s playing is captured live, so there is some audience applause after some pieces (not bothersome to me personally, but some listeners may find it intrusive). I am not a pianist, but from what I hear Liu’s playing is virtually perfect from a technical perspective. But what makes all the difference is the expression and emotion Liu puts into each piece. Liu’s playing is a moving experience. The pieces sparkle in his hands, and Liu shows he is a master of light and shade, as well as loud and soft dynamics. The playing here is truly at the highest level. It is a sublime recording, and you can only be grateful it was recorded for us to hear.
The pieces that were more familiar to me, the Mazurka in C major and the Etude in A minor, are exquisitely done. I was not as familiar with the Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante but after hearing Liu play it, I can’t stop listening to it. The difficulty alone of the piece is mind blowing, but the personality he gives it makes a huge impression, including a stirring conclusion. The Scherzo in E major and the Variations on ‘La ci darem la mano’ were also revelations to me.
Solo piano music is usually not my favorite music, but I have my favorite pianists that I go back to often. Vladimir Horowitz, Martha Argerich, Maurizio Pollini (especially in Chopin’s Etudes), Arthur Rubinstein (especially in all Chopin) and a few others. But there is no doubt I will be keeping an eye out for more from Bruce Liu. There is also another cd release of Bruce Liu from the same competition from the Fryderyk Chopin Institute which includes some of Liu’s other performances from the competition, including his rendition of Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 1 in E minor, Op. 11. It is also well worth hearing.
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Notes:
Reel, James. All Music Guide to Classical Music, The Definitive Guide. All Media Guide. Frederic Chopin. Pp. 281. Backbeat Books, San Francisco. 2005.
Goulding, Phil G. Classical Music, The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1000 Greatest Works. Frederic Chopin. Pp. 250-255. 1992.
Lunday, Elizabeth. Secret Lives of Great Composers. Frederic Chopin. Pp. 84-89. Quirk Books, Philadelphia. 2009.
Newman, Bill. Peter Maag Conducts Mendelssohn. London Symphony Orchestra, Peter Maag. 2000. Decca “Legends” Liner Notes. Pp. 4-5.
Reel, James. All Music Guide to Classical Music, The Definitive Guide. All Media Guide. Frederic Chopin. Pp. 281. Backbeat Books, San Francisco. 2005.
Schonberg, Harold C. The Lives of the Great Composers, Revised Edition. Apotheosis of the Piano. Frederic Chopin. Pp. 186. Norton & Company, London and New York. 1981.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Xiaoyu_Liu
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Chopin_Piano_Competition
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XVIII_International_Chopin_Piano_Competition