Virtuosity and elegance: Bruce Liu at Carnegie Hall

Bruce Liu

By Susan Stempleski, 22 February 2026

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“Liu delivered a bravura performance”

Reviewed at Carnegie Hall: Stern Auditorium, New York City on 20 February 2026

Ligeti, Étude no. 4 "Fanfares"

Bach, French Suite no. 5 in G major, BWV816

Beethoven, Piano Sonata no. 21 in C major "Waldstein", Op.53

Chopin, Nocturne no. 7 in C sharp minor, Op.27 no.1

Chopin, Nocturne no. 8 in D flat major, Op.27 no.2

Ravel, Miroirs: Alborada del gracioso

Mompou, Glossa sobre „Au clair de la lune“

Mompou, Fantasia sobre „Au clair de la lune“

Albéniz, Iberia, Bk I: El puerto

Liszt, Rhapsodie espagnole, S 254

Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier 1: Prelude in E minor, BWV855a (arr. Siloti)

Beethoven, Piano Sonata no. 14 in C sharp minor "Moonlight", Op.27 no.2 (Finale)

Chopin, Nocturne in C sharp minor, "Lento Con Gran Espressione", Op. posth, B 49

Bruce Liu, Piano

Payare and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal welcome Spring

Ian Cochrane, 22nd April

Rafael Payare conducts a scintillating Le Sacre du Printemps in a program that also showcases Bruce Liu's bravura Tchaikovsky.

****1

Yamada and the CBSO’s Walton expedition at the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 10th March

In Hamburg, Kazuki Yamada and the CBSO navigate the thorny brilliance of Walton’s First Symphony, proving that ‘difficult’ music can offer an evening’s most profound human connection.

****1

Shakespearean drama from the China NCPA Orchestra

Mengguang Huang, 15th August

At the final stop of its European tour, the China NCPA Orchestra, led by Myung-Whun Chung with Bruce Liu, deliver luminous precision, refined Ravel and cinematic Prokofiev at the Elbphilharmonie.

****1

A trio of exiled composers: Petrenko and the RPO at the RFH

David Truslove, 23rd March

Assured performances from the RPO as part of its ongoing “Lights in the Dark” series that brought career correspondences between three markedly different composers.

****1

The power of individuality: Bruce Liu at Carnegie Hall

Edward Sava-Segal, 24th January

The Canadian pianist plays a Carnegie Hall programme exploring he expressive depths of Russian music, with Tchaikovsky's The Seasons as a frame.

*****

Hats off: Bruce Liu takes Wigmore Hall by storm

Asher Rubenstein, 14th July

The Chinese-Canadian pianist put his extroversion on full display in an unforgettable Wigmore debut.

*****

More reviews...

Susan Stempleski

Based in New York City, Susan is a retired specialist in second and foreign language teaching and the author/editor of several professional books for language teachers and many widely used textbooks for English language learners around the world. An avid concertgoer, she spends her time attending operas and other classical music events in New York and Paris. Since 2002, she has regularly published reviews on Classical Source. A keen Francophile, she has a particularly strong interest in French music, literature and film.