Hats off: Bruce Liu takes Wigmore Hall by storm

Bruce Liu

By Asher Rubenstein, 16 July 2024

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“this was Haydn not by a purist, but by one who dares”

Reviewed at Wigmore Hall, London on 14 July 2024

Haydn, Piano Sonata in B minor, Hob XVI:32

Chopin, Piano Sonata no. 2 in B flat minor 'Funeral March', Op.35

Rameau, Pièces de clavecin: Les tendres plaintes

Rameau, Pièces de clavecin: Les cyclopes

Rameau, Menuet I and II

Rameau, Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin: Les sauvages

Rameau, Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin: La Poule

Rameau, Suite in A minor, RCT 5: Gavotte et six doubles

Chopin, Variations in B flat major on "La ci darem la mano", Op.2

Bach, French Suite no. 5 in G major, BWV816 (Allemande)

Chopin, Étude in G flat major, Op.10 no.5

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

Bruce Liu, Piano

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

Virtuosity and elegance: Bruce Liu at Carnegie Hall

Susan Stempleski, 20th February

Following his acclaimed 2025 all-Russian recital at Carnegie Hall, the young Canadian pianist returns with a wide-ranging, imaginative program spotlighting his virtuosity and elegance.

****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.

*****

Bruce Liu makes a spirited Singapore debut

Chang Tou Liang, 23rd November

The victor at the 2021 Chopin International Piano Competition is predictably brilliant in his Singapore Symphony Orchestra debut.

****1

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Asher Rubenstein

Asher Rubenstein is a London-based pianist, studying Music at the University of Cambridge. He writes regularly for International Piano and volunteers at music festivals such as La Roque d’Anthéron. A devoted concertgoer and unapologetic pianophile, he’s on a mission to hear as many of the greats as time (and money) will allow. When absent from the concert hall, Asher can usually be found baking – and swimming to burn off his efforts.