'Chopin Competition Winner' Bruce Liu, DG Debut Album

Includes Works by French Composers Ravel, Rameau, and Alkan

Bruce Liu, a Canadian pianist born in Paris, France, who won the 18th Chopin Competition, released his first studio album with Deutsche Grammophon (DG), titled 'Waves,' on the 3rd.

According to Universal Music, Waves features works by three French composers: Maurice Ravel, Jean-Philippe Rameau, and Charles-Valentin Alkan. Through the Waves album, Liu aimed to provide an overview of the flow of French keyboard music history from the 18th century to the early 20th century, spanning Baroque, Romanticism, and Impressionism.

[Photo by Universal Music]

Rameau's works are known for their intricate and delicate melodies, while Alkan's pieces are rarely heard. However, Alkan is recognized as a 19th-century French virtuoso pianist. Ravel's piece included is 'Winter,' famous for its challenging interpretation and extremely difficult performance.

Liu stated that he put great effort into achieving sounds suitable for each composer featured on the album. In particular, since Rameau's works were composed for the harpsichord, he made significant changes to his performance approach based on research with professional performers.

Waves is Liu's debut album with DG. He said, "I think recording offers an opportunity to try something different from live performance," adding, "For me, the studio is a meaningful space where I can complete my own unique puzzle with the exact sound I want."

Regarding the reason for naming his first DG full-length album 'Waves,' he explained, "It is a name that represents not only the natural theme running through the album but also my own musical improvisation," and added, "Just as the sea is always changing, so is my approach to music."

The Chopin Competition, which Liu won, is a uniquely prestigious piano competition held every five years. Seong-Jin Cho made headlines as the first Korean to win in 2015, and Liu won the 2021 competition held after six years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, Liu was praised for his fresh interpretation based on precise keystrokes, technique, and elegant musicianship. His first album featuring live performances from that competition received both the Critics' Award and the Editors' Award from Gramophone, a world-renowned classical music magazine.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.