Paris-born, Montreal-raised Canadian pianist Bruce (Xiaoyu) Liu has won the first prize of € 40,000 at the Warsaw International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, one of the most prestigious competitions in the world.
The 24-year-old graduate of the Montreal Conservatory imposed himself dramatically Wednesday night with an emotionally refined and technically polished rendition of Chopin’s Piano Concerto in E minor op. eleven.
The results came later than expected, a little after 8 pm EST – 2 am in Warsaw.
In a preliminary interview, Liu attributed the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, which kept him out of public view for more than a year, fostering a “more internal and peaceful” state of mind.
“We couldn’t do much outside,” said the pianist. “I found more details in my music.”
He was the last of the 12 finalists to perform for three days at the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall with the National Philharmonic Orchestra with Andrey (Andrzej in Polish) Boreyko.
The elimination process began in July with a preliminary cohort of 151 pianists from an application pool of more than 500.
A former student of the Richard Raymond Conservatory, Montréal know Liu for winning the grand prize at the OSM Standard Life Competition in 2012 at the prodigiously tender age of 15. He also reached the final of the Montréal International Musical Concours in 2014 and won the 2015 Prix d’Europe, an annual award given to a young Quebec musician or singer.
Liu now studies privately with Dang Thai Son, himself a former Montrealer and winner of the 1980 Chopin Competition. Normally held every five years, the Warsaw contest was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Another connection between Quebec and Warsaw should be noted: Charles Richard-Hamelin, a native of the Lanaudière region, took second prize in the 2015 edition. His career has accelerated accordingly.
Liu was competing against another Canadian finalist, Toronto’s JJ Jun Li Bui, who finished sixth. The elimination process began in July with a preliminary cohort of 151 pianists from an application pool of more than 500.
As the competition ends, there are three gala concerts remaining, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, each starting at 1 pm EST. Thursday is announced as the first prize winner’s concert, while Friday and Saturday are dedicated to the second and third prize winners respectively.
The Warsaw sessions were seen and heard internationally in various media. An accessible platform is the Chopin Institute YouTube channel.
Chopin’s other top honorees are: Alexander Gadjiev (Italy / Slovenia), second prize ex aequo; Kyohei Sorita (Japan), second prize ex aequo; Martín García García (Spain), third prize; Aimi Kobayashi (Japan), fourth prize ex aequo; Jakub Kuszlik (Poland), fourth prize ex aequo; Leonora Armellini (Italy), fifth prize; JJ Jun Li Bui (Canada), sixth prize.
Reference-montrealgazette.com