WAVES: Music by Rameau, Ravel, Alkan Bruce Liu

• Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683 - 1764): Gavotte et six doubles, RCT 5/7:
• 1 Rameau: Gavotte et six doubles, RCT 5/7: Gavotte 01:29
• 2 Rameau: Gavotte et six doubles, RCT 5/7: Var. 1 01:04
• 3 Rameau: Gavotte et six doubles, RCT 5/7: Var. 2 01:01
• 4 Rameau: Gavotte et six doubles, RCT 5/7: Var. 3 00:58
• 5 Rameau: Gavotte et six doubles, RCT 5/7: Var. 4 00:51
• 6 Rameau: Gavotte et six doubles, RCT 5/7: Var. 5 00:47
• 7 Rameau: Gavotte et six doubles, RCT 5/7: Var. 6 00:54
• Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813 - 1888): Recueil de chants, Op. 65:
• 8 Alkan: Recueil de chants, Op. 65: No. 6, Barcarolle 03:37
• Jean-Philippe Rameau: Les sauvages, RCT 6/14:
• 9 Rameau: Les sauvages, RCT 6/14 01:51
• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Miroirs, M. 43:
• 10 Ravel: Miroirs, M. 43: No. 1, Noctuelles 04:31
• 11 Ravel: Miroirs, M. 43: No. 2, Oiseaux tristes 03:58
• 12 Ravel: Miroirs, M. 43: No. 3, Une barque sur l'océan 06:23
• 13 Ravel: Miroirs, M. 43: No. 4, Alborada del gracioso 06:36
• 14 Ravel: Miroirs, M. 43: No. 5, La vallée des cloches 05:15
• Charles-Valentin Alkan: 12 Etudes in All the Minor Keys, Op. 39 / No. 12, Le festin d'Ésope:
• 15 Alkan: 12 Etudes in All the Minor Keys, Op. 39 / No. 12, Le festin d'Ésope: Thema – Var. 1 - Var. 7 02:04
• 16 Alkan: 12 Etudes in All the Minor Keys, Op. 39 / No. 12, Le festin d'Ésope: Var. 8 - Var. 13 01:49
• 17 Alkan: 12 Etudes in All the Minor Keys, Op. 39 / No. 12, Le festin d'Ésope: Var. 14 - Var. 16 01:04
• 18 Alkan: 12 Etudes in All the Minor Keys, Op. 39 / No. 12, Le festin d'Ésope: Var. 17 - Var. 18 00:38
• 19 Alkan: 12 Etudes in All the Minor Keys, Op. 39 / No. 12, Le festin d'Ésope: Var. 19 - Var. 20 00:32
• 20 Alkan: 12 Etudes in All the Minor Keys, Op. 39 / No. 12, Le festin d'Ésope: Var. 21 - Var. 24 01:15
• 21 Alkan: 12 Etudes in All the Minor Keys, Op. 39 / No. 12, Le festin d'Ésope: Var. 25 02:45
• Jean-Philippe Rameau: Les tendres plaintes—Rondeau, RCT 3/1:
• 22 Rameau: Les tendres plaintes—Rondeau, RCT 3/1 02:57
• Menuets, RCT 6/3-4:
• 23 Rameau: Les cyclopes—Rondeau, RCT 3/8 03:07
• Menuets, RCT 6/3-4:
• 24 Rameau: Menuets, RCT 6/3-4 02:54
• La poule, RCT 6/12:
• 25 Rameau: La poule, RCT 6/12 02:58
• Total Runtime 01:01:18

Info for WAVES: Music by Rameau, Ravel, Alkan

Winning the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition in October 2021 made Bruce Liu famous overnight. The competition recordings, which were released by Deutsche Grammophon the following month, were met with critical acclaim. This spring, the Canadian-Chinese pianist became the label's exclusive artist. A series of singles with works by Rameau and Chopin were released, followed in April 2023 by his interpretation of the French Suite No. 5 by J. S. Bach - "finely felt and superbly played", according to ClassicalMusic.com. The platforms recorded over 25 million streams.

Liu is now presenting his studio debut. It spans two centuries of French piano music and includes works that have not previously been included in the DG catalogue. Waves: Music by Rameau - Ravel - Alkan, with an essay by Gramophone editor James Jolly, will be released on 3 November 2023.

After his triumph in Warsaw, breathtaking, charismatic live performances have confirmed Liu's reputation. But working in the recording studio turned out to be a challenge all of its own. "Only in the studio can you put the puzzle together the way you want it to be," says Liu. "It's like a work of art in itself, everything comes together."

The pianist was born in Paris, which is one of the reasons why he has focussed on three French composers, specifically those who influenced the development of piano music between the 18th and early 20th centuries. His approach is music-historical. From the extensive oeuvre of Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764), he plays excerpts from the Pièces de clavessin and the Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin - including programmatic works such as La poule and Les sauvages - as well as dance movements. Rameau's compositions predate the invention of the piano, and Liu therefore studied intensively with harpsichordists in order to refine his interpretations.

Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-88) was already a legend on the piano during his lifetime and wrote almost exclusively for his own instrument. As a student, Liu discovered this music, which is so difficult that it was considered unplayable by his contemporaries. He set himself the task of popularising it. Both the exuberant Le festin d'Ésope and the tranquil Barcarolle are new to the DG catalogue.

Liu has selected Miroirs by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) from the 20th century. Some of the five movements of the cycle reflect the theme of nature that runs through the album as a leitmotif. Its title - Waves - gets to the heart of the matter and picks up on what Alkan's Barcarolle and Ravel's "Une barque sur l'océan" are about. At the same time, he refers to Liu's spontaneous style: "The sea is never the same," he says. "And my approach to the music I play is never fixed."

The audience can experience this kind of music-making in Liu's upcoming performances. Miroirs and the music of Rameau are on the concert programme of this exciting pianist next season.

Bruce Liu, piano

Bruce Liu
The first prize winner of the 18th Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition.

Described by The Telegram for his “powerful, polished, and emanates from a disciplined mind” interpretations, Bruce Liu is standing out as one of the most musically dynamic and technically gifted pianists of his generation.

He has performed with major ensembles including the Cleveland Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

He took part in a North-America tour with the China NCPA Orchestra, performing Ravel’s G major Concerto, National Post described his interpretation “a subtle range of French colour and feeling ”. Recently, He performed two successive China tours with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine and the Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra (including appearances at the Beijing Concert Hall, the National Center for the Performing Arts, Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, Changsha Concert Hall, and the National Library Arts Center). He has made numerous studio recordings with ICI Radio-Canada featuring works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel, Satie, and his music has been broadcasted worldwide. “Melodic lines were well-defined, there was steely clarity to his articulation, a huge range of dynamic contrasts, and the lyrical episodes were lovingly shaped. Liu compelled you to listen.” (Classical Voice North America)

Born in Paris in 1997, Bruce Xiaoyu Liu studied with Richard Raymond and is currently a student of Dang Thai Son.

Booklet for WAVES: Music by Rameau, Ravel, Alkan