Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) Classical Spree

Bruce Liu Performs Rachmaninoff

This will be Bruce Liu’s first concert with the Orchestra since his 2021 triumph in the Chopin Competition. This young Montreal pianist and past winner of the OSM Competition will perform Rachmaninoff’s bravura piece Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, first performed when the composer lived in the United States. Rafael Payare will also conduct the energetic overture Scorpius by R. Murray Schafer, as well as the vibrant Bachianas brasileiras no. 7 by Villa-Lobos.

Bruce Liu was brought to the world’s attention in 2021, when he won the First Prize at the 18th Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw.

Following his competition’s success, he immediately embarked on a world tour, appearing at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Wiener Konzerthaus, BOZAR Brussels, Tokyo Opera City, Sala São Paulo, Royal Festival Hall with the Philharmonia Orchestra, U.S tour with the Warsaw Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Past highlights include performances with ensembles such as the Cleveland Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as North-America tour with the China NCPA Orchestra.

An exclusive recording artist with Deutsche Grammophon, his first album featuring the winning performances from the Chopin Competition won a Fryderyk Award and received international acclaim including both the Critics’ choice and Editor’s choice from the Gramophone Magazine, as well as being included in its list of Best classical albums from 2021. 

“What we all have in common is our difference”, the young pianist likes to say. Born in Paris to Chinese parents, Bruce Liu grew up in Montreal. His life has been steeped in cultural diversity, which has shaped his differences in attitude, personality and character. He draws on various sources of inspiration for his art: European refinement, Chinese long tradition, North American dynamism and openness. Following his artist path with optimism and a smile, his teachers include Richard Raymond and Dang Thai Son.

Program
Schafer, Scorpius (9 min)
Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (22 min)
Villa-Lobos, Bachianas brasileiras no. 7 (26 min)

Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 8:00pm
Maison symphonique

To purchase your tickets visit: www.placedesarts.com

Classical SpreeCLASSICAL SPREE 2022

From August 10 to 14

Rafael Payare’s first Classical Spree will be synonymous with discovery and daring. From the Far North to the Tierra del Fuego, this OSM summer event in Montreal’s Quartier des spectacles offers an occasion to immerse yourself in some of the various languages, music and cultures that have inhabited the vast land known as the Americas for centuries.

For this event, the OSM will welcome several high-calibre artists from both American continents: soprano Jeanine De Bique, trumpeter Pacho Flores, violinist James Ehnes, saxophonist Steven Banks and pianists Sergio Tiempo and Bruce Liu, among others.

The Festival will celebrate a wide array of musical and literary cultures of the Americas, ranging from sacred songs in the Quechuan language, to Argentinian tango, to Yiddish literature, to Canadian concert music.  www. osm.ca