All the Pianos inside a Single Piano

It is very likely that Bartolomeo Cristofori had no idea how far his creature would go: a keyboard instrument using complex mechanisms which could add shades of intensity to the sound of a string being struck in a hammer action. Even Johann Sebastian Bach, anchored in tradition, did not guess correctly at foreseeing the enormous potential of the pianoforte. More than 300 years since the invention of this wonder, Bruce Liu, winner of the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition in 2021 comes to the Teatro de la Maestranza to refresh our memories as we rediscover how many pianos fit inside one piano.

A stress test for everyone (interpreter, audience, and the instrument). In the same evening, two of the most well-known sonatas of Beethoven are side by side the intricate piano textures of Ligeti; the reserved romanticism of Chopin is next to a young Debussy trying to set himself free of his mentors; there is the love of Spanish culture of Franz Liszt, the parodical reinvention by Ravel; and, in the background, the intangible grace of Mompou illuminated by the moonlight. Bruce Liu will demonstrate his grand class contending with such a musically demanding repertory in such diverse styles. A challenge reserved for only a few.


György Ligeti
Fanfares (Études Book 1: n.o 4)

Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata n.o 14, op. 27 n.o 2, “Moonlight”
Sonata n.o 21, op. 53 “Waldstein”

Frédéric Chopin
Nocturne, op. 27 n.o 1
Nocturne, op. 27 n.o 2

Maurice Ravel
Alborada del gracioso de Miroirs (Morning Song of the Jester)

Claude Debussy
Rêverie L. 68

Federico Mompou
Glossa sobre “Au clair de lune”

Franz Liszt
Spanish Rapsody Rhapsody S. 254, R. 90

Isaac Albéniz
El Puerto (Book 1 of Iberia)

First Prize 18th International Chopin Piano Competition (Warsaw, 2021)