Lunaris

With his extraordinary virtuosity and poetic sound, Bruce Liu, winner of the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition, is one of the most fascinating pianists of his generation. On his new album “Lunaris”, Liu presents a programme that reveals him at his most poetic, visionary and atmospheric.

At the heart of “Lunaris” are Beethoven’s legendary “Moonlight” and “Waldstein” Sonatas. Around these masterpieces, Liu unfolds a programme of extraordinary atmosphere and emotional depth, bringing together iconic piano works and hidden gems. Chopin’s beloved Nocturne, Debussy’s shimmering “Rêverie” and Bach’s timeless lyricism meet rarely recorded pieces by Mompou, the ecstatic intensity of Scriabin and the hypnotic beauty of Cage’s “Dream”. Contemporary colours from Agnes Obel and Ligeti lend this musical journey a fresh and unexpected dimension.

More than a classical recital album, “Lunaris” is an immersive listening experience: cinematic, nocturnal and deeply personal. Inspired by poetry, painting and the mystery of the night, Bruce Liu shapes each piece into a space of suspended time, light and imagination.

“It’s not only a selection of pieces I love, but it’s my attempt at creating a new way of listening and experiencing sound that has grown inside of me. This atmosphere of suspended time, and the coexistence of intimacy and distance, are things I recognize in my daily relationship with the instrument.” – Bruce Liu

Praised for his “elf-like virtuosity” (Le Monde) and “elegance and lightness of touch” (The Guardian), Liu invites listeners into a mesmerising world of moonlit reflection, imagination and transcendence.

Tracklisting:

Side A
A1 Chopin: Nocturne, Op. 27: No. 2 in D-Flat Major
A2-4 Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata

Side B
B1 Debussy - Reverie
B2 Bach - Prelude
B3 Obel - Tokka
B4 Mompou - Glossa
B5 Mompou - Fantasia sobre
B6 Schönberg - Klavierstücke 1
B7 Ligeti - Fanfares 

Side C
C1-4 Beethoven - Waldstein Sonata

Side D
D1-2 Scriabin Sonata
D3 Hahn - Hivernale
D4 Cage - Dream

Tracklist CD:

01 Chopin: Nocturne, Op. 27: No. 2 in D-Flat Major
02 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight": I. Adagio sostenuto
03 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight": II. Allegretto
04 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight": III. Presto
05 Debussy: Rêverie, L.68, CD 76
06 J.S. Bach: Prelude in B minor, BWV 855a (Arr. by Alexander Siloti)
07 Obel: Tokka
08 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 “Waldstein”: I. Allegro con brio
09 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 “Waldstein”: II. Introduzione. Adagio molto.
10 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 “Waldstein”: IIIa. Rondo. Allegretto moderato -
11 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 “Waldstein”: IIIb. Prestissimo
12 Mompou: Au clair de la lune: Glossa sobre
13 Mompou: Au clair de la lune: Fantasia sobre
14 Ligeti: ètudes, Book 1: No. 4, Fanfares
15 Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 4 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 30: I. Andante
16 Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 4 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 30: II. Prestissimo volando
17 Cage: Dream