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| Bruce Liu, the winner of the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition / Courtesy of the Chopin Institute |
By Park Ji-won
Classical music fans all over the world were excited to watch the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition held last month, expecting the emergence of a star pianist who could influence the classical music industry for some time to come. Korean fans had especially high expectations for the contest, as the winner of the last competition held six years ago was Korea's own Cho Seong-jin.
However, Lee Hyuk, a Korean finalist in the competition, failed to win a prize, as Canadian pianist Bruce Xiaoyu Liu won the top spot with unique and skilled performance.
The winner who is currently having an international "marathon-like" tour after the competition, will hold a concert with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, led by associate conductor Wilson Ng, at the Seoul Arts Center (SAC), Nov. 27. He will be playing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11; Berlioz's Le Carnaval Romain Overture and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9 in E-flat major Op. 70. Tickets sold out early, and the SAC has since opened ticket sales for an online streaming video.
Ahead of the concert in Seoul, the Korean press were invited to ask Liu questions at a roundtable interview via Zoom, Thursday, about his competition win, his philosophy as a pianist, the concert with the Seoul Philharmonic and his future plans.
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| Bruce Liu, the winner of the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition / Courtesy of the Chopin Institute |
"I don't practice so much … I think I never decided to become a professional pianist. I want to keep the piano as a hobby. Because I don't want it to become like a routine. A hobby is something that we have a passion for and that we are interested at. I know a lot of people who, when they become a pianist, it's like they are doing like a job. Then they start to lose the inspiration and the interest for music, which is dangerous," the 24-year-old said.
"(But) I'm devoted to this hobby more than others ― that's for sure. Especially after the competition. I don't even have time to sleep and eat. I am constantly traveling. I have played the concerto like 10 times. But it is a fulfilling challenge with a lot of joy."
Bruce Liu has countless hobbies, including swimming, car racing, reading, watching movies, practicing magic tricks and playing go. Even before the announcement of the winner of the competition, which he didn't expect to win, he revealed that he performed some magic tricks backstage for other competitors and staff.
As a Chinese Canadian who was born in Paris and raised in Montreal, the mix of many different cultures and hobbies likely enabled him to grow up as an open-minded person accepting of differences, and helped him come up with his own personal kind of originality, which likely contributed to him winning. He said that his teacher, Dang Thai Son, the first Asian winner of the competition, is more like a family member, in that they share their life problems. He hopes to play Chopin's "Don Giovanni Variations" and Rachmaninoff in the near future. He is also looking forward to performing in Seoul, as unlike concerts in other countries, such as Israel and Japan, he has had several chances to rehearse so can express his artistic perspective better. He hopes to become an artist who is true to himself.
Below is an excerpt of the interview with Bruce Liu, which has been edited for clarity.
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| Bruce Liu, the winner of 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition / Courtesy of the Chopin Institute |
Q: As the Chopin competition was delayed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, what was it like to perform after your final round? What came to your mind after being announced as the winner?
A: I was not expecting that. I didn't think about the results at all. Even from the first round to the third round, I heard the results only the morning of the next day, after the announcement, because they always announce so late. And I just went to sleep. I learned the results on the next day when I woke up. I was pretty chill. I didn't feel I was in a competition. After the final, in the next few days, I have to play in the gala the E minor concerto again, which was something I was not happy about. I wanted to rest after the competition. So it was a whole marathon.
Q: What do you remember most about the competition?
A: I think I still need time to digest what actually happened. Now it's quite a mess to figure out and do well with what is just happening ― all the concerts. I don't know why I was remembered that, but before the results announcement, I was doing some magic tricks backstage with some other competitors and staff.
Q: Before you decided to participate in the competition, why didn't you play Chopin much?
A: Before the competition, because it was postponed, in order to keep my freshness and inspiration on, I decided to play something else instead of Chopin. With too much Chopin, you will really get bored. I played some Rameau and Beethoven. I also learned some very weird pieces I would not have (otherwise) learned.
It's been like that from my childhood until now. I never thought about focusing on one specific composer. I was playing a bit of everything. It was good for my overall development. I think it's better to decide what you really like later, when you get much surer, when you really know who you are.
Q: As a student of Dang Thai Son, the first Asian winner of the competition, what stands out the most among what he taught you?
A: When I started with him, we did (practice) every composer, but not Chopin. I started to prepare for the competition with him only two years ago. Because now that we are both Chopin winners, people think about Chopin a lot for us. But he is a really versatile teacher. So we work on Russian music and French music. I don't want to have a Chopinist hat on my head. He knows Warsaw so well. Not only the competition… but he also goes there as a jury member, and he often give concerts there. It is good to know (he tells me) some restaurants and good hotels in Warsaw. It is always helpful. As a teacher, the relationship we have is quiet special. We are like very good friends and members of a family in a way. We don't talk only about music, but also about everyday life problems, like, 'There's a new supermarket,' 'How to get a cheaper air ticket,' which is very warming.
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| Bruce Liu, the winner of the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition / Courtesy of Chopin Institute |
Q: You have a lot of hobbies. What are they and how do you play the piano while enjoying your other hobbies?
A: Because I don't practice so much. Even piano was a hobby for me when I started at 8. I swim every day and I like chess and movies. I like reading and I also play go.
Q: What kind of energy do you get from racing? Aren't you worried that you might hurt your hand?
A: No. I used to like playing tennis as well. But that is more harmful for the arms. Racing isn't actually as dangerous as you think. (Racing) is just a hobby. I don't try to really make a connection with piano. The fact of doing something else already gives our brains a break. I think that is good. I mean, that's important for me. I think if you really want to find some connection, I think maybe (you need) some concentration. I want to win more in racing than in piano.
Q: When did you decide to become a professional pianist?
A: I think I never decided to. I want to keep the piano as a hobby. Because I don't want it to become like a routine. A hobby is something that we have a passion for and that we are interested in. I know a lot of people who, when they become a pianist, it's like they are doing a job. They lose the inspiration and the interest for music, which is dangerous. Of course, I'm devoted to this hobby more than others ― that's for sure. Especially after the competition. I don't even have time to sleep and eat. I am constantly traveling. I have played the concerto like 10 times. But it is a fulfilling challenge with a lot of joy.
Q: What did you prepare the most for the competition?
A: The only thing is that I had never prepared such a huge repertoire by only one composer ― that's the most special thing. Especially with COVID-19, the audition we had in July was actually my first public performance for a year and a half. It was even a bit weird when I was sitting on stage. The best way to prepare for the competition is to actually think that you're on stage when you are practicing. So that actually, when you get on stage, you are not so nervous anymore. It is all about the imagination to pre-think what you are going to face.
Q: Who do you admire as a musician apart from your teacher?
A: I admire some old masters from the past more. Because piano playing taste has changed so much between now and 50 years ago. Somehow they are closer to what actually these composers wanted because of the way they lived. Today, we focus too much on technique and perfection. The old ones…they focused more on tone, melody and singing ― so special… people like Cortot and Samson Francois, Michelangeli, because we don't hear that kind of performance anymore. It is interesting: Michelangeli and I share a common hobby, which is racing.
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| Bruce Liu, the winner of 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition / Courtesy of the Chopin Institute |
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| Bruce Liu, the winner of 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition / Courtesy of the Chopin Institute |
Q: Your parents are from Beijing and you were born in Paris. You were raised in Montreal, Canada, and have an Asian (Chinese) upbringing. Did that atmosphere or environment affect you in becoming the winner?
A: It was a mix of so many cultures. I was in so many places. Each of them influenced me in a way because the most important thing is that this mixture of differences gives me the conception of being very open-minded and easy about accepting the differences between us. It is simple: I remember somebody said that the only thing we all have in common between us is actually difference. Even for playing music ― Chopin, Beethoven, German music and Russian music ― actually this kind of thinking and logic makes it easier for me to accept all of these and actually to learn these different types of things. I think that's the biggest, not advantage, but gain I have grown up with.
Q: Former Chopin competition winner Cho Seong-jin said that he intentionally avoided playing Chopin works in order not to be recognized as a Chopin specialist. What about you? What kind of music do you want to play in the future in the short term and in the long term?
A: I feel the same as him, because there's just so much music to discover ― not because I hate Chopin. Everybody in my situation, after playing E minor 10 times in such a short time. For the next coming year, I already have plans to play E minor 20 to 30 times. There are a lot of things I am interested at. I am planning in maybe the short-term some other Don Giovanni Variations because I love them so much. I actually want to mix different versions of Don Giovanni in a recital. And French music ― I will put in my recital program too. And maybe next year, I will start with Rachmaninoff as well because it's going to be the (150th) anniversary year (of his birth) in 2023. There are a lot of things to consider.
Q: What do you mean by 'becoming myself' as an artist?
A: When we play one composer, it's inevitable to put our own personality into it. For Chopin, you would easily think that he is very nostalgic and sad and that his music has so much suffering, because he could not go back to his country ― things like this. My approach to Chopin was more of a kind of happy man, as an always optimistic guy. I'm quite social and I like to chill with friends. It is the opposite from what we think of Chopin.
Somehow, I think that's not completely true because he was also a very complex human being. He also has emotions. He created all the salon culture. He liked to imitate people and have fun all the time. So that's why there were all these dances ― the waltzes, polonaises… all of these are from those sources. When we play his music, we reflect on our own personality. What is art? Art is a mirror of ourselves; everything we do and make in life is part of the arts. I think that music, when we play it, it cannot be separated from ourselves. I think the most important thing is to keep one's sincerity and just keep being true to oneself.
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| Bruce Liu, the winner of 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition / Courtesy of the Chopin Institute |
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| Bruce Liu, the winner of 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition / Courtesy of the Chopin Institute |
Q: The recording of your performance at the competition will be released later this month in Korea. The last track will be the Don Giovanni Variation. Did you choose the order of the tracks?
A: Actually, Deutsche Grammophon showed me the order that they had prepared. I didn't plan it, but I was happy with the order because I like that piece the most.
Q: How are you preparing for the concert in Seoul?
A: It's nice because I saw there's actually two or three rehearsals before the concert, which is going to be great because all the orchestra performances I had before always like only one rehearsal. I never had the time actually to really tell the conductor and the orchestra what I really wanted, in order to have time to organize something together artistically. So I am looking forward to the fact that we can do this in Seoul.
Q: What kind of focus do you want to express during the show to the audience?
A: I think it depends. I am quite a spontaneous person. I don't know how I will feel that day. So we will see. It's going to be a surprise.
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| Bruce Liu, the winner of 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition / Courtesy of the Chopin Institute |
Q: Can you tell us about what you want to do either as a pianist or as a 24-year-old?
A: I think they go together. Now I'm getting the chance to travel to so many places. I think that's the dream of so many people, despite the fact that I really want to sleep now. But I know, I shouldn't complain; it is such a fulfilling life. As a 24-year-old guy, I think, 'All I want to do now is to party.' I will leave that for later in December when I go back home.
Q: Could you leave a message for your Korean audience?
A: Actually it's my first time to go to Korea, so it's going to be very exciting. Especially now, during this pandemic, it's so hard to go to Asian countries. The fact that I can deliver my winning piece in the competition to the Asian public and the Korean public ― it is going to be very exciting.
