Winners of the International Chopin Piano Competition, widely regarded as the world's most prestigious piano contest, are visiting Korean stages in succession. These performances carry special meaning, as a competition victory is not an end but a starting point for emerging as a world-class performer, offering audiences a chance to witness both the past and present of these artists.
Cho Seong-jin, winner of the 17th competition in 2015, has established himself as a top-tier pianist on the world stage. Bruce Liu of Canada won the 18th edition held in 2021, and most recently, American pianist Eric Lu took the top prize at the 19th competition last year. Following Cho Seong-jin's recent collaboration with the Munich Philharmonic in Korea, Eric Lu and Bruce Liu will also perform this month and next month, respectively.
Eric Lu draws particular attention as he embarks on his first solo recital tour in Korea since winning the Chopin Competition last year. The tour begins on the 12th at Lotte Concert Hall, followed by performances at Daegu Dalseo Arts Center on the 13th and Ulsan Ulju Culture and Arts Center on the 15th. Eric Lu finished fourth when Cho Seong-jin won in 2015. He then went on to win first prize at competitions including the Leeds Piano Competition and built a career as a professional performer, before returning to the Chopin Competition a decade later and taking the top prize last year, drawing wide attention. He is regarded as a performer who pursues delicacy over flamboyance, focusing on the silence between notes and intimate lyricism.
Eric Lu will showcase an intensive Chopin program on this tour. The repertoire ranges from "Polonaise No. 2," composed when Chopin was 18, to "Ballade No. 4," which embodies the essence of his mature period, and "Piano Sonata No. 3," considered one of his late masterpieces, revealing the depth of Chopin's musical world. He will also perform Schubert's "Impromptu No. 1" and Schumann's "Kinderszenen." Music critic Song Joo-ho said, "Eric Lu is a performer who avoids emotional excess while drawing audiences into deep sensibility through delicate tonal expression and three-dimensional sonic structure," adding that "this recital features the repertoire that best showcases his strengths."
Bruce Liu will perform with the KBS Symphony Orchestra on the 17th and 18th of next month. Andrés Orozco-Estrada, who has been active with major orchestras worldwide, will conduct. The conductor in his 40s has received acclaim for his sharp and dynamic interpretations while guest-conducting the Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony and Munich Philharmonic.
Bruce Liu has drawn attention for his performance style, which generates diverse tonal colors through sensitive keystrokes and delicate touch while unleashing explosive energy without restraint. After winning the Chopin Competition in 2021, he met Korean audiences with Chopin's piano concerto, and in 2023 performed Beethoven's piano concerto. This time, he will showcase a different side with Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.
Music critic Kim Joon-hyung said, "Bruce Liu is a pianist who stands out for his modern and refined sensibility rather than mere technical display." Critic Song Joo-ho also expressed anticipation, saying, "Tchaikovsky's concerto is a representative symphonic concerto that encompasses the entire spectrum of the piano," and "this will be a stage that fully demonstrates Bruce Liu's individuality and strengths." The latter half of the program will feature Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5.
Cho Seong-jin, the "competition senior," has built his own musical world through continuous refinement and challenges over the past decade since winning the Chopin Competition. In recent years, he has been touring the world with new repertoire each year, expanding beyond Chopin to include German classicism, French impressionism and even 20th-century modern music such as Bartók and Prokofiev.
In his Korean performance this year, he delivered Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 with brilliance and solidity alongside the Munich Philharmonic, and left a powerful impression with cascading energy and refined technique in Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2. Selected as Lotte Concert Hall's in-house musician this year, he will perform chamber music on July 14 with musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic and others. On the 19th, he will present a recital featuring a wide range of music including Bach, Schoenberg and Chopin.
Critic Kim Joon-hyung said, "Cho Seong-jin is a pianist who delivers precise technique that never falters even in the most difficult works, along with dignified interpretations," adding that "he is expanding beyond his delicate and refined Chopin interpretations into German classical and French impressionist music with his own language."
