Homesick for Italy

‘The sun shines radiantly, at last I feel a magical change within me’, Tchaikovsky wrote during a visit to the Italian city of Florence. Souvenir de Florence, a tribute to the city he adored, bursts at the seams with love and joy. Bruce Liu makes his debut with Amsterdam Sinfonietta performing Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto and the virtuoso Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante, both in versions for piano and string orchestra. Bruce Liu was born in Paris to Chinese parents and grew up in Montreal. ‘What we all have in common is our difference’, the young pianist likes to say. The cultural diversity he grew up with has shaped his personality. Bruce Liu won first prize at the 18th Chopin Piano Competition in 2021, after which his international career took flight.