TIANYAO LYU
It was like an apparition: at 16, Tianyao Lyu became one of the youngest finalists in the prestigious Chopin Competition, drawing the attention of audiences and critics alike, and also winning the prize for the best concerto performance. Now an exclusive artist with a major record label, the Chinese-born pianist presents a recital that showcases her composer of choice, Frédéric Chopin.
Programme
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791)
Piano Sonata in D major K. 576
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Barcarolle in F-sharp major Op. 60
Scherzo No. 4 in E major Op. 54
Interval
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Prelude in C-sharp minor Op. 45
Three Waltzes Op. 64
Etude in A-flat major Op. 25 No. 1
Etude in G-sharp minor Op. 25 No. 6
Variations on “Là ci darem la mano” from Mozart’s Don Giovanni Op. 2
Find out more
Tianyao Lyu’s bond with the Polish composer is exceptional. At the age of eight, the young pianist discovered his music in deeply moving circumstances: her grandmother, seriously ill, listened to the Concerto No. 1 every day. ‘The music gave her immense strength in her most difficult moments,’ she recalls. ‘This experience taught me that music is not only an art but also a force that sustains life’. To express Chopin’s profound humanity ever more fully, Tianyao Lyu moved to Poland, where she still lives. For her first appearance in Verbier, the pianist, a native of Beijing, naturally gives pride of place to the composer of the Nocturnes and the Barcarolle, which she subtly pairs with Mozart’s last sonata. Among the highlights of her recital are the famous Minute Waltz and the Variations Op. 2, written in 1827 on an air from Don Giovanni, which Schumann greeted with the words: ‘Hats off, gentlemen, a genius!’. With Tianyao Lyu, Chopin’s piano is in safe hands.
