Kate Liu - Ballade in F minor Op. 52 (second stage)

[@hjames58]

It’s 2024 and I’m still listening to this piece from her over and over. The best Chopin Ballade 4 ever.

[@mikekostura]

I completely agree. Still loving this in 2024!

[@OFWarhhbTN]

Still here; still finding it gorgeously performed. Not certain that there is one best performance; Zimerman and Richter also give gorgeous readings. IMHO, that is.

[@jeklnd754]

Same here, amazing

[@TheSoteriologist]

@ I prefer Koroliov because of its control, balance and deeper understanding, Richter and Cherkassky. But this blows everything else besides Koroliov out of the water.

[@Lukas-ug6jy]

10:16 you can see her artery pulsating at around 160 bpm. Piano playing is cardio.. At least in a stressful situation like that.

[@Ach0183u]

That girl plays with her heart. In my opinion, this interpretation is the best ever recorded, and 8 years later, many people, including me, argue that she deserved the 1st prize and Gold medal.

[@Maxge444]

I listen to this for years now, and I have to say, it is one of, if not the best performance of a piece anyone has ever delivered in a Chopin competition in my opinion!

[@gildonpamittan6162]

It's so sad that until now she's not yet having any other album aside from the 2015 competition album. I just hope that recording labels would look after her to record other works. I feel like she's so underrated.

[@osmanaligiire9811]

Yes she is so underrated. Don't know why she was the favorite of the public

[@kyoungpyohong4387]

I heard she had an injury.. I hope she comes back with an album too!

[@rosapark07]

@@kyoungpyohong4387 Agree with you👍👍 I love her music very much:)

[@nedcrouch3202]

She's still young.

[@Sam-nb1rm]

Yeah she's just 28. She also just attended a piano competition.

[@mecaaaaa]

英語でうまく書けないので日本語で失礼します。 Kateさんのピアノはものすごく聞き入ってしまいます。音の一粒一粒が綺麗で、しかも繊細。全ての響きが気持ちよく心地いい。 特にこのバラード４番は、私が聞きたいKateさんの良さが凄く出ていて、もう本当に、弾いてくれてありがとうございますという気持ちで満たされます。 Kateさんのピアノ、大好きです！

[@dwacheopus]

yay hewo japanese guy!

[@poohglet]

4번은 케이트 리우 버젼 뛰어넘는 사람을 본 적이 없음. 조성진, 짐머만 등 많은 사람들을 들어봤지만 공연장의 공기까지 소리를 통해 전해지는 기분은 처음인듯..

[@joebone87]

Like Yunchan Lim she is not weighed down by virtuosity - the music seems to speak clearly and you can imagine that this is what the composer wanted.

[@JoeLinux2000]

I like your phrase "not weighted down by virtuosity."

[@joebone87]

❤

[@shkim3and]

Best ever. My favorite artist.

[@levim.3505]

I must have listened to over 200+ recordings of this piece, in an attempt to find someone better than her. There's noone. She's absolutely on par with Richter, Kocsis and Moravec. This and her recording of sonata no. 3 are mindbogglingly good.

[@GiantSarcasticRobot]

try Zimerman's recording

[@MrEymen1988]

This is the best version of Ballade n4 that I have ever listen to, so clean and magical, I just think that she is so underrated. Magnificent!

[@Thoys-dh7zm]

Anna Vinnitskaya's version is better imo

[@katarzynas.9800]

❤

[@Ryanyimmy]

breh zimerman and yundi’s old performance>>>

[@bosiljkavujovic9376]

Listen to Alexei Sultanov!

[@mr.fredericchopin6214]

Kate Liu is one of the foremost talents of the age! She is authentic, an individual voice who lives and breathes Chopin... I don't believe in the search for the very best pianist ever. There are many more pianists than we might wish to acknowledge, each with their own interpretation. However, Kate Liu does something that few other musicians ever have done for me. She is consistently the one who brings Frederic Chopin to my doorstep with every ounce of depth which that implies, in every way that may touch my soul...

[@shawnwilker2755]

Wow. That moment at 3:16 when she lets that single note just hang there like there is not a care in the world is pure magic. She has an amazing ability to interpret Chopin.

[@quazart_piano]

Toute l'âme de Chopin... c'est sublime !!

[@ТатьянаОстровская-б9и]

Слушаю часто эту Балладу с конкурса 2015 г в исполнение Kate Liu. Для меня это лучшее исполнение в плане эмоционального накала и музыкальной подачи. Она живет этой музыкой. Прекрасная пианистка!

[@BundlesOfFivers]

9:09-10:15 - on fire. Following 5 chords: left the planet. She went somewhere else. Amazing.

[@nininha219]

the best pianist walking on the face of the earth

[@o2962]

i've had this beautiful, physically demanding Ballade going on a loop performed by everyone on KZbin. Without knowing who was playing this morning, my system began with this one. I was immediately aware this was different, and drawn in by very pure, expressive, lyrical voices and tonal clarity. I recognized greatness. This is a challenging piece to master technically, as well as lyricize, yet this pianist was gliding. Walking over to the screen, I saw Kate Liu's graceful hands, and arms. As a pianist who plays the other three Ballades, but not yet the fourth, I applaud you Kate for your insight, as well as your technical competence, strength and endurance. You have it in the palms of your hands, and convey it's glorious poetry. Absolutely brilliant work. Bravo, Kate Liu.

[@jasond4466]

Just amazing how she plays without looking at the keys, sometimes with her eyes closed.

[@mwk6489]

I can't stop hear you playing. Kate, you are unbeatable!

[@tristano3]

This is quite unbelievable... Kate Liu is, on the evidence of this performance and most of what is on youtube - in particular, Chopin (listen to the Sonata no 3), but also Beethoven (op. 110 is stunning), Prokofiev (Sonata no.8) and Ravel (Gaspard, recorded back in 2010 when she was a teenager) - one of the greatest pianists ever recorded. Her playing is uniquely poetic, original and comprehensive in conception and execution, the sheer beauty of her touch expresses blazing intensity and infinitely subtle emotion in a way that reminds me of Maria Callas.... We are so fortunate and privileged to be able to listen to such a profound artist. She is unknown in the UK, and has never played here, as far as I can tell. Like I said, unbelievable!

[@marshallartz395]

Dan Usiskin: So well said. Couldn’t agree more. I was lucky enough to attend a January 2019 recital in California which included the Beethoven and Prokofiev, along with Chopin and Brahms. That ‘live’ concert confirmed my impression of her recorded performances on KZbin: a talent that is off the charts-with a humble, sweet, and unassuming manner. I loved her; the audience in the sold-out hall loved her; and I can’t wait for her to return so I can hear her again.

[@marshallartz395]

Ryan Wang: Thanks for the fascinating story. It is indeed hard to imagine that she did not qualify for the Tchaikovsky Competition. Her playing in California was just superb. I envy your 5-hour conversation! She has so many fans on KZbin; did you happen to ask her if she ever reads the comments?😎🎹

[@susanhawkins3890]

And don’t forget her exquisite Brahms!

[@susanhawkins3890]

The Russian and Asian pianists completely devote their life to music...their talent blooms !!

[@Ben-kh2rh]

9:07 this section makes me want to learn and master this ballade. Simply beautiful

[@user-fd7rg1bz2]

This performance cannot be summed up in the trivial words of just winning the competition. Pure perfection.

[@lvb1770]

Never rushed, relaxed, well thought out but imaginative and consistent playing. Never too much or too little. Can't think of any pianist who captures all of these qualities like this girl does. Unlike so many who make you feel like they are rushing to end, she seems like she never wants the music to end!

[@splitt7626]

Transparency Audio & Music then you never heard Mr. Zimmerman and his version of Ballade no. 4 .

[@p-y8210]

Zimmerman is even better

[@nickmarshall5302]

Indeed his performance is definitive!! This young gorgeous girl is aspiring and fantastic best wishes to her.....maybe the next Argerich??? But yes, there must be room for her, Juga Wang not with standing....and Juga is my favorite!

[@davidbrown6340]

@@splitt7626 It is very good, but he doesn't vary tempi in subtle ways I would prefer. Of course, so many take too much liberty with Chopin, or play too fast or violently, so I really like C. Z.

[@JA-zs7fw]

@@splitt7626 ihave and i think she is still better

[@yerincho1411]

진짜 이 곡 해석중 최고다.. 맨날 보러옴 너무 멋있어요

[@sk-fk7om]

She's so amazing👏 I could listen to her play forever🥺

[@ADGO]

There isn't anyone else in the world who expresses Chopin in your rich and soulful way. I can only mention a few pianists in history who have given me the feeling you do. I wish you all the best Kate.

[@liceous]

+ADGO i've listened to 30+ interpretations of this ballade and there is a magically soft touch to kate's playing here that no other pianist has been able to achieve. bravo kate. hope to see you live one day

[@hyramesshiramess1035]

+ADGO Certainly a divinely inspired performance if ever there was one. I've heard EVERYONE play this piece and play it extraordinarily well, but I have to agree that NO ONE has achieved a greater depth of poetic understanding, and projection of subtle lyrical intensity than this young woman. I was not nearly as impressed with her reading of the E-Minor concerto, but that's like trying to compare apples with oranges. Kate has a great lyrical gift, which to me is far more important than flashy bravura. And now I'm going to listen to Kate's C#-Minor Scherzo -- surely the acid test for all Chopinistes. ;-)

[@MegaPianogenius]

haha has she got a harelip? she can't express it like russians or poles she is an asian robot

[@JohnBorstlap]

There is the music, and there is the playing. The latter is very good and poetic, but one should listen to the music itself: it does express the life experience of someone who is locked-up in some place where there is no escape, but who is dreaming about how it was and how it could have been 'if only'... A very universal experience of the human condition. And in the hands of a gifted composer, it becomes stylized and accessible as a universal experience. This pianist understands all of this, obviously, in an emotional sense.

[@valoulenstein9020]

liceous The only person who matches this softness is Lucas Debargue (in my opinion) I don't know if his recording of the fourth Ballade is available on youtube, but it's in his album with Scarlatti, Chopin and Ravel

[@marshallartz395]

🔶🔸 Kate Liu Plays Chopin 🔸🔶 Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52 *(1842)* 00:00 Andante con moto 00:35 _m 7 a tempo_ 03:30 _m 58_ 04:35 _m 85 dolce_ 05:27 _m 99 a tempo_ 06:33 _m 129_ 07:16 _m 134 a tempo_ 09:08 _m 169 a tempo_ 10:23 _m 203_ 10:47 _m 211 [Coda]_ Kate Liu, piano✨ *17th International Chopin Competition* *Stage 2: 5 pm-8:30 pm Session* *October 10, 2015*

[@jamesbow5916]

This is simply the best interpretation I have ever heard of this Ballade. She let's Chopin "breathe". Sometimes silence is the best musicianship.

[@mediumsizedgrape]

@@ilovemycatrussell9298 but very similar

[@eloisanzara237]

@@ilovemycatrussell9298 Why does everyone keep saying Zimmerman's the best. I'm curious as to their reasonings.

[@FayieElphis]

@@eloisanzara237 personal preference, if I'm being honest. Everyone seems to say "this is Chopin's intention" which is fine, except the only person who knows that 100% is Chopin himself. And he's dead, so... Yeah.

[@lossen1984]

As Debussy once said "Music is the space between the notes" Let the music breathe!

[@SpiramusPresents]

Yes she knows-how to make the music a living breathing entity !!!Her timing before starting a new passage is of the divine!!!!!!! Chopin at its very best!!!! THANK YOU Kate!!!!!!

[@dysjencofigaroa2580]

just beautiful! that concert hall is FILLED with her emotions. its so facinating to see what music can actually do to people

[@fars1d3s]

Probably the best Chopin Ballade 4 at this competition. Definitely one of the best Chopin Ballade 4 on KZbin. Bravo!!

[@konigstephan]

Clearly, and I mean *clearly* one of the best renditions of the Fourth Ballade I've ever heard - live or studio. Bravissima Mrs. Liu!

[@jeremywu1238]

I could no longer contain my tears at 6:32; Kate plays this passage so magically that it feels like arriving back home at last after a lengthy and tiresome expedition in a faraway land. Chopin's music is absolutely incredible and Kate successfully brings it to life in the most extraordinary manner.

[@kateliufan]

Wow

[@margoozog]

You must be my soulmate

[@chalkup7493]

You know this is a gem when every time you listen to it, it feels just the same as it did the first time you listened to it. Wow.

[@Florestan1207]

This is possibly the most impressive and magisterial performance of this piece I’ve ever heard. Such a natural flow, simplicity and attention to details. The music becomes a living organism.

[@weijiawu4766]

Chopin is such a master, he creates these beautiful, relaxing and peaceful melodies that Kate amazingly brings to life, the song just flows through her like honey, amazing.

[@JohannesSNugroho]

this is so rare, so unpretentious, so pure interpretation of the soul within Ballade 4 ... no make ups, just how Chopin would wish for, in my opinion.

[@GDT908]

Tout à fait différent de l’interprétation de Horowitz (celle de 1953).

[@osmanaligiire9811]

@@GDT908 oui, elle a son style

[@jeremyyun1550]

9:34 too often is this voicing lost in most recordings, loves that she brings it out

[@wtrmelon1096]

Agreed

[@WitoldBanasik]

Absolutely breath-takingly and marvelously mind-numbingly amazing performance. Great legato, touching nostalgia, technical perfection, Chopenistic aura and idomatic brilliance. And her palms dancing and her face laced with admiration... Bless you Kate !!!

[@lifeofminion1018]

I swear I’ve listened to this performance close to 100 times in less than a year already.

[@나영현-d1w]

This is the greatest version i've heard. Bravo, Kate!

[@jsphotos]

That Kate Liu does not have a recording contract with DG or some other major label is a disgrace and indicative of how poorly the major labels judge talent. . How could it possibly be that we not be hearing more from this amazing talent?

[@bpat74]

Wow... Could not agree more! .. Kate is a living miracle, nothing less.. I am afraid recording labels are looking for pianists-models or pianists-athletes and not for true artists.. Unfortunately..

[@vkb9013]

Agreed!! I want to purchase all her recordings on a proper album. Where’s her contract?!? She’s brilliant

[@SJ-zn6tu]

짐머만은 음향과 기교가 너무 완전해서 압도된다면 이건 들으면 왠지 벅차고 눈물이 나옴.. 짐머만은 숨을 멈추고 듣게 되는데 리우는 숨을 깊게 내쉬면서 듣게 됨

[@이현규-g8c]

내가 가장 좋아하는 피아니스트 7:22부터 은은하게 나오는 이 메이저한 음색과 케이트리우의 표정이 이 곡의 하이라이트이다. 정말 대단하다.

[@maxb4074]

Chopin called this a ballade for a reason. It should be played the way she plays it.

[@PianoScenesMoviesandSeries]

She just topped Zimerman for me. Never thought that would happen.

[@kzelmer]

By any means, Zimmerman is unique when talking about Ballades (or Concertos, or Sonatas...)

[@jondavwal13]

It's good performance but it isn't that good.

[@MegaPianogenius]

yes Jonathan zimmerman is the ultimate one

[@poning8184]

Don't know this Zimmerman person. But there is no one above Krystian Zimerman

[@fredfeinberg3995]

Do give the Rubinstein a listen, especially for the G minor one. I've never heard anyone play anything better.

[@ズンちゃん-h5d]

何度聴いても最高です。ピアノってこんなにキラキラと輝く音が出るんだなぁと改めて感じる演奏です。至福の時間をありがとうございます。

[@fransterbeek914]

Kate Liu is unbelievable, her playing seems to come right from heaven. I have heard that Einstein said when he had listened to Rubinstein for the first time: "Now I know that there is a God in heaven..." I had to think on these words when I had listened to Kate Liu some times.

[@vivianzhu8352]

I can’t believe this was four years ago; it feels like yesterday!

[@worldsailor2160]

I love the way how Kate plays the beginning of this piece. It feels like sunshine is falling over me on a clear spring day. Thank you Kate.

[@MarshallArtz007]

Still the most beautiful performance of this masterpiece I’ve ever heard. 😎🎹

[@bpat74]

Best rendition ever..!

[@bpat74]

New video... Mozart's d minor concerto with the Warsaw Philarmonic.. kzbin.info13Xd0h-2BcE?si=Tt87Bbj7fZF3bldl

[@poohglet]

agree 100%

[@purplerose10794]

Kate, you deserve greater fame. Your music touches me in the deepest sense and soothes my soul...you are a true artist

[@binglinli10]

She is a master of the lower range of keys in piano. Under her virtuoso decoration, a lot of the boring lower key transition phrases are full of content, miraculous!

[@788skyhi]

+Binglin Li you're absolutely right about that, spot on comment, i couldn't agree more

[@sefaemreilikli]

She won my heart. A perfect moment. ✨

[@DrEru]

bu parçaları zimmerman ayrı bir güzel çalıyor ondan da dinle. Bu arada danca macabre yorumu ile sen de benim kalbimi kazandın dostum :D

[@sefaemreilikli]

@@DrEru Krystian Zimerman en sevdiğim piyanistlerdendir.🌟Onun Chopin baladlarını da onlarca defa dinledim. Farklı ruhlar, farklı renkler. 🎹💯Teşekkürler. 🤓

[@fakaarda]

Denemediyseniz Kissin’i dinleyin

[@bocian4564]

mine too

[@plain713]

Performing like that in the Second round of Chopin Competition is not easy. Never. But she performed this in such a phenomenal and terrific way. Big Big brava for her👍

[@annapenn4741]

What a joy that we can hear Kate's great art -- her unconditional dedication to music and the rich life of her soul. She is a gift to humankind.

[@blacksmith9338]

Happy birthday Kate !!! may 23 (2023). We love you so much. We will want Kate to play a lot of Chopin music from now on .

[@MarshallArtz007]

🍾❤️❤️❤️🎂❤️❤️❤️🍾

[@dipendra3409]

This girl is immensely talented. Exquisite playing.

[@AboutVelvet]

Kate is really something special. She makes the piano sing.

[@jeremydepp3970]

Chopin was all about making the piano sing. I agree she certainly accomplished that here. :)

[@quyduong6789]

Words cannot describe how much I love Kates performance of this Ballade… I’m so glad that we have her in this Era besides Yunchan Lim

[@MrSean03839]

Kate playing is pure inspiration to me. She is one with the music. Thank you Ms. Liu, I look forward to your future performances!

[@Andrea-hc4kz]

She plays so delicately! What I really love from her is that she's so calm but passionate. She doesn't ambitiously show off as if she really wanted to be the first champion. She enjoys what she performs. That's rarely amazing.

[@sniprsprimordium5625]

The best interpretation of the coda I have heard... she plays it so smoothly.

[@TheKevPal]

This whole ballade is amazing, but my favorite section might be 9:07-9:55. Something about that section is just so moving and emotion-evoking. I can't describe it.

[@melkithierry9289]

ouah!!!..Quel souffle!! Quelle Artiste!! Magnifique!! Très émouvant!!

[@liceous]

i just need to say it again as i've just finished learning this ballade and have listened to every interpretation i can possibly get my ears on -- THIS ballade interpretation by kate liu is sublime. so magical, utter perfection. talent at its absolute finest. if the ballade form is all about dramatic, emotional narrative, then kate liu is that one of a kind storyteller who guides you along the way so that you understand the story the best, without pushing the narrative thread too hard, without dragging it down too sentimentally -- she floats you along the story, she brings you to a different dimension, in the way we've so often been read a bedtime story at the perfect pace. bravo.

[@antoniovmu4902]

+liceous woooooowww you learned this ballade?! its one of the hardest pieces of chopin (and the best obviously :P ) Congratulations!!!! it have been always my dream to learn it, however I have to improve a little bit more :) :)

[@sholicsholic8264]

Right, I also love her interpretation. Those who gave thumbs down were jealous with her.

[@javiqt1]

+liceous loved your comment, you are totally right

[@리치대호]

a bedtime story at the perfect pace. My thoughts exactly.

[@filipDim]

+PianoMan “antpa1418” 13 learn the first ballade first , then youll be able to get what is the 4th

[@egoist25]

I'm learning this piece and I swear I just keep coming back to Kate's version. So good

[@francoaragosta4285]

Just INCREDIBLY good. We'll never hear it played any better of that I'm sure. This girl has EVERYTHING.

[@blacksmith1699]

Happy birthday Kate !! may 23 (2024). We love you so much!!. we want Kate to play a lot of Chopin music from now on. I'm looking forward to it .

[@sgut1947]

I love this performance. Her tone in the lyrical passages is like a bell (and those five chords before the coda!). The moments where the music comes to a pause, either silence or a held note, are full of tension. The very busy virtuoso passages are clear as day. Great stuff.

[@a.h3448]

I totally agreed

[@heyjianjing]

I really don't know who else can play this better, Kate has everything for this Ballade IMHO

[@hyramesshiramess1035]

Certainly a divinely inspired performance if ever there was one. I've heard EVERYONE play this piece and play it extraordinarily well, but I have to agree that NO ONE has achieved a greater depth of poetic understanding, and projection of subtle lyrical intensity than this young woman. I was not nearly as impressed with her reading of the E-Minor concerto, but that's like trying to compare apples with oranges. Kate has a great lyrical gift, which to me is far more important than flashy bravura.

[@blacksmith9338]

Kate is the person whom my life cannot lack in .

[@flora-hf3qp]

I love her. This ballade is just amazing

[@Johannes_Brahms65]

Whenever i see Kate Liu perform i feel the urge to run to my piano and practice to play in a relaxed manner.

[@Toru-Kazama]

It is kate's version that I'm willing to spare no effort to play this masterpiece despite how hard it is

[@maxharris5249]

this is my favourite interpretation hands down, could and have listened to this for hours

[@jerryy7650]

I am crying

[@user-q9j7n]

You're doing the right thing

[@marshallartz395]

Jerry Y: You and everybody else.

[@hrcoffee_4284]

me too man, me too...

[@gwaynebrouwn844]

3:44 got me

[@marshallartz395]

Jerry Y: To those who understand and love this Ballade, no other reaction is possible. This is a touchstone performance. 🥲🎹

[@alfredocastaneda1474]

I became interested in the world of piano and Chopin because of Kate's beautiful interpretations!

[@jeromeschmitz8504]

i love how she is singing in 5:10

[@michalokoniewski756]

I have heard many interpretations of this Ballade. None touched me like this one. Superb

[@GDT908]

Except Alfred Cortot, in my view.

[@TheSoteriologist]

This is, of course, breathtaking, particularly pertaining the virtuosity at the end, that is, perhaps 20% of the ballad. But if you want to come to an understanding of the whole thing played by a master musician who is capable of making the first 80% _rightly_ more interesting than the end in itself, making one great whole of the ballad, then I urge you to listen, not to Richter or Horowitz, but to the 2020 publication of this fourth Chopin ballad by Evgeny Koroliov.

[@MaiLe-ml5mm]

best interpretation so far in my opinion

[@blacksmith1699]

This performance is the best. Kate Liu is the world no1 !!!

[@名無し-s9o9t]

Kate Liuの弾き方まじですき！

[@Gawsonix876]

Yeah, that Szopen ballade is surely one of the greatest masterpiece of classical music❤

[@GrzegorzNowacki]

I think this is one of the best interpretation of this beautiful piece.

[@manuelbes]

One of the best versions of the coda. Not rushed, powerful, clean and beautiful. Bravo!

[@zuhairbakdoud1360]

Beautiful and very best bars of Chopin’s 4th ballads!!!!! Genius pianist.....

[@MusicMusings88]

Somehow, feel redeemed, healed, relieved. Thank you Kate, this rendition is so so powerful! Thank you for sharing with the world your gifts! Keep going! Love from Singapore!

[@rhadamanthes82]

By far the best performer of this chopin competition

[@JA-zs7fw]

so true!!!!

[@murakisadao]

She is the absolute opposite of a superstar. She just make music at the highest level. I really like her playing.

[@stejan2915]

In my opinion she should have won the first prize. At first sight she looks like an innocent girl, but when she starts playing the piano, she breaks thousands of walls. Her passion and emotion for the music are so pure and divine. I admire her. And on her face you can see how humble and good person is she, and very simple. Big bravo.

[@angkhangnguyen5017]

kate liu, seong jin cho and charles richard hamelin are just all so good though

[@maxgodtankspubg3089]

Seong Jin Cho shouldn’t have won. His playing sounded like a robot compared to Kate Liu. One of the jury gave seong jin cho 1 out of 10 on the concerto. In my opinion also, Kate should have won.

[@awu1722]

They say Chopin’s heart is buried somewhere in a Warsaw church. They are wrong. It’s alive and beating. The girl’s got it.

[@a.h3448]

Chopin chose her to express his pieces in the was Chopin was thinking. And she is just doing that. Your comment was the best expression of her.

[@alchimie78]

You are being way over the top...

[@dihydrogenmonoxide5994]

I politely disagree. Sadly, we will never unlock the secrets of Chopin. He was alive so long ago that there wasn’t such a thing as recording equipment. Kate Liu is simply interpreting what Chopin sounds like in her own mind. Although her interpretation is glorious in nature, I wouldn’t go so far to say that she has the “Heart of Chopin”.

[@nicolasantony310]

@@dihydrogenmonoxide5994 that was exactly what I was thinking. I completely disagree with "he/she understands Chopin" or "he/she plays the way Chopin wanted". For me, the best interpreter is the one who plays with clarity, emotion and naturalistic

[@galek75]

@@nicolasantony310 Exactly. It's supposed to be about what the artist brings to the table, not about meeting the composer's intentions. Or the artist could let the music speak for itself, like Kempff did so well.

[@meredith218461]

Everything is superbly conceived and controlled in this interpretation. Who is this exceptional young woman?, the wider public should'nt be denied such amazing talent.

[@alvarofernag_art]

Those final chords... 😍😍😍

[@강봉훈-f3f]

I can not find a word to express an admiration to her fantastic performance, but just want to give a standing ovation.

[@nnnonickname446]

This is the best Chopin Ballade No.4 that I've ever heard!!

[@meredith218461]

Not only does she posses a beautiful sound, but there is an intelligent grasp of compositional structure and design. This young lady is ready for the international stage.

[@OrchestrationOnline]

They said that Debussy's interpretation of this piece for his Paris Conservatoire finals sounded as if it were played without hammers. Liu approaches that level of delicacy here.

[@OrchestrationOnline]

Wow, what planet did you come from? I have two daughters in the arts, I've personally educated 100's of woman pianists and composers, and many of my favourite living composers are women. Here I compliment this gifted woman, and you have to turn it into an insult. There's a life out there, I've lived it, and I suggest you go and get one of your own.

[@PianoScenesMoviesandSeries]

Debussy played Chopin? What a twist.

[@OrchestrationOnline]

Léon Ruhe Debussy was originally enrolled at the Conservatoire as a piano student, so it's only natural that he'd take on the great composers in his exams. He kept his skills even after many years solely as a composer.

[@superbsubtitles8998]

Claude Debussy had a deep love for the music of a composer who--a half-century before--had blazed a new path with his utterly individual style and keyboard sound. “Chopin is the greatest of all,” Debussy said. “For with the piano alone he discovered everything.” In this hour, Chopin’s influence on Debussy as he developed his own, utterly individual style.

[@brianho1634]

This is particularly interesting when you consider Debussy's main 'compatriot' Maurice Ravel wasn't particularly skilled in the Piano!