LIU Xiaoyu Beethoven Sonata No 21 in C Major, Op 53 “Waldstein”

LIU Xiaoyu performs Beethoven Sonata No 21 in C Major, Op 53 “Waldstein” at the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition (May, 2017, Tel Aviv).
The Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition is an international piano competition specializing in the classical music championed by Arthur Rubinstein. The competition has being held every three years in Tel Aviv, Israel since 1974. Subscribe for more classical piano music videos:
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www.arims.org.il

[@mingchan6300]

He's got it all: incredible virtuosity, musicality , young and dashingly handsome!

[@DellDreamer]

It’s a criminal offence to insert ads during such a brilliant performance.

[@winterheat]

google said "don't do evil" and then they play the same ad to me for 25 times per day

[@ythedemon8742]

Its not their fault because if they don't insert ads, KZbin will do it

[@alexyang817]

Beethoven wrote many sforzandos, rinzforzandos, trills, and even an octave glissando, but I don’t see one beat where he instructed anybody to put an advertisement on.

[@musik102]

Don't worry, I've ordered a team of stormtroopers to hunt down those responsible for the ads.

[@msmorado]

so sad sad situation in advance but KZbin doesn't bother premium users. Money always works. No 'entire free' lunch.

[@ejs2nd]

Wow. This man is one of the most astonishing pianists I've ever seen. Every performance has been fresh, unique and breath-taking. I can't wait to see more from him in the future.

[@annettefallon1652]

One word… Enchanting!!

[@aberranturtle9634]

Listen to Pletnev’s performance of this It’s incredible

[@alexyang817]

@@aberranturtle9634 I agree, but Liu’s interpretation is equally, if not more spectacular.

[@aberranturtle9634]

Yeah, while this is amazing, I still enjoy listening to Pletnev a lot. I don’t really know which I like better because they both have their own details that make them interesting to listen to.

[@alexyang817]

@@aberranturtle9634 well said! Can’t agree more!

[@adriennebeecker5000]

.Bruce Lui has made us Canadians so proud. We, in Canada, are celebrating Bruce’s first prize win in the Chopin Competition.,He is a musical GENIUS as we can hear here. The energy he exudes is awesome! Thank you for posting Beethoven’s beautiful, difficult “ Waldstein”.

[@janpierzchala2004]

Great pianist!

[@szaasz6007]

You are right. He was the best pianist in Chopin Competition.

[@frankhendriks2637]

You should be proud indeed. And this is a great Waldstein interpretation 👏👏

[@jamestaylor6053]

I'm so "jealous", but he's nearby (Montreal), I'm sure he'll perform in the US soon. One fact you might not know is that he only got his first upright piano at age of 10, this was 7 years later. He's piano genius from God, even he's fluent in English, French, especially Chinese mandarin.

[@DelsinM]

He's a very hard worker. Beethoven is a genius.

[@user-xx6hb7lm4k]

Потрясающе!!Впечатление оркестрового звучания, великолепная форма произведения , изумительная техническая отточенность , выше всех похвал-- динамика и кульминации!!Это дар Ли свыше, как и его гигантский труд !!Уже сейчас он- МАЭСТРО!!!Спасибо Вам за выдающееся творчество и дальнейших грандиозных успехов в исполнительском искусстве!!!

[@frederickfrederikfre]

Bravo Bruce. Beautiful Beethoven

[@titob.yotokojr.9337]

Love the clean beautiful lines and the great pedalling skill of Xiaoyu Liu!

[@CarlosPalombini]

Wonderful! Never heard such octave glissandi before.

[@Ernesto7608]

I haven't either. It seems that the interpretations of Bruce Liu include many novelties. A nice contribution to the musical world.

[@katttttt]

I find it impressive anyway, like how do they do that😂

[@rainerlanglotz3134]

Great control and yet emotional performance. Rare quality in the 2. mov. where one could hear every note of the score. Even the ocatve glissando at 20:50 outstandingly clean. If LIu would have been on this level throughout, he would have won.

[@bobbarns4516]

And this guy just won the 1st Prize at the Chopin Competition! Well deserved!

[@tak7667]

this young man bacame a super star who won the 18th Chopin competition!!!

[@CarlosPalombini]

Fast, clear and clean.

[@MrInterestingthings]

The last mov.Rondo tells us he has the intelligence to be a lasting musician for many years to come .He knows life ! His slow mov . here is he best thinking "songful approach a losefeeling but really pulse taut line that goes beyond pianoplaying.Impossibly well done ! Guy is incredible !!! I've ever heard here . The 1st movement is unforgettable .Such a different more early 19th century less piano extremes than others in this Waldstein. Not delicate but not the supersize we get from most .Lupu's is my favorite but this is superlative musicianship .This kind of clarity isn middle period Beethoven is true weighted ,scuplted textures .Amazed .His depth surpasses all of us .Avdeeva and Blechasz are tier one but this guy also has star power : born with it ! Another pianist who can do the glissando octaves on the heavy deep keys of a Steinway without bleeding . How is it done ???

[@catherinejones9396]

Clarity throughout, A very thoughtful performance of this demanding sonata.

[@miamargareta9997]

His light touch and christal tone are awe.. ..when he gets older he ll probably finds more warmth and heart to the singing passages ❤️❤️❤️

[@brooklynstan6490]

Bravo! My favorite performance in the entire competition!!

[@gerardbedecarter]

Beautiful playing.

[@boglarkaandras6565]

So mutch intelligence and sensibility !!!🥰♥️🌟

[@brucemcdonald5990]

What a great performance!

[@magorzataklikowicz6183]

Wygrywając Konkurs Chopinowski Bruce "postawił kropkę nad i" , lub inaczej mówiąc "położył wisienkę na torcie"🍒🍰🍒. GRATULACJE!!!!! Chopin dodał temu arcyzdolnemu Pianiście więcej uczuciowości ❤

[@leahhe3528]

Bravo! Unbelievable. Thank you so much. 💐💐

[@stevehaufe489]

Winner of the 2021 Chopin Competition in Warsaw this week. Check out his Competition videos.

[@jeffreypeters395]

This is a great performance, but after having watched his stupendous performance at the Chopin competition, I can hear how his playing has matured in four years.

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

He did improve significantly in technique, artistry and confidence. His Chopin competition performances are impossibly good.

[@jamestaylor6053]

I absolutely agree. This wasn't a great Waldstein performance, to be honest.

[@patrickbellini8286]

My professor thinks this is masterful. But I can tell from your avatar that you’re disillusioned..

[@latishachaney6592]

@@jamestaylor6053 not great, like the former President of the USA!

[@odaalarteporeldr.pedrosanc7966]

We, cuban-americans are also so proud, Bruce Liu in 2021 completes a cicle of three first awards because he recently obtain the first prize in 18 th. Chopin PIANO COMPETITION. CONGRATULAIONS

[@catkeys6911]

Well he gets my vote. I've listened intently to at least 10 different pianists, ,and I've never heard a better performance of my favorite piano sonata. This being a competition, it's unfortunate he did hit a few clams, but, in my mind, anyway, the overall - especially the beautiful and gently nuanced feeling he put into his performance - was good enough to forgive those tiny errors.

[@bobbarns4516]

He just won the biggest prize of them all - the Chopin Competition!

[@monistefmontesdeleon5238]

well as Beethoven said: „to play a wrong note is insignificant, to play without passion is unexcusable“.

[@loveispatient0808]

Those few clams are delicious for people who like seafood 🦞 😢

[@user-vu8cg7sm7f]

一瞬で私の細胞、心が癒される。宇宙から舞い降りて来るのか？地球という星の声なのか？ 何という美しさ！

[@akrishnaa]

Wow - fantastic! Thrilled to discover you...

[@laspiano765]

Maravilha de Sonata, uma das minhas preferidas, Parabens para o Pianista, Obrigado por postar, Lindo|

[@Elagabus]

Magnificent

[@ryszardmirski8557]

od czasów Kristiana Zimermana nie było tak wspaniałego pianisty - Liu jest geniuszem...

[@patrickbellini8286]

He will surpass Zimerman in a few years. Mark my words..

[@ryszardmirski8557]

@@patrickbellini8286 it is possible :)

[@loveispatient0808]

@@patrickbellini8286 we shall see! I can’t get enough of hearing him play! I am in awe of his mastery of the piano!

[@terrybu435]

Bravo dear Bruce！

[@user-pq6yx6gf8m]

Canadian wins 18th Chopin international piano competition!!!

[@genis_piano]

1:06 passage is fantastic

[@vbda12]

He tocado esta obra y es maravillosa. Ver en primera persona lo grandiosa que es esta obra es fascinante. Y escucharla de un gran pianista como lo es este joven también me llena de alegría

[@beatrizlejarza8694]

Nuevo día iniciado en plena belleza. Gracias por su existencia Mr Bruce. Nos da alegría, elegancia, nos maravilla cada movimiento de sus manos. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🇦🇷

[@catkeys6911]

Fantastic performance, showing a wonderful feel for this piece. A couple of unfortunate missed-hit notes, but I have yet to hear a performance of this without one. I've seen a lot of comments of other performances of this piece, with people making a big deal out of small errors (in otherwise excellent performances) - if you want perfection, get a studio recording of this where the errors have been edited out - but you may still not get as good a performance overall, as this one by Liu Xiaoyu.

[@billmckinlay4219]

Totally agree. I’m listening to this Oct 24/2021 with the knowledge that Bruce has won the 2021 Chopin. He plays with enormous feeling and I’m looking forward to hearing him in the coming years. Canada has another Glenn Gould and the world another Horowitz

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

@@billmckinlay4219 All different players. The world has the first Bruce Liu. :)

[@raffigorski6850]

Bravo! I haven’t been this excited about a pianist since Evgeny Kissin!

[@yct204]

@@raffigorski6850 me too!

[@lourak613]

Quite an astonishing clarity of articulation - and entirely without loss of momentum. The one thing I would change, is the overly "pointillistic" touch at times, which I think could be achieved with a slowing up of his tempo - and a little more breathing space would also be welcome. I am following his progress through the 18th Chopin competition - and it seems very likely to me that he will take home a prize. This is a young pianist with a secure performance career in his future.

[@catic6587]

I also have the feeling that he's a winner. Let's see if we are right. 😊

[@huntazin6389]

And he take home the first prize!

[@thestratford51]

And he WON first prize at the Chopin ! Bravo Bruce !

[@bobbarns4516]

If what was posted at Polish TV is correct, all 17 judges gave Bruce their 1st place vote. This is very rare in the history of the Chopin Competition…,

[@thestratford51]

@@bobbarns4516 do you happen to have a link ? Thanks in advance : )

[@afterboring]

Brilliant performance

[@jorgevillagra6400]

Very well played !. I like his tempo.

[@bifeldman]

Jewel like.

[@zoomgalishu]

He’s got everything just perfect!!!!! It’s very enjoyable to listen to a long solo masterpiece !!!

[@laoban_james8377]

Bravo!

[@beatrizlejarza8694]

Es la parte mejor de cada día. Escucharlo en absoluto silencio. Gracias!!!✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨🇦🇷

[@anuar1978]

Hes a machine!

[@user-vu8cg7sm7f]

やっと出逢えた！芸術の癒しに！

[@tianmingsun8354]

太棒了!!!

[@wallawanboonmee7068]

Wow! 🙂️

[@michaelzhu8711]

Bravo

[@user-fm7uc6vd4y]

とても とても 素晴らしい演奏ですね🎵

[@myps6200]

brilliant

[@beatrizlejarza8694]

Si! BRILLANTE! 💎💎💎💎💎

[@discerningacumen]

Wow

[@yangxb]

This is on the whole much better than his recent Chopin competition final, IMO, except for a small error at 12:44.

[@user-om9sx5yw7f]

素晴らしい演奏です。

[@keli3056]

Nice use of pedal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And 15:48 to16:35

[@JaseBach]

The Waldstein is the graveyard of pianists. Even the great Artur Rubinstein stumbled over its difficulties. He played the octave 'glissendi' as fast octaves and the result was that the whole movement dragged and quite painful to listen to. Since Pollini showed how easy it is for him to play octave glissendi (you may try this at home and probably get it after a week of practice) , it's impossible to go back to the olden ways, which also included leaving out some notes and played them as scales with both hands. Bruce's seriousness and lack of sensuality is a handicap in Chopin, but a boon in Beethoven. This is the most perfect Waldstein you can hear, past and present.

[@JaseBach]

@Denniss Gorsantovs Igor Levit has played and recorded all 32 Beethoven sonatas, so he is a force to be reckoned with. I am afraid I am not a fan. In the Waldstein, he started the first movement too fast and then applied the brakes for the lovely second subject. This is unforgivable in my book and shows that he hasn't really thought deeply about this sonata. He knows the notes but doesn't know why they are there.

[@markdenemark7298]

@@JaseBach Right!!!

[@magicmulder]

Not only Rubinstein played the octaves non-glissando but so did Horowitz, Kempff and Lisitska. Neither of whom can be accused of being known for cop-outs. It’s almost as if, I dunno, it isn’t so clear-cut that there’s a glissando there to begin with.

[@aidanstrong1061]

​@@magicmulder On the older fortepianos they are way easier to do, and it's not the first piece ever written to have them (e.g. Beethoven 1st pc, Haydn c major fantasia, and probs lots of others). On a fortepiano, doing an octave gliss in that passage is much much easier than the alternatives

[@magicmulder]

@@aidanstrong1061 I know (and I love some versions played on fortepiano, like Brautigam's), but do your other examples have them marked explicitly as glissando? Because the Waldstein doesn't (I know some editions do but the Urtext doesn't). AFAIK that's the reason it's debated how to play them.

[@adriatorras8077]

Okay, BEETHOVEN, you must explain us why you composed this.

[@laali_puppy]

Incredible performance. Especially liked the *smoothest and prettiest* way he played at kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4aVeGRpptN-opo (till kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4aVeGRpptN-opo)! Wow, what an amazing player, thanks for uploading this gem!

[@newgeorge]

ok, the first movement was outstanding. not so sure about the finale. I get what he was trying to do with the pedalling but it didn't really come off imo. His pianism is tremendous though. Superb sense of timing and wonderful sound even at full volume.

[@user-nn1yt9ki9p]

newgeorge I barely managed to polish the third movement in a Sonata since I got exhausted enough to focus on the first one or two😅... Well unless I started practicing the third movement first, otherwise I’d lose interest focusing on such a log piece... I think his third movement makes perfect sense to me and I can totally imagine how it would sound if he keeps practicing. It’s apparently a very talented pianist.

[@titob.yotokojr.9337]

I disagree with your assessment of his pedal work. I think it's excellent because he uses it to create clean lines and uses it in appropriate places.

[@makaan699]

I think he was just following the score really closely. Beethoven's pedal markings in the 3rd mov area bit ridiculous on today's big loud pianos but made sense in his time.

[@terrybu435]

除了肖邦，Bruce的贝多芬都弹得非常棒！

[@galinaprozorova7903]

Браво! Ну очень хорошо. Только в исполнении Гульда сонаты Бетховена звучат как оркестр.

[@lospazio]

The octaves glissando... How can anyone do that? 😂

[@katttttt]

YES!!! It feels impossible (haven't really tried though)

[@KohyaSuechika1104]

@KohyaSuechika: It's a criminal offense to insert ads during such a brilliant performance. 🌐💖💚💌✨💒 #KohyaSuechika #Kohya Suechika #ConcertHall 💒

[@la_princesse_des_beauxarts]

12:28

[@jackwilloughby239]

Everyone plays this too fast. It's such a beautiful piece and you can't really hear it unless you learn it yourself at the piano.

[@andrzejnowak7]

Who is ARTHUR Rubinstein? Do you mean ARTUR Rubinstein? By the way, Bendetti is Arturo or Arthur to you?

[@emmanueldasilva7795]

It can be spelled either Artur or Arthur

[@andrzejnowak7]

Where possible, the original spelling should be used; this is the case with Artur Rubinstein. For example, when I talk about Brahms, I use the original form Johannes, even though it has an equivalent in Polish, namely Jan.

[@user-iy4by8fo2u]

すげえ…‼️( ; ﾟДﾟ)

[@ranhaitani5312]

Mov 3 12:24

[@von_Karajan]

12:27 3rd movement

[@pyroprince78]

His Chopin is inspired. His Beethoven feels and sounds so... dutiful. I don't think he gets Beethoven. He has some wonderful moments here, but they are short lived.

[@DellDreamer]

This performance was recorded 7 years ago. It could be played more forcefully in some places. However, the octave glissando was played very smoothly, better than some very famous pianists.

[@effortlessjapanese123]

4:22

[@loveispatient0808]

er…….. it’s Liu NOT Lee!!!!😮

[@keli3056]

，

[@terrybu435]

黎明第三乐章特别难

[@chessjames]

that woman in the front row with the book is annoying me. close the damn book and listen to the music

[@audreyschorr2020]

Nn(

[@hanfengwang256]

Too many commercials. Very disturbing!

[@quaver1239]

IMHO he needs a few more years to mature although this is a nice performance.

[@thestratford51]

this was from 4 or 5 years ago

[@rht100]

Panda express plays amazing beethoven

[@zimouchen1172]

Too young

[@cortootify]

he is paying just like a young girl, not impressed. Its the waldstein sonata...disappoining sound