Review | Chopin Competition winner Eric Lu thrills Hong Kong with a night of mesmerising music

Given the excitement surrounding Eric Lu’s victory at the 2025 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition on October 21, it came as no surprise that the Chinese-American’s all-Chopin recital on December 7, presented by the HKU Muse Piano Laureate Series, sold out so quickly that an extra performance was added.

The renowned music writer, composer and pianist Jed Distler described Lu as “a pianist who knows exactly what he wants from his instrument and how to get it”, while blogging on the quasi “Olympics” for rising pianists – and he was right on the money.

With generous doses of sustain pedal and laser focus at the keys, Lu’s concert opener, Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor, glistened like pristine stars on a clear night. The busyness in the midpoint agitation was detailed and measured, and the finesse and tenderness that Lu lent the nocturne’s conclusion were impressive.

Belying its title, the following piece, the Barcarolle in F-sharp major, is a whole lot more than just the clichéd rocking of Venetian gondolas – something that Chopin never set foot in. It was shaped by Lu into a colourful tone painting, depicting watery undulations by means of refined and discreet rubatos, then developing into immense, relentless swells by way of brilliant dynamic escalation and contrapuntal intensity.

Next came three successive polonaises, which proved a fascinating glimpse into the rich musical diversity found in Chopin’s different expressions of this traditional Polish dance.