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Eric Lu
The following description was submitted by the event organizer.
A hand injury forced Eric Lu to cancel his May 2024 Portland debut. Eighteen months later, the 27-year-old pianist returns — not diminished, but tested and sharpened by one of classical music’s most demanding trials. Fresh from competing in the Chopin Competition finals in Warsaw, Lu brings interpretations forged under international scrutiny directly to Portland audiences who have waited over a year to witness his artistry. This is the rare chance to hear an artist at a transformative moment: recovered, resilient, and returning from the world stage with fresh insights to share in the intimacy of Lincoln Performance Hall.
Lu’s program traces his artistic journey through recovery and competition. Schumann’s Arabeske, op. 18 and Schubert’s Four Impromptus, op. posth. 142, D. 935—works he recorded for Warner Classics and has perfected through intensive focus—open the afternoon with lyric poetry and virtuosic dialogue. After intermission, Chopin’s Polonaise in B-flat Major, op. 71, no. 2 and the monumental Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, op. 58 showcases the repertoire Lu performed under the unforgiving scrutiny of Warsaw’s competition jury, now shared with you in a setting where artistry speaks louder than scores. The first American to win the Leeds Competition since Murray Perahia in 1972, Lu has earned praise from The Guardian as “a veritable poet of the keyboard.” After the wait, after the recovery, after Warsaw—he’s finally here.