Advertisement
Performing arts in Hong Kong
LifestyleArts

ReviewPianist Eric Lu brilliantly reflects Chopin’s genius in HK Phil concert

Lu’s terrific rendition of Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor was bookended by Yao Chen’s panda-themed waltz and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite

3-MIN READ3-MIN
Listen
International Chopin Competition Gold Medallist Eric Lu is pictured during his debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, “Chengdu Pre-Tour Concert: Eric Lu Plays Chopin”, conducted by Lio Kuokman, on September 9, 2026. Lu played Chopin’s Concerto No. 1 in E minor. Photo: Desmond Chan/HK Phil
Christopher Halls

Given their proportions and lack of upright agility on their hind paws, the very notion of giant pandas dancing a waltz sounds, dare I say, absurd.

So going by its title alone, any chance of a cheeky lilt in 3/4 time or a nostalgic nod to the Strauss clan in Yao Chen’s panda-themed Waltz of the Rolling Giants, the opening piece in the Hong Kong Philharmonic’s “Chengdu Pre-Tour Concert: Eric Lu Plays Chopin”, seemed slim.

Thankfully, though, Chen’s waltz – an HK Phil world premiere written especially for the orchestra’s coming China tour, which begins, coincidentally, in Chengdu, the home of pandas – neither spiralled into a clumsy “polonaise for polar bears”, as musicologist Donald Tovey famously dubbed the finale of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, nor ended up as an awkward romp among the bamboo shoots.

As it turned out, it was the spiralling and moments of playful whimsy that ultimately saved Chen’s waltz from such a fate, offsetting any tendency to layer the orchestral texture too densely along the way.

Select Voice
Select Speed
1x
AI-generated voice