Meet the Competitor: Eric Lu

Eric Lu is one of the twenty-four competitors competing in the Second Round of the 2018 Leeds International Piano Competition.

[jyseoh]

His voice and language is just music. So delicate.

[jordanstephens]

Incredible maturity, both in speech and playing!

[GoolkasianRahbee]

Bravo Eric ! You have a GREAT talent !!! Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee

[poning]

I was wondering why he needed to do Leeds after Chopin. But I guess he proved me wrong, and he is still just 20.

[shirleyhare]

You have a beautiful touch Eric, I see you are from the Curtis Inst, , so you very good from the word go, will follow your career, which I am sure will be great! 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

[rosemariemann]

I missed parts of the whole competition last week, so avoided the radio till after the finals ! Then I listened carefully to all the SEMI - finalists, in sessions, over 2 days, including some 5 hours, today.
I kept notes on reactions, on a single page, and put a red biro line round those I thought stood out : I circled about 5.
Half way down my page of scribbles, I took up a quarter of the rest of the page just about Eric Lu, in the semi finals, and I'd only heard a few so then wrote (I kid you not, totally honest here), "This is the one to beat !"

So, Monday eve., having had to stop playing the recording on BBC radio 3 'listen again service : ( urgent event : a little while later, on radio 3, before I could turn it off, (cos didn't want to know just yet !), they announced the winner....I was so pleased to have spotted such a wonderful pianist....there is something about a great musician, that stops you in your tracks when you hear them....Commentator Lucy Parham had said beforehand, that she hadn't yet "stood up" after a performance in the semi's, but did so this time ! She added that the audience were silent, and "you could have heard a pin drop." I heard this comment AFTER I'd written a quarter of a page, during the performance.
So, sorry to seem to show off, but this makes me feel SO good ! Another great artist to celebrate, and look forward to years of life-enhancing music-making.

On Radio 3, just after speaking to Eric, they are right now re-playing his Chopin's funeral march : I found the slow movent chilling : just as it should be !
He portrays passion, without slushy-ness.
Oh dear, here goes the slow 'marching' part again ....chills !

Apparently Mitsoku Uchida wrote to Eric before the competetion (found out only this eve) :
Mitsuko is another of those 'greats', who 'live' the music....Great day !
And many thanks for all the You Tube videos here : intensely interesting.