Bruce Liu presents Lunaris, a nocturnal journey through piano music - Bruce Liu | Deutsche Grammophon

With his new album Lunaris, Bruce Liu invites listeners on an atmospheric journey through moonlight, dreams and musical imagination. The Canadian pianist brings together familiar masterpieces, rarely heard compositions and contemporary sound worlds in a personal recital programme. Spanning several centuries, the works come together without losing the album’s underlying narrative thread.

Lunaris was released on 7 August 2026 by Deutsche Grammophon and is available on CD, 2LP and in signed editions.

Lunaris brings together Beethoven, Chopin and modern sound worlds

At the heart of Bruce Liu’s new album are two of Ludwig van Beethoven’s most famous piano sonatas: the “Moonlight Sonata” and the “Waldstein Sonata”. While the former, with its mysterious calm, immediately evokes the nocturnal atmosphere suggested by the album’s title, the “Waldstein Sonata” brings energy, movement and dazzling virtuosity to the programme. These two major works are complemented by Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 27 No. 2, Debussy’s Rêverie and a Bach prelude arranged by Alexander Siloti.

With “Tokka” by Agnes Obel, Ligeti’s rhythmically striking étude “Fanfares” and John Cage’s atmospheric piano piece “Dream”, Bruce Liu expands the traditional recital with modern and unexpected colours. As a result, Lunaris unfolds as a varied musical arc, moving between contemplative stillness and extroverted virtuosity.

Bruce Liu reveals a particularly personal side on Lunaris

Bruce Liu sees the album not simply as a collection of favourite works, but as an invitation to listen in a different way. Poetry, painting and the mystery of the night provide the conceptual backdrop for a programme shaped by moods and transitions between sound worlds.

Alongside familiar compositions, the album also brings lesser-recorded works into focus, including Federico Mompou’s variations on “Au clair de la lune” and Scriabin’s Fourth Piano Sonata. They add further colours to the album and underline Liu’s interest in music that seems, for a moment, to dissolve the boundaries of time and space.

From Chopin competition winner to versatile musical storyteller

Since winning the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2021, Bruce Liu has become one of the most sought-after pianists of his generation on the international stage. His interpretations are distinguished by technical ease, tonal elegance and a spontaneous musical approach. His special affinity with Chopin remains audible on Lunaris, but the album broadens its perspective considerably beyond Romantic piano repertoire. Works by Beethoven, Bach, Debussy, Mompou, Ligeti, Scriabin, Cage and Agnes Obel reveal Liu as a versatile curator of musical programmes, intuitively connecting different eras.

Lunaris on CD, vinyl and in signed editions

Bruce Liu’s Lunaris album is available in several formats, appealing to both CD listeners and vinyl collectors. Alongside the standard CD and the black 2LP edition, signed art card editions are also available. A limited signed Fan Edition is also offered, bringing together the album’s CD and vinyl contents.

Discover the different editions of Lunaris in the DG Store and choose your preferred version. Released on 7 August 2026, Bruce Liu’s piano album is now available on CD and vinyl. Find all available editions in the DG Store.