Kate Liu | Saturday, November 1, 2025 · 7:30PM | Salon Piano Series | Concert in Madison, WI

It was one of the most spellbinding performances this reviewer has witnessed.

Eyes closed as if in a trance, mouth slightly open, Kate Liu played a demanding two-hour program entirely by memory.

From the lovely melodies of Chopin’s Mazurkas to his demanding Sonata No. 2, to the jarring abstractions of Scriabin’s epic Sonata No. 3, to the Cesar Franck’s multi-genre Prelude, Choral et Fugue, Liu took the audience with her into another world, where some divine spark inspires mortal composers to create timeless pieces of art. Her instrument of choice was a 1905 Steinway Model D, restored in 2023.

The capacity audience rewarded her performance with a lengthy standing ovation and three curtain calls. The diminutive Liu bowed and smiled, almost bashfully, almost as if she had not already wrung every bit of energy from herself while interpreting these extremely demanding and lengthy compositions.

Wearing a long sleeveless black dress and heels, Kate Liu stated Chopin’s Mazurkas deliberately, giving each phrase its full due, weighing each note, creating tension. She used silence as a positive, rather than negative, value. She forced the listener to wait, patiently, for what would come next.

She prepared herself for forceful passages by inhaling sharply and tensing her upper body. For dramatically lyrical phrases she raised one arm, then another, high above the keyboard. She was in a quiet ecstasy, playing as one possessed. Chopin must still be alive, in her soul.

Providing a stark contrast to Chopin, the abstractions and jarring phrases of Scriabin’s Sonata No. 3 push far beyond the bounds of Romanticism into the shattered and decomposing world of the early 20th century. Yet the thunder of the Drammatico movement leads to moments of respite in the Allegretto and Andante movements. Airy, gossamer textures suggest woodland scenes, and pastel colors recall Debussy.

Cesar Franck’s Prelude, Choral, and Fugue demands an athlete’s stamina, from the majestic first statement, through the cross-handed arpeggios of the Choral, to the racing sequences of the Fugue, to the pounding chords of the triumphant ending. It was an overwhelming conclusion to an already taxing performance.

She graced us with an encore: her transcription of Bach’s opening movement from Cantata 106.

Unlike many performers, Kate Liu chose not to announce the pieces or to provide commentary. The music spoke volumes.

Paul Baker