Meng-Chieh Liu, piano

A minor, D. 537; G major, D. 894; C minor, D. 958“Lius performance revealed a rare combination of strength and sensitivity … His hands almost made one forget that the piano is a percussion instrument,” cheered the Washington Post, an astonishing accolade for a performer once immobilized by a hand-crippling disease that doctors said would end his career. Through arduous determination and physical rehabilitation, this utterly extraordinary artist reestablished his brilliance and his stature as a world-touring virtuoso. Today’s performance of Schubert piano sonatas is a testament both to that composer’s brilliance, and to the pianist’s unconquerable musicianship.