Violinist Yang Liu, who lives in Clifton, on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. (Mike Simons photo) | ZOOM |

        He's been called “the best of a billion.”

        When Chinese violinist, Yang Liu, came to the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music to study, he had already performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in a live televised concert for an audience of millions, played concerts in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Europe and Russia, and won first prize in China's National Violin Competition.

        By this time next week, Mr. Liu, 26, will be in Moscow competing in the Rolls Royce of contests, the 12th International Tchaikovsky Competition.

        What makes him so good is what Kurt Sassmannshaus, his teacher at CCM, calls a complete package: “A stupendous technique, a great personal flair onstage, and really sublime musicality. The musical ideas he comes up with are very unique and always very polished by the time he presents them.”

        Mr. Liu has worked for this moment since age 7.

        “My mother warned me that to be a musician, you're going to have a very hard life. But I made my decision anyway,” he says with a quiet laugh. “I knew right away I wanted to go to Central Conservatory, one of the best conservatories in China.”

Mixing East and West

It's clear from Yang Liu's debut album, Song of Nostalgia (3 1/2 stars), an East-West mix of show pieces and traditional Chinese melodies, that he excels not only in effortless fireworks but in beautiful sound.     His tone is sweet in poignant Chinese tunes such as “Song of Nostalgia” and “Harvest Song,” as well as Elgar's charming “Salut d'amour” and Tchaikovsky's “Melody.” He easily tosses off the virtuosities of “Hora staccato” by Dinicu-Heifetz, and “The Last Rose,” a set of variations by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst.     But the album's highlight is “Dawn,” an atmospheric gem by CCM composer and countryman Gao Ping, who also serves as pianist. “Dawn” is a beautiful fit for Mr. Yang, whose soaring themes dazzle while the pianist paints an impressionistic canvas.     Song of Nostalgia was recorded by the Starling Recording Studio at CCM. For a copy ($15) call 421-4404. It is also available at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Norwood.

        He was born in Qingdao. His mother, a musician whose own career was interrupted by the Cultural Revolution, handed her son a violin when he was 4. But, unable to find a tiny quarter-size violin small enough for a toddler, it was a half-size violin.

        “It was too big. It hurt my hand. So when I was 7, I started again,” Mr. Liu says. He was instantly smitten. When he was 8, the family moved to Beijing so he could study with a renowned teacher, Yao-Ji Lin.

        At age 10, he performed Sarasate's showpiece, Zigeunerweisen with the NHK Orchestra in Tokyo.

        Now he's being noticed in the United States. In January, he made his American debut performing Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. In October, he'll perform the Nielsen Violin Concerto with Robert Spano and the St. Louis Symphony.

        Modest and serious, he has a fun side, too, one that likes to play pool (his favorite game is snooker) and go out for Chinese food.

        He hopes for a career in both the U.S. and China — “Because I really cannot live without Chinese food!” he says.
       

What's the Buzz?
'Sum' adds up for Freeman
Labels aside, Sandoval adds spice to Hot Latin Nights
Next Wave / Who's up and coming: From China, with talent
KNIPPENBERG: Knip's Eye View
The Early Word
Get to it