Lifetime Niu Niu

• Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886): William Tell Overture, S. 552 (after G. Rossini): I
• 1 Liszt: William Tell Overture, S. 552 (after G. Rossini): IV. Finale. Allegro vivace 03:38
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Rondo a capriccio, Op. 129 "Die Wut über den verlornen Groschen":
• 2 Beethoven: Rondo a capriccio, Op. 129 "Die Wut über den verlornen Groschen" 05:37
• Niu Niu (b. 1997): Impromptu No. 2 “Miss”
• 3 Niu Niu: Impromptu No. 2 “Miss” 05:25
• Earl Wild (1915 - 2010): 7 Virtuoso Etudes (after G. Gershwin):
• 4 Wild: 7 Virtuoso Etudes (after G. Gershwin): No. 4, Embraceable You 03:06
• He Zhan Hao (b. 1933), Chen Gang (b. 1935): Butterfly Lovers' Concerto:
• 5 Zhan Hao, Gang: Butterfly Lovers' Concerto: I. Adagio cantabile (Arr. Chen Gang & Shi Wen for Piano) 03:35
• Alexander Scriabin (1872 - 1915): 12 Etudes, Op. 8:
• 6 Scriabin: 12 Etudes, Op. 8: No. 12 in D-Sharp Minor 02:04
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943): Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43:
• 7 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 18 (Arr. Niu Niu for Piano) 03:21
• Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953): 4 Pieces for Piano, Op. 4:
• 8 Prokofiev: 4 Pieces for Piano, Op. 4: No. 4, Suggestion diabolique 02:37
• Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828): Schwanengesang, D. 957:
• 9 Schubert: Schwanengesang, D. 957: Ständchen (Arr. Camille Thomas for Cello and Piano) 05:06
• Erik Satie (1866 - 1925): Le piccadilly:
• 10 Satie: Le piccadilly 01:39
• Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714 - 1787): Orfeo ed Euridice, Wq. 30:
• 11 Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice, Wq. 30: Dance of the Blessed Spirits (Mélodie) [Arr. Sgambati for Piano] 03:47
• Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924): Turandot, SC 91 / Act III:
• 12 Puccini: Turandot, SC 91 / Act III: Nessun dorma (Arr. Philip Sharp for Piano) 04:01
• Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849): Prelude in B Minor, BWV 855a (Transcr. Siloti):
• 13 Chopin: Prelude in B Minor, BWV 855a (Transcr. Siloti) 05:12
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 855a (Transcr. by Alexander Siloti):
• 14 Bach: Prelude & Fugue, BWV 855a (Transcr. by Alexander Siloti): 1. Prelude No. 10 in B Minor 03:40
• Ryuichi Sakamoto (b. 1952): Energy Flow:
• 15 Sakamoto: Energy Flow 03:59
• Rolf Løvland (b. 1955): Song from a Secret Garden (Arr. Niu Niu for Flute and Piano):
• 16 Løvland: Song from a Secret Garden (Arr. Niu Niu for Flute and Piano) 03:58
• Traditional: Amazing Grace (Arr. Niu Niu for Piano):
• 17 Traditional: Amazing Grace (Arr. Niu Niu for Piano) 04:46
• Total Runtime 01:05:31

Info for Lifetime

Niu Niu's latest album 'Lifetime' is a collection of 17 songs in different styles to bring out the cycle of life. In addition to some classic tracks, Niu Niu has added an original song "Miss" to express some important moments in his life.

The album is inspired by four important idioms in life: "joy, anger, sorrow, happiness", "love, hate, affection", "sadness, joy, happiness", "old age, sickness and death", and ends with "peace". In this case, 'peace' is not only about world peace, but also about peace in our hearts. The album also divides these idioms into two chapters: "Emotions" and "Life Stages", and uses music to guide the audience through the journey of life.

Niu Niu, Camille Thomas, Cocomi,

Niu Niu
With the tender age of 10 Niu Niu is the only pianist who became the youngest pianist ever to sign an exclusive recording contract with an international classical label – EMI Classics now Warner Classics.

Niu Niu is the nickname and performing identity of Shengliang Zhang, born into a musical family in Xiamen, Fujian province, China in 1997. After showing talent at the age of three, Niu Niu received his first lessons from his father. He made his recital debut in August 2003, a few weeks after his sixth birthday, with a programme that included a Mozart piano sonata and a Chopin étude. At the age of eight, he became the youngest student in the 85-year history of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Since the age of ten, Niu Niu (meaning “Little Ox”) has studied with Professor Hung-Kuan Chen, initially at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and, more recently, at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts – where Niu Niu and his family relocated.

Chen believes Niu Niu possesses “an untold passion and aesthetic that belies his tender age”. Another mentor is pianist Leslie Howard, who describes his protégé as “the finest young musician I have ever known.”

In 2007 Niu Niu became the youngest pianist ever to sign an exclusive recording contract with an international classical label – EMI Classics now Warner Classics. In July 2008, he released his debut album, “Niu Niu plays Mozart” followed by “Niu Niu plays Chopin-The Complete Études” in 2010 and “Niu Niu Liszt Transcriptions” in 2012. Completed in June 2014, a recording of Rachmaninov’s Piano concerto No.2 and Paganini Variations with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and their Music Director Jacek Kaspszyk. The recordings immediately led to an invitation to perform concerts with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2016, Niu Niu released his 6th album “Niu Niu Portrait”. Niu Niu opened his 14/15 season performing the Dvorak Piano Concerto with Jiri Belohlavek and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at the Dvorak Prague Festival, while other recent highlights include his debut with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra under Muhai Tang performing Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 as well as returning to the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, again under Muhai Tang, performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1. Niu Niu also performed in Japan for a series of tours in 2014: in March 2014 he worked once again with Yutaka Sado and his Super Kids Orchestra for a five-city tour of the major concert halls in Japan and during the summer he toured Japan extensively – giving recitals in major halls such as Suntory Hall Tokyo, Symphony Hall Osaka and others, with one critic describing the performance as the ‘best concert of the year’.

Niu Niu just completed 16 cities concert tour in China within one month in August 2016. Other career highlights to date include an invitation to London’s Royal Festival Hall to perform Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No.1 at the 2007 Pearl Awards, conducted by his coach and mentor Leslie Howard. The concert was held in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. Niu Niu’s performance in China’s annual televised New Year’s concert in 2007 was watched by an estimated audience of half a billion. In October 2010 in Berlin, Niu Niu was made laureate of the 2010 PRIX Montblanc, awarded annually to young emerging instrumentalists in the classical music world. Since then, Niu Niu has appeared in recital in many of the world’s most prestigious venues including London’s Wigmore Hall, Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts (the first youngest pianist’s solo concert in NCPA), Shanghai Oriental Centre, Suntory Hall Tokyo and Symphony Hall Osaka. As well as performing extensively throughout Japan and China (including a 25 date concerts in 2007/08) he has performed in Switzerland and France with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, given concerts in Berlin, Hamburg, Dortmund and Essen, and, as first laureate of the Artemisia Foundation, he gave debuts in Boston’s Jordan Hall and Yale University’s Sprague Hall in 2012.

Last season he performed Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini and Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No.1 in Hyogo Performing Arts Centre with Maestro Yutaka Sado, as well as the performance of both violin and piano concertos with Shanghai Philharmonic orchestra with Maestro Muhai Tang. In 2014, Niu Niu was accepted to The Juilliard School under full scholarship, and is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Music Degree.

This album contains no booklet.