‘Tianyao makes her UK debut with the Hallé at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on 29 October and 1 November’
Decca Classics announces CHOPIN, the debut studio album from Chinese pianist Tianyao Lyu, on her 18th birthday, 21 October 2026. The announcement comes exactly one year after her breakthrough at the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, where she became one of its youngest finalists, receiving joint Fourth Prize and the Best Concerto Prize at just 16.
Recorded at Warsaw Philharmonic Hall in May 2026, the album brings together a personal selection of Chopin works, most of which Tianyao performed during the 2025 International Chopin Piano Competition. The recording revisits the repertoire that marked her international breakthrough.
The programme includes the Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante, the much-loved Raindrop Prelude, the three Mazurkas Op. 59, Berceuse, Barcarolle, Nocturne Op. 62 No. 1 and Chopin’s variations on Mozart’s Là ci darem la mano. It also features the Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor.
At the competition, Tianyao’s performances captivated audiences with their warmth, spontaneity and joy at the piano. Writing in Gramophone, Jed Distler praised her playing for its “consistent sparkle and rhythmic point in every phrase”.
Since signing an exclusive recording agreement with Decca Classics in June 2026, Tianyao has continued to build her international career. In August, she made her first tour of Japan, including two performances at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, where she performed both Chopin piano concertos and gave a solo recital. More recently, she returned to Warsaw to perform Mozart with the Warsaw Philharmonic under Krzysztof Urbański.
Reviewing her performance of both Chopin concertos at Suntory Hall on 12 August, Motoyuki Teranishi praised “A naturalness that makes the music seem to well up spontaneously from within—revealing her extraordinary talent” — Motoyuki Teranishi, Bravo (ぶらあぼ), 20 August 2026.
Tianyao will make her UK debut later this month with the Hallé, performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 under Kahchun Wong at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on 29 October and 1 November 2026.
Tianyao says: “Sharing the news of my first album with Decca on my 18th birthday feels incredibly special, particularly as it has been exactly one year since the Chopin Competition. Chopin has always held a very special place in my heart, so choosing his music for my debut album felt like the most natural thing to do. I hope these pieces will take you through different emotions and moments in life, and that everyone will find something personal and meaningful in the music. A heartfelt thank you to everyone at Decca for making this album possible. I am so happy that I can finally share it with all of you!”.
Born in China, Tianyao studied piano in Beijing before moving to Poland, where she now studies with Professor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń at the Poznań Academy of Music.
Upcoming UK performances
29 October 2026, 7.30pm
The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
The Hallé / Kahchun Wong
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1
1 November 2026, 4pm
The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
The Hallé / Kahchun Wong
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1
Tickets and information: bridgewater-hall.co.uk