The China NCPA Orchestra performs Anton Bruckner's Symphony No 6 in Shanghai during its national tour on April 11, 2021. GAN YUAN/FOR CHINA DAILY

The esteemed classical music magazine Gramophone published a review of the cycle by Christian Hoskins. "Given the performers' lack of track record in this repertoire, one might not know what to expect. But the interpretations here are distinctive and compelling, if not always entirely mainstream in their approach," the review read.

"In terms of editions, Lyu uses the final versions of Symphonies Nos 1, 2, 3, and 8, and the second of the three versions of No 4. The performance of the First Symphony, recorded live, is perhaps the finest of the cycle," it continued.

Hoskins also referenced recordings made by Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache in the 1980s and '90s, as well as the cycle by one of his students, French conductor Remy Ballot.

"It's to Lyu's credit that, in most cases, I find his performance more persuasive than the equivalent versions by Celibidache and Ballot," he wrote.

For Lyu, Bruckner's symphonies are not merely pieces of music — they are profound journeys into the heart of human emotion and spirit.