Reviews
"Chen's interpretation of the [Liszt B minor] sonata showed an astonishing maturity."
"…brings to mind those few really creative interpreter-pianists like Richter and Serkin"
"Liszt's B minor Sonata was a technical triumph with its clarity of passage work, roaring storms of octaves and a Fugue with a real Mephistophelian sting in its tail. But [Chen] also had a firm grip on the piece's sprawling architecture where lesser musicians might have presented it as a mosaic of effects."
"...a formidable performance"
"…a remarkable pianist, and a musician wise beyond his years, and the piquant twists and turns of the Prokofiev concerto presented no difficulties for his transcendental technique.'
"There could be no dispute that this young performer with his confident stage presence... and his musical authority and insight had all the qualities of a winner. [In] His performance of Rachmaninov's third concerto - a beast in which only the bravest shine... his musical spirit was totally unfettered, free to captivate, charm and seduce."
"John Chen...dazzled with Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini. This is decorative stuff, to be sure, but in these hands what decoration! Fingers disappearing from view like the wings of a hummingbird, John Chen just devoured this work."
Timothy Jones,The Press, Monday, 26 February 2007
Of Mozart's Sonata in B flat, K333: "That Chen is an accomplished Mozartian is a well-established fact. Here he exhibited the clarity and poise that has been evident in his playing since I first heard him give a dazzling performance at the age of 16 of a Mozart sonata followed by Ravel's Jeux d'eaux, played in a tent on the lawn at Auckland University."
Of the Liszt B minor Sonata: "Chen went at it with vigour…realising its immense power in a manner that would compare favourably with the great pianists who have played it here in the past. He seemed completely unfazed by the piece's technical challenges, including the considerable demands made in quieter sections. Chen's interpretation of the sonata showed an astonishing maturity."
On the Dutilleux Piano Sonata (1946-48): "…received a truly inspiring performance that makes one even more eager for Chen's forthcoming Naxos recording of this composer's complete piano music."
by Peter Shaw, New Zealand Listener, July 1-7 2006 Full article
" …he is a pianist of sensational promise…so it was fascinating to hear him in a programme that could have scarcely made more stringent stylistic demands. To move from Mozart to Liszt, in the first half, was a huge ask and he triumphed to an extent we had no reason to expect.
"His playing of Mozart's B flat sonata (K333) was a model of crisply delineated passage work and a fine sense of style. This music doesn't sound difficult, but few pianists master its sense of proportion. Maybe the full aristocratic poise of the first two movements is yet to come, but impressive was his clarity, poise and wit in the last movement.
"…his grasp of the Liszt [B minor sonata] was still deeply impressive. …his control of the big pages, and his sense of stillness, was masterly... However, I was even more impressed by the second half. After giving us playing of great character in the late Three Piano Pieces (D 946) by Schubert, he astounded with his masterly playing of Henri Dutilleux Piano Sonata (D 946)…" John Button, The Dominion Post, 21 June 06
"If Mozart's B flat sonata K 333 is pure charm-school then Chen emerged top of the class. While all due respects were paid to Mozartian line and grace, there was also fetching impetuosity when the first movement turned to minor, or a cadenza was imminent in the final Allegretto grazioso.
"Liszt's B minor Sonata was a technical triumph with its clarity of passage work, roaring storms of octaves and a Fugue with a real Mephistophelian sting in its tail. But the pianist also had a firm grip on the piece's sprawling architecture where lesser musicians might have presented it as a mosaic of effects.
"Schubert's Three Piano Pieces, intransigent outpourings to some, drew us surreptitiously into their world. Again it was Chen's coupling of technique and musicianship that made the journey possible, especially through the twisting and turning dynamics of the first piece.
"Henri Dutilleux's 1948 Sonata is a roving, effervescent masterpiece, setting up a discreetly jazzy groove only to have it mutated by Messiaen-like chord structures. While Chen was undeniably brilliant when the composer wanted fire to flash, he was also the epitome of cool precision in the later Chorale."
William Dart, The New Zealand Herald, 15 June 06
"John Chen's playing is characterised by an admirable blend of musical sensitivity and an almost flawless technical control. …this recital was a rare opportunity to hear such fine performances live in Dunedin, and stands as one of the many testaments to John Chen's brilliant future."
Pascal Harris, The Lumiere Reader, 12 June 06
"...a formidable performance... his sympathy for French music was fully revealed with playing of dextrous virtuosity, poetry and a wondrous clarity…"
John Button, The Dominion Post - 10 May 2005
"Chen takes a self-effacting line and leaves you with a simple, excellently judged delineation of the work, its architecture left unimproved, whimsy avoided for a plain-speaking style that brings to mind those few really creative interpreter-pianists like Richter and Serkin."
"Marvelous Mozart minus histrionics"
Clive O'Connell, The [Melbourne] Age, 22 May 2006
"Drawing on a seemingly invincible memory, Chen took the listener through a notationally flawless reading of Ravel's Miroirs. Few pianists, even the most virtuosic, are game to traverse this ferociously treacherous musical terrain in public. Chen, however, with the nonchalance of mastery, gave us a deeply probing performance that yielded musical wonders at every turn.
"Whether calling up sound pictures of fluttering moths, evoking images of ocean-going ships or the Spanish-flavoured gestures of a juggler, Chen was immaculate in interpretative terms. It called to mind his glittering reading of Ravel's Ondine that had made his previous Perth recital so memorable just after his Sydney win. Throughout Miroirs, one marvelled at Chen's ability to draw on a seemingly limitless palette of tonal colours. lt was a tour de force.
"In Chopin's Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise Brillante, Chen was at his persuasive best. The velvet-smooth left-hand accompaniment in the Andante - and the solemn, mellow-toned tranquillity of the chorale section - could hardly have been bettered. And the skill with which Chen conveyed the hauteur that lies at the heart of every one of Chopin's polonaises - and the diamond brightness which informed even the most rapid and complicated note streams - would surely have lifted the spirits of the most jaded listener as Chen conjured up one massive climax after another.
"Since Chen gave his first recital in Perth shortly after his contest win, he has featured in innumerable recitals and concerto performances - but there was no hint at all here of familiarity breeding indifference. In fact, the sense of adventure that was such an appealing aspect of that recital was again very much in evidence at the weekend - and that augurs well for a career which is very likely to take young Chen to the forefront of fellow-pianists on the international concert circuit.
"... in Schumann's Carnaval...this young pianist surrendered to the Muse in the most passionately intense and virtuosic way. In section 13, which is Schumann's tribute to Chopin, the playing in all its romantic sensitivity could hardly have been bettered. And the extraordinary agility and accuracy at whirlwind speed brought to bear on the Intermezzo was irrefutable proof of a rare musical gift which has clearly been guided by first rate instructors.
Neville Cohn, The West Australian, 5 March 2006
"Chen was the winner of the 2004 Sydney International Piano Competition, a remarkable achievement for a pianist so young - not yet twenty - and one trained solely in New Zealand. But he is a remarkable pianist, and a musician wise beyond his years, and the piquant twists and turns of the Prokofiev concerto presented no difficulties for his transcendental technique. He understood well Prokofiev's distinctive melodic character, and with the orchestra under Edwin Outwater collaborating keenly, it was an absolute tour de force."
John Button, The Dominion Post, Thursday 25 August 2005
"John Chen is the best young pianist to emerge in NZ in many years and has already won the prestigious Sydney International Piano competition. He has a natural innate musicality and understanding allied to a phenomenal technique and facility that is awe inspiring, playing with great maturity and intensity. The Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 3 was an excellent vehicle to showcase his talents and he gave us a marvellously assured and involving performance..."
Garth Wilshere, Capitol Times, Wednesday 24 August 2005
"Ravel's Piano Concerto in G glittered under the inspired pianistic hands of John Chen - last year's winner of the Sydney International Piano Contest. How well he and the orchestra worked in tandem to mirror the work's modernism."
Ian Dando, Christchurch Press, 4 July 2005
"This was a recital that I was anticipating with some eagerness, and I was not, in any way, disappointed.
"…the polish, maturity and sheer musicianship displayed in a varied programme was still astonishing, and it presages [a] distinguished career…"
"The second half gave us a formidable performance of the great Henri Dutilleux Piano Sonata Opus 1 by Chen, in which his sympathy for French music was fully revealed with playing of dextrous virtuosity, poetry and a wondrous clarity…"
"Astonishing Musicianship"
by John Button, The Dominion Post, 10 May 2005
"John Chen, winner of the latest Sydney International Piano Competition, is a young musician of exceptional promise... his playing is extremely accomplished... and it has the admirable virtues of youth: vitality, freshness and energy. There is certainly a precocious maturity and surprising depth of insight as well. His beautifully judged performance (Brahms Intermezzo) was an eloquent gesture which made his priorities clear."
Stephen Whittington, Adelaide Advertiser 11 August 2004
"There could be no dispute that this young performer with his confident stage presence... and his musical authority and insight had all the qualities of a winner. [In] His performance of Rachmaninov's third concerto - a beast in which only the bravest shine... his musical spirit was totally unfettered, free to captivate, charm and seduce."
David Vance, Sydney Morning Herald - 19 July 2004
"He is a truly remarkable young man who draws the listener into the core of his music. The beauty of the sound that he drew from the Kawai grand piano was spellbinding. John has always taken chamber music extremely seriously and it's here that he really did excel: the audience gave him a standing ovation for his performance in the Ravel Piano Trio."
Alan Perrott, New Zealand Herald - 19 July 2004
"Ravel's Piano Concerto in G glittered under the inspired pianistic hands of John Chen - last year's winner of the Sydney International Piano Contest. How well he and the orchestra worked in tandem to mirror the work's modernism."
Ian Dando, Christchurch Press - 4 July 2004
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