Pianist Kevin Chen made a remarkable debut in Vancouver Saturday evening, with a programme that effectively highlights not only his not inconsiderable virtuosity, but his depth and musicality.
Bravely, I thought, Chen began his recital with Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G minor (Op. 23), and managed to bring freshness to a piece that is played almost too often. I have rarely heard the Meno mosso section (m. 68) played so beautifully. He was careful to build the piece to its shattering climax towards the end, carefully pacing the progression of the drama, and thoughtfully gauging the sound, that even the big chordal section at m. 106 - where far too many pianists tend to go “all out” - does not make the rest of the work feel anti-climactic. When it came to the cataclysmic coda, with the clashing octaves and ending of complete desolation, Chen played it at a tempo and with an intensity that was breathtaking.
It is truly impressive that an artist so young can have such a mature grasp of Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantasie (Op. 61). Personally, I find this to be Chopin’s greatest and perhaps most elusive works. By this time of Chopin’s creative evolution, he was no longer interested in those long bel-canto melodies that he was known for as a younger composer. The fragmentary, rhetorical nature of the melodic threads make it a challenge for any pianist to convey. From beginning to end, Kevin Chen has a complete grasp of the logic and structure of the work, and infused it with a palpable sense of cohesiveness and organic unity. More importantly, he grasps the desperation and heartbreak that is so inherent throughout the work.
On the other end of the musical spectrum, the composer’s Variations on “Là ci darem la mano”(Op. 2) is the product of a very young composer trying to showcase his compositional and pianistic skills. Chen’s stunning rendition of the work made me wonder if this was how young Chopin may have played it. This was the composition that led to Robert Schumann’s now famous preamble of his review of the piece in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, “Hats off, gentlemen, a genius!” It was a performance that dazzled Saturday’s audience with a truly unbelievable virtuosity. At the same time, it was not fast fingers that caught our ears, but always a feeling that technique is there to serve musical ends.
The second half of the recital consisted of the music of Franz Liszt, another composer Chen identifies with, with good reasons, as we would find out, in spades.
According to Vladimir Horowitz, Liszt’s Ballade No. 2 in B minor (S. 171) is one of his greatest works for piano. From first note to last, it was obvious that Chen identifies with the Lisztian idiom, as well as rises to the composer’s superhuman pianistic challenges. As in Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantasie, Chen understands and conveys the fragmentary, rhetorical nature of this music, and he gave a performance that underscored the beauty and drama inherent in the music.
Schubert’s Erlkönig is the terror for any pianist, so I could just imagine how intimidating Liszt’s transcription would be. Chen did not seem to bat an eye at the technical hurdles inherent in the music, but played it with a rousing virtuosity that was irresistible. I think Sergei Babayan was more vivid in making the characters in the lied come alive, but this will surely come with age for Chen.
The young pianist gave a deeply felt, beautifully shaped performance of the Sonetto 104 del Petrarca (S. 161, No. 5), from volume two of the Années de pèlerinage, giving the audience a dose of lyricism before the fireworks of the final piece.
And what fireworks they were! During Chen’s performance of the Réminiscences de Don Juan (S. 418), I marvelled not only at the incredible musical and pianistic display, but how the young artist was able to highlight and bring alive so vividly the absolute genius of Liszt’s design, something that happens rarely with this work. And no matter how fast the fingers were moving, and how cleanly the passages were executed, Chen never made us lose sight of the beauty and logic behind the notes.
After a well-deserved ovation, Chen granted an encore – the calm after the storm – Liszt’s masterful transcription of Schumann’s Widmung, in a reading that is ardent and filled with longing. The “Ave Maria” at the end of the song was stunningly beautiful.
From Chen’s playing and from my brief interaction with him before and after the concert, it struck me that this is not only a hugely talented young man, but a highly sensitive one, as well as a musician who is still developing his already considerable musical maturity. I can only wish for him a management who would not exploit his talents, but cherish this rare gift, and allow him the time and space to continue to grow as a musician.
From his performance in Vancouver, it seems that the sky is the limit for Kevin Chen.
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