La Belle Epoque Weiyin Chen, pianist Released: March 13, 2026. Duration: 65 minutes
Tracks:
Boulanger, L: Trois morceaux pour piano
1. D’un vieux jardin
2. D’un jardin clair
3. Cortege
Schumann: Papillons, Op. 2
Introduzione. Moderato
1. Waltz
2. Waltz. Prestissimo
3. Waltz
4. Waltz. Presto
5. Polonaise
6. Waltz
7. Waltz. Semplice
8. Waltz
9. Waltz. Prestissimo
10. Waltz. Vivo
11. Polonaise
12. Finale
Debussy: Suite bergamasque: Clair de lune
Chopin: Waltz in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 64 No. 2: Tempo giusto
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite (Arr. for piano by Stefan Esipoff)
1. Miniature Overture
2. March
3. Dance of the Super Plum Fairy
4. Russian Dance “Trepak”
5. Arabian Dance
6. Chinese Dance
7. Dance of the Reed Flutes
8. Waltz of the Flowers
Falla: Ritual Fire Dance (from El amor brujo)
Weiyin Chen: Improvisation on Scheherazade, Op. 35 from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
What sets the featured pianist here apart from the rest is a keener sensibility towards the music and the instrument itself. All professional pianists can play the same piece but every now and then one emerges with a profound temperament that drives her artistic expression. The playing of Taiwanese pianist Weiyin Chen in her 2026 release La Belle Epoque contains an incredibly deep sense of self expression that each piece sounded tailor-composed for her. And thus the 1919 Boulanger Three Pieces and the Schumann showpiece Papillons sounds personable and fresh. Most pianists deviate not from the instructions set by the composer, and some of them indeed made some of the most beautiful renditions on record, but the Chen recording offers us a rare treat of a playing full of confidence and proficiency, and most importantly, the seeming aloofness throughout the album makes the music ethereal and pure. Chen could just be playing for her own enjoyment as far as the recording studio staff was concerned.
But then the Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker Suite on this album comes along and breaks through the air like golden ray piercing morning mist, establishing the performance as seemingly the truest to form over the orchestral norm. I daresay this single-instrument rendition is closer to the heart and the piano sound makes it imminently and naturally more hummable. And then the Falla Ritual Fire Dance and the pianist’s 3 minutes 18 seconds improvisation on the Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade dazzle with not just the beautiful sound Chen coerced from the piano but the utmost pervasive expression.
But before the Tchaikovsky epic and after the Schumann classic is a five-minute excerpt of the Debussy Clair de lune, followed by the Chopin Waltz in C-Sharp Minor Op. 64 No. 2. To some, the sheer delight arising from Chen’s coercion of the keys on these two works alone will worth the ticket price.
The performance from this release is so much more than a showcase of her skills and musicianship, it draws you in, so much so it is as if the pieces were composed just for you. It is simply some of the most uplifting, delightful and engaging music-making I’ve heard in recent years. I enthusiastically recommend this recording for system demonstration as well as the periodic palate cleansing. Available in 24-bit 96kHz download.
Review system
Audience AV frontROW cable system
Cardas Clear Beyond cable system
Aurender N200 cache player
Bricasti Design M21 DSD DAC
Atma-Sphere MP-1 3.3 tube preamplification system
Pass Laboratories XA200.8 class A monoblocks
Orchard Audio Starkrimson Mono Ultra Premium GaN-FET monoblocks
Sound Lab M945 electrostatic panels
Acoustic Science Corp. Tubetraps
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