Pianist
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Ms. Chen is a pianist to watch. She is gifted with a brilliant technique, warm, clear tone, and exacting musical intelligence…[her] 'Barcarolla' from Bartok's 'Out of Doors' Suite and [George] Perle's set of six etudes from 1976 were clear, tense and powerful. And in the climaxes of Liszt's Variations [on Bach's 'Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen'], Ms. Chen exulted in thunderous sonorities without ever losing sight of the work's searching reach into unknown harmonic regions.
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The New York Times
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As for [Rozsa’s] Piano Concerto, it would be hard to imagine a performance more in tune with the music’s dynamism than the one turned in by pianist Evelyn Chen, who wonderfully communicates a kind of virtuoso thrill while also capturing every one of the work’s Protean changes of mood.
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Fanfare Magazine
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Evelyn Chen is a dazzlingly secure, marvelously sympathetic exponent, and she builds a really fine rapport with Sedares and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra…Rozsa fans will rightly welcome this enterprising release with open arms.
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Gramophone Magazine
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Evelyn Chen’s performance of the Rachmaninov Piano Concert No. 2 is eminently musical, particularly sensitive to Rachmaninov’s intimacies. Chen is admirably suited to the Paganini Rhapsody for she tackles the virtuoso passages with aplomb, shapes the slower music with much poetry and delights with some nicely judged dynamic contrasts. Slatkin and the Philharmonia offer positive, considered support.
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Fanfare, London
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Ms. Chen’s impeccable virtuosity has unquestionably proved her mastery of Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2. Her powerful sound is rare and admirable, especially for this heavily orchestrated concerto. Her performance deserves our praise and we anxiously await her next performance in Taiwan.
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All Music Magazine, Taipei
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Kudos to pianist Shu-Ching [Evelyn] Chen, the soloist in Tchaikovsky's famous Piano Concerto No. 1. Chen brought a gentle and languid poetry to the slow movement and fire to the finale…the National Symphony Orchestra gave commendable support throughout, leaving us with a performance worth savoring.
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The Washington Post
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Chen's interpretation of Bach's [Prelude and Fugue] renders an authentic, profound lecture without affectation; her Chopin Barcarolle unfolds in a beautiful, dramatic progression; and her Liszt Mazeppa is of impressive sonority and impeccable virtuosity--one of the rare, grand moments of the evening.
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La Libre Belgique, Brussels
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Chen displayed unmistakable prowess. She revealed waves of chromaticism, strands of filigree, and pearly melodic treasures. And with Skrowaczewski leading the orchestra, the accompaniment could hardly have been more spirited.
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San Diego Union Tribune
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Shu-Ching [Evelyn] Chen is a mighty mite, incredibly resilient, supple and inspired, an absolutely born performer.
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The Boston Globe
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Pianist Chen to the Rescue--Soloist sparks otherwise mundane East Bay concert…Chen’s performance of Chopin E Minor Concerto held its own impressively. Chen does not fear heart-on-sleeve sentiment or the judicious application of rubato; and the first movement flowed on a gratifying wave of fantasy. Where Chopin is concerned, this pianist is a true believer.
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San Francisco Chronicle