American violinist Stella Chen releases her debut album, Stella x Schubert, with pianist Henry Kramer on the Apple-owned Platoon platform. Performing on the 1700 ex-Petri Stradivarius violin, Chen garnered worldwide attention with her first-prize win at the 2019 Queen Elizabeth International Violin Competition, followed by the 2020 Avery Fisher Career Grant and 2020 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award...

Stella Chen puts her heart and soul into this recording of Schubert's work. The LP contains 7 pieces (46 min, 11 sec) and it's clear from the start that Chen puts her heart and soul into these recordings. Her love and understanding of the works comes across in her subtle playing, which is powerful enough to move the listener to tears.

Talking about the album, Chen says: "My love for Schubert blossomed unexpectedly during a performance analysis class with Robert Levin, a brilliant musician I knew as the phenom who completed Mozart’s 'Requiem' for his undergraduate thesis. Known as he is for his encyclopedic knowledge of Mozart, Levin surprised me when he revealed that his favourite piece was Schubert’s 'G Major Quartet, D. 887'. He spoke about the music in a way that brought tears to my eyes, despite having never heard the piece myself. Thus began my deep and unwavering love affair with Schubert."

Accompanied on the piano by Henry Kramer, this is clearly a labour of love. Chen's exhilaration and joy comes through in her playing. This is a delightful album, which is delivered to perfection.

Track listing:

01. Rondo in B Minor, D.895 (13:55)
02. Fantasie in C Major, D. 934: I. Andante molto (03:32)
03. Fantasie in C Major, D. 934: II. Allegretto (05:15)
04. Fantasie in C Major, D. 934: III. Andantino (11:31)
05. Fantasie in C Major, D. 934: IV. Allegro vivace (04:46)
06. Sei mir gegrüsst, D.741 (03:46)
07. Ständchen, D. 920 (03:30)

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Darren Rea