on 4 January 2025

Photographs by David Hogg of Horizon Imaging.

There are two things that every concert promoter dreads. The first is the illness of the musician, and the other, severe weather. When we were stuck by both shortly before our first recital of 2025, I worried and panicked. However, there was no need! Our loyal audience still created a full-house crowd, and Junyan Chen, who stepped in without fuss and only a day’s notice, rose to the occasion and, in fact, surpassed everyone’s expectations. It was a delightful evening. Panic over!

Junyan is a natural giver; she showered the audience with music unconditionally, pouring emotions into the recital. It was joyful to watch her as well - her animated performance and unstoppable eagerness to share the music was received warmly by all of us.

Junyan managed to produce sublime tones which never stopped impressing us. With Bach’s French Suite, she articulated and shaped the sounds with a feathery touch, yet producing such crisp individual notes. Her tones became warm, deep and embracing with Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 101, creating effective sonority to express its lyricism and delicate tenderness.

I think the audience was particularly happy that Junyan chose Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B Minor, a towering achievement of the Romantic era. This work has never been performed at Breinton; how auspicious to start the year with such a grand work. Junyan weaved the demonic darknesses and heavenly lyrical passages flowing seamlessly into one another. Its technical demands are extraordinary, and the powerful passages could have been too overwhelming to listeners (particularly in our intimate environment), but not in her care - she never relied on the full force and knew when to release and let it breathe. The dense chordal textures were played with precision and expressive depth in a way that felt divine at times. The melodious motifs were played with the utmost care and articulation, resulting in a truly dreamy state.

A mind-blowing piece by Fazil Say Black Earth was Junyan’s choice for an encore – a whole new experience to feel the mysterious sounds produced by her touching directly the piano strings and hammers. What a moving, dramatic piece. It left us a longing sensation.

Junyan Chen stepped in to perform this recital in place of Alim Beisembayev, who was unable to attend due to illness.

Junyan Chen won Second Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition 2024 also winning the chamber music prize and Alexandra Dariescu award for a work by a woman composer. In the competition final she performed Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 4 with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Domingo Hindoyan. She has also performed this work with Edward Gardner and the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, in a concert that was live-streamed on Classic FM.

Forthcoming solo engagements include London (Wigmore Hall), Leeds, Harrogate and Liverpool. In Spring 2025 Junyan will collaborate with the Manchester Collective in a project including a world premiere by Héloïse Werner with performances in Manchester, Leeds and London (Southbank Centre). An enthusiastic performer of contemporary music, she has collaborated with Hans Abrahamsen whose Piano Concerto she performed with the Manson Ensemble at the Royal Academy of Music. In addition, she was invited to take part in Eleanor Alberga's music festival Arcadia in 2022, recording and performing Dancing with the Shadows and On a Bat's Back I Do Fly. She has also collaborated with composers Mark Anthony-Turnage and Dominic Muldowney.

Junyan's debut solo album, It's Time, features works by Fazil Say, Unsuk Chin, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Eleanor Alberga. Released by Linn Records in 2022, this disc explores cultural identity through different musical genres and art forms, including Turkish folk ballad, jazz, Russian poetry, and African dance.

Following her time at the Shanghai Conservatoire, Junyan moved to London and continued her studies at the Royal Academy of Music, with Professor Joanna MacGregor. She currently holds a fellowship with the RAM, having recently graduated with first class BMus and MA degrees as a Bicentenary Scholar.

• JS Bach
  
  • French Suite No. 3 in B minor, BMV 814
• CPE Bach
  
  • Piano Sonata in A major
• Beethoven
  
  • Piano Sonata in A major, No. 28 Op. 101
• Listz
  
  • Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178

JS Bach: French Suite No. 3 in B Minor

Johann Sebastian Bach’s French Suites, composed during his tenure in Köthen (1717–1723), represent an intimate exploration of dance forms reimagined for the keyboard. Although termed “French,” these suites draw from a variety of stylistic traditions, blending French elegance with Italian virtuosity and German counterpoint. Suite No. 3 is a particularly fascinating example, showcasing Bach’s ability to infuse simplicity with profound artistry.

The suite opens with an Allemande, a stately and reflective dance in duple meter. Bach’s intricate counterpoint and lyrical ornamentation imbue the movement with a contemplative grace, inviting the performer to explore its subtle expressivity. The Courante follows, offering a lively contrast with its quicksilver rhythms and flowing melodic lines. The term “Courante”—meaning “running”—is aptly reflected in the movement’s fluid energy and intricate interplay between voices.

At the suite’s heart lies the Sarabande, a slow and stately dance that serves as an emotional centerpiece. Its richly ornamented melody is both introspective and ornate, embodying the Baroque ideal of ‘affekt’—the evocation of a single, unified emotion. Following this meditative movement, the Menuet offers a light-hearted interlude, its charming simplicity providing a delightful contrast. The Gigue concludes the suite with exuberance, its bounding rhythms and contrapuntal intricacies exemplifying Bach’s mastery of form and motion.

In this suite, Bach transforms the conventions of dance music into a transcendent and intimate musical dialogue.

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101

Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 28, occupies a pivotal place in his oeuvre, marking the beginning of his late period. Composed in 1816, it introduces many of the hallmarks of Beethoven’s mature style, including an emphasis on lyricism, structural innovation, and a transcendent approach to musical form. In this work, Beethoven moves beyond the dramatic gestures of his middle period to explore a more introspective and spiritual realm.

The first movement, Etwas lebhaft, und mit der innigsten Empfindung (Somewhat lively and with the most heartfelt expression), is characterized by its song-like melodies and seamless transitions. Its themes unfold organically, creating a sense of continuity and unity that mirrors Beethoven’s fascination with exploring musical ideas in depth. The movement’s intimate character is enhanced by its use of warm harmonies and subtle dynamic shadings, inviting the listener into a deeply personal sound world.

In stark contrast, the second movement, Lebhaft. Marschmässig (Lively, march-like), introduces a robust and assertive character. This energetic scherzo, with its driving rhythm and angular motifs, recalls Beethoven’s earlier works while pushing the boundaries of conventional sonata structure. The rhythmic vitality and formal clarity of the march provide a dramatic foil to the surrounding movements.

The slow movement, Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll (Slow and longing), serves as the emotional core of the sonata. Its meditative atmosphere and poignant melodies create a sense of yearning, reflecting Beethoven’s introspective late style. This movement transitions seamlessly into the finale, marked Geschwinde, doch nicht zu sehr, und mit Entschlossenheit (Swift, but not too much so, and with determination). The finale is a tour de force of counterpoint and thematic development, culminating in a triumphant fugue that reaffirms Beethoven’s mastery of combining tradition with innovation.

CPE Bach: Piano Sonata in A Major

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the second surviving son of Johann Sebastian, was a pivotal figure in the transition from the Baroque to the Classical era. A master of the empfindsamer Stil (“sensitive style”), C.P.E. Bach emphasized emotional expression, dynamic contrasts, and innovative formal structures in his music. His Sonata in A Major, Wq. 55/4 (H. 186), composed during his tenure at the court of Frederick the Great, showcases these qualities with exceptional clarity.

The sonata begins with an Allegro assai, a movement characterized by lively, bounding energy and harmonic inventiveness. The rapid shifts in texture and dynamics reflect the spontaneity and unpredictability for which C.P.E. Bach’s music is celebrated. This movement sets the stage for the introspection and emotional depth to follow.

The second movement, Poco adagio, stands in stark contrast, adopting a minor mode and a deeply reflective character. Its lyrical lines and poignant harmonic shifts exemplify the empfindsamer Stil, drawing the listener into a world of introspection and subtle emotional nuance. The movement’s restrained elegance invites a contemplative performance, revealing the profound sensitivity at the heart of C.P.E. Bach’s style.

Concluding the sonata is a spirited Allegro, which returns to the major mode with a sense of playful exuberance. The movement’s brisk tempo, rhythmic vitality, and conversational interplay between voices bring the work to an engaging and joyful close. Its energy and charm highlight C.P.E. Bach’s ability to balance technical brilliance with expressive depth.

This sonata, with its blend of innovation and emotional resonance, underscores C.P.E. Bach’s significant influence on the next generation of composers, including Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. It remains a captivating work that bridges the stylistic and expressive worlds of the Baroque and Classical eras.

Liszt: Piano Sonata in B Minor, S. 178

Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B Minor is a towering achievement of the Romantic era, combining technical virtuosity with profound emotional and intellectual depth. Completed in 1853 and dedicated to Robert Schumann, the sonata challenges traditional formal conventions by presenting a single-movement structure that unfolds as an uninterrupted, symphonic narrative.

The sonata begins with a series of ominous, fragmented motifs, establishing a dramatic tension that pervades the work. These motifs serve as the foundation for the sonata’s thematic development, reappearing throughout in varied and transformed guises. Liszt’s approach to thematic transformation—where a single theme evolves to assume multiple identities—creates a sense of unity and coherence across the work’s sprawling structure.

The sonata’s sections correspond loosely to traditional movements: an exposition, a lyrical slow movement, a scherzo-like interlude, and a triumphant finale. Yet these sections flow seamlessly into one another, eschewing clear boundaries in favor of a continuous narrative. The work’s technical demands are extraordinary, requiring the performer to navigate rapid octaves, intricate passagework, and dense chordal textures with both precision and expression.

At its core, the sonata is a philosophical exploration of struggle, transcendence, and redemption. Moments of ferocious intensity are balanced by passages of serene beauty, reflecting Liszt’s engagement with themes of spirituality and existential inquiry. The sonata’s climactic moments, marked by cascading arpeggios and soaring melodies, evoke a sense of transcendence, culminating in a quiet and contemplative conclusion.

Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor remains a cornerstone of the piano repertoire, celebrated for its visionary scope and emotional intensity. Its fusion of technical brilliance, structural innovation, and expressive depth continues to captivate audiences and performers alike.

About the Performer: Junyan Chen

Junyan Chen is a rising star in the world of classical piano, renowned for her artistry, technical brilliance, and interpretative depth. A graduate of [insert conservatory or institution], she has captivated audiences worldwide with her performances, which blend profound musical insight with exceptional virtuosity. Chen’s repertoire spans from the Baroque to the contemporary, reflecting her commitment to exploring the breadth and depth of the piano literature.

In this recital, Chen brings her nuanced touch and expressive power to a program that bridges musical eras and styles. From the intricate counterpoint of J.S. Bach to the emotional immediacy of C.P.E. Bach, the structural innovation of Beethoven, and the Romantic grandeur of Liszt, Chen invites listeners on a journey through the evolving language of the piano. Her interpretations promise to illuminate the timeless beauty and enduring relevance of these masterpieces.