New York Times: What to Do in New York City

Seth Colter Walls from The New York Times recommends Infinite Staircase in their monthly guide to what to do in NYC. More info »

This young pianist revels in modern and cutting-edge pieces. After making his recorded debut on the Naxos label with some sterling interpretations of Liszt, he has since taken on the piano works of Gyorgy Ligeti as well as those of contemporary artists like Thomas Adès. (Chen’s take on the solo piano work “Blanca Variations” is recommended for anyone who enjoyed Adès’s opera “The Exterminating Angel.”)
For this Williamsburg neighborhood date, Chen expands on his recent CD of Ligeti’s piano music. For each of the 18 études by the Hungarian master, the pianist has co-commissioned with Metropolis Ensemble a living composer to write a companion piece. (He’ll play all the works — 36 in total — at this concert.) In addition to Ligeti himself, the program includes established figures like Molly Joyce and Nina Young as well as an intriguing coterie of up-and-coming compositional talents.