For me, though, Chen's drily witty performance of Alkan's Le festin d'Esope at another Dublin venue, the Hugh Lane Gallery (which house Francis Bacon's preserved studio), has stayed longer in the memory than anything else.

A great talent, both as instrumentalist and musician... a virtuoso... and shows a wide spectrum of deep emotions and understanding for the musical structure.

The grand gesture, whether of gorgeously full tone or daring velocity, seems to be at the heart of Chen’s approach to romantic repertoire. The eagerness with which he launched himself into the most daunting of challenges suggests a fiery temperament, and the necessary elements of technique are there to support it.

Archie Chen joined the Spokane String Quartet in a splendid celebration of the 200th anniversaries of the births of Robert Schumann and Frederic Chopin. Chen combines a solo virtuoso's fluency and excitement with the sophistication and intelligence of an artist who thinks deeply about the music he plays. I was highly impressed by the six solos works by Chopin -- two sets of two Impromptus , the first set followed by the Third Ballade and the second by the Scherzo in B-flat minor. Chen made clear the subtle relationships among the Impromptus and between them and the larger Ballade and Scherzo at ended the two groups. Chen also showed himself to the a fine chamber music partner in Schumann's famous Piano Quintet. Chen and members of the quartet made the most of Schumann's long, lyric lines and his startling changes of mood.