Zhengzhong Zhou & Moye Chen
German and French Art Song Recital
Shanghai Grand Theatre, Medium Hall
October 12, 2022
Overview
On October 12, 2022, Shanghai Grand Theatre presented a rare and remarkable evening of art songs, featuring baritone Zhengzhong Zhou and pianist Moye Chen. The recital included twenty-five songs by Schubert, Mahler, and Duparc — an ambitious undertaking that showcased both artists’ artistic stamina and interpretative depth.
This performance was part of the theatre’s signature series A Solo Classic, and marked the duo’s first collaboration. The hall was filled to capacity, and the audience experienced an intimate yet profound exploration of human emotion — from Schubert’s lyrical reflections on love and loss, to Mahler’s introspective Rückert-Lieder, and finally to the luminous, impressionistic sound world of Duparc.
Schubert’s Schwanengesang, posthumously published as a memorial collection, carries the essence of the composer’s final creative period — poetic melancholy interwoven with transcendent beauty. Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder reveal the composer’s private world, blending existential reflection with musical intimacy. Duparc’s twelve songs, meanwhile, are a pinnacle of French mélodie — their harmonic audacity and pianistic writing elevate the piano to an equal partner with the voice.
“Duparc’s songs are unlike traditional mélodies — they are works written equally for voice and piano, filled with bold imagination and dramatic range.”
Moye Chen
Gallery
“Schubert is a singer’s encyclopedia. Every time I sing his songs, I discover new life within them. Even when the world abandons you, never stop singing.”
Zhengzhong Zhou
Artists
Zhengzhong Zhou — Baritone
Born in China, baritone Zhengzhong Zhou is an internationally acclaimed opera singer and recitalist. He is the winner of the Opera Division First Prize and the French Mélodie Second Prize at the Marmande International Vocal Competition in France, and a prize-winner at the Toulouse International Singing Competition. He was also awarded the CNIPAL scholarship, leading to two years of advanced study in Marseille.
In 2010, Zhou was selected for the prestigious Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden — one of the world’s most competitive training platforms for emerging opera talents. In 2012, he joined the Deutsche Oper Berlin as a soloist, where he has since appeared in numerous leading roles.
Zhou has collaborated with many of the world’s foremost conductors, including Sir Antonio Pappano, Donald Runnicles, Andris Nelsons, Sir Mark Elder, Seiji Ozawa, Maurizio Benini, Evelino Pidò, John Eliot Gardiner, Daniel Oren, Yu Long, Lü Jia, and Yang Yang. His performances span major houses and orchestras such as the Royal Opera House Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre National de France, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and China National Symphony Orchestra.
His operatic repertoire includes Rigoletto, Faust, Tosca, La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Werther, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Pagliacci, and Carmen, among many others. Zhou’s performances have been captured in several acclaimed recordings, including Massenet’s Werther (Deutsche Grammophon), Manon’s Portrait (Opera Rara), and multiple Royal Opera House DVDs (Anna Nicole, Rigoletto, Tosca, Madama Butterfly).
In recent years, Zhou has also become an active educator. He serves as a faculty member at Wuhan Conservatory of Music, regularly giving masterclasses across China, and is a guest professor at the College of Music, Northwest Normal University. His students have achieved recognition in international competitions and national awards.
Moye Chen — Piano
Moye Chen is one of the most prominent Chinese pianists of his generation, praised for his poetic expressiveness and dazzling virtuosity. A Deutsche Grammophon recording artist, Chen has been a prize-winner at more than ten international competitions, including the Sydney International Piano Competitionand the Cincinnati World Piano Competition.
He has performed extensively across Europe, the United States, and Asia, appearing at venues such as the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and major concert halls throughout China. His recordings have been acclaimed for their clarity, lyrical intensity, and refined tonal control.
Chen’s interpretations are known for their combination of structural precision and emotional immediacy. In recent years, he has devoted increasing attention to the genre of art song, collaborating with leading vocalists to explore the expressive potential of voice and piano as equal partners.