Reviews & Interviews
BBC Music Magazine
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" A prize-winner at last year's National Chopin Piano Competition, Guo delivers an entrancing performance of the 24 preludes and other piano works, and then she self-accompanies a handful of vocal treasures. A very fine pianist with a beguiling voice; here is a rare talent." (MB) ★★★★★ |
GramophoneReview of the debut album Chopin in My Voice
June 18, 2021 |
"As both a pianist and a singer Chelsea Guo is clearly a special talent." |
The Arts MuseRalph P. Locke's review of the debut album Chopin in My Voice
September 10, 2021 |
"....Best of all, this cantabile approach carries over into her performances of the solo-piano pieces. She tapers phrases sensitively, never barreling through. She responds, just enough, to harmonic surprises. And, most unusually, she has the melodic line (usually in the right hand) anticipate the accompaniment (in the left), whereas we’re more accustomed to non-simultaneous piano playing that has bass anticipate the melody. I look forward to following the growth of this multi-talented young musician." |
Classical Modern Music ReviewReview of the debut album Chopin in My Voice
August 28, 2021 |
“... Ms. Guo's pianism gives us Chopin (his Preludes, Fantasie, etc.) with considerable concentric and insightful phraseology。。。She makes the piano sing, with subtle shadings, authentic feeling, focused beauty. Hers is perhaps less extraverted that some readings, especially from the early days of the LP--the fifties. 。。。Her style is brilliantly fluid. Chopin would have been pleased, I think she handles it with all warmth, and poetic precision. without the overblown gush of some grandstanding versions from the past. |
TexturaReview of the debut Album Chopin in My Voice
July 16, 2021 |
A " preternaturally poised debut album... Her playing is a delight throughout, and the vocals-and-piano pieces add an extra appealing dimension that helps distinguishes the release from other piano-only Chopin recordings... Guo's pianistic prowess is evident in her execution of the torrential third, eighth, and sixteenth; as expertly as she navigates rapid passages, she deftly amplifies the poignancy of slower preludes such as the fourth and sixth. Her renderings charm and enchant, even when a prelude is little more than a half-minute long,.. These fresh interpretations bring Chopin to vivid life once more, and the affection Guo has for the material resonates from beginning to end. The novelty factor of the vocals-and-piano detail might initially attract the attention of listeners, but Chopin: In My Voice rewards for reasons that extend far beyond that particular detail. " |
New York Music DailyReview of the debut album Chopin in My Voice
June 30, 2021 |
“If only quality matched quantity. Serendipitously, Chelsea Guo’s new album Chopin: In My Voice – streaming at Spotify – is a relatively rare exception, a very smart, insightful collection... Guo’s use of rubato is masterful. She doesn’t overdo it, so when she loosens the rhythm, there’s always an impact, and her sense of where to weave this into her phrasing – this being Chopin, it’s usually on the somber side here – is laserlike. In general, it seems she prefers to understate a piece and let the music speak for itself rather than overemote. And she takes an architectural view to the development of these works, often following a subtly crescendoing arc....It’s a fair bet that this is just the tip of the iceberg of Guo’s emerging talent.” |
TortoiseReview of the debut album Chopin in My Voice
June 24, 2021 |
“....Dazzling collection... One of the best albums in 2021 to date." |
Midwest RecordReview of the debut album Chopin in My Voice
June 11, 2021 |
“.... Guo fearlessly immersed herself in Chopin, so much so that while the material may not be new, it's loaded with her own special sauce. As Jules Winbush might say, she really got in character for this role all the way down to recording this on a 1876 built piano. From the opening notes, you know and feel that this is going to be something special and different with you being in good hands throughout. A solid set from a rising classical star." |
Meet the Artist
the Cross-eyed Pianist
South Florida ClassicalReview of the 10th Chopin Competition of the United States, Final Round
March 1, 2020 |
"...Guo’s fluently played reading was note perfect. The Larghetto was songful, Guo’s floating line marking her as a fine Chopin stylist. The astutely paced Allegro vivace finale culminated in a rapid-fire coda. Guo avoided the tendency to prettify Chopin. She offered a thoughtful performance, displaying strong musicality that never confused grace with bathos..." |
Interview by China Daily
Chicago Music ReportReview of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 1st Movement
Pritzker Pavilion of Millennium Park, Chicago August 21, 2017 |
"Chelsea Guo also choose the finale of a big romantic concerto as her calling card, this time the beloved Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor of Tchaikovsky. The 16-year-old student at Juilliard’s pre-college division launched the opening bars at a zippy pace, vanquishing the fiendish scales and arpeggios with masterful accuracy and idiomatic understanding of Russian romanticism. But for the all the fireworks, her moving account of the composer’s lush lyricism was most memorable. " |
Chicago Classical ReviewReview of the Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 2nd Movement
Pritzker Pavilion of Millennium Park, Chicago August 28, 2016 |
"Sometimes a romantic slow movement can prove a stiffer challenge for young musicians than quick ones, since mastery of rubato usually requires years of experience to nurture and blossom. 15-year-old Chelsea Guo, from Juilliard’s Pre-College Division, seemed right at home in the second movement Larghetto from Chopin’s Concerto No. 2. She negotiated Chopin’s arabesques with unforced elegance, displaying a genuine gift for lyrical finesse." |