Listen To Yu-Peng Chen’s ‘The Poem of Life’

Yu-Peng Chen has released The Poem of Life through Deutsche Grammophon, presenting a 12-movement symphonic suite for piano and orchestra. Available digitally, on CD and LP, the album follows different stages of life from birth through adulthood and later years to a final farewell.

Chen recorded the project with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Zhang Liang and performs as piano soloist throughout the album. Pianist Yixuan Wei joins him on selected pieces for two pianos, while the arrangements incorporate traditional Chinese instruments including guzheng, erhu, pipa and sheng. Chinese opera singers Yi Li and Zhengzhong Zhou also appear on the recording. Violinist Daniel Hope, mandolinist Avi Avital and cellist Philipp Schupelius are among its additional guest performers.

The suite is structured around experiences and emotions associated with different stages of life, including childhood, adulthood and old age. Chen described the project as “a vessel” for emotions that shape human experience, with the music intended to prompt listeners to reflect on their own memories and personal histories. The album combines Western orchestral writing with elements drawn from Chinese musical traditions, extending an approach to cross-cultural composition that has also featured prominently in Chen’s work for screen and games. A performance video for “Love in First Bloom” was also released in connection with the album.

Chen is widely known for his music for the video game Genshin Impact. A graduate of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, he has worked across film, television and gaming and has collaborated with orchestras including the London Philharmonic and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. In 2025, he became the first Chinese composer to sign with Deutsche Grammophon. The Poem of Life continues his move toward concert-focused orchestral projects, following his work on FANTASYLAND.

Listen to The Poem Of Life here.

Format: UK English