Taiwanese-born, Brisbane-raised, London-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Belle Chen is taking a refreshing approach to musical performance, with her imaginative and highly accessible compositions and her inclusion of pre-recorded sound and projected imagery. She also has an extensive online presence, which includes videos, tutorials and audience participatory works, with which, together with her live performances, she has established a unique and absorbing musical persona.

OzAsia

Belle Chen. Photo © Billie Tun.

Her performance on the opening night of Adelaide’s 2021 OzAsia Festival was based on her 2020 album Destinations, which, as she indicated in her recents Limelight interview, is inspired by her observations of environmental changes around the world. This concert was not an exact rendition of the album, as she leaves room for spontaneous improvisation. For example, the album includes a complete (and delightful) rendition of Debussy’s Des pas sur la neige (Footsteps in the snow) from Book 1 of his Preludes, which was not reproduced in this concert, nor was her version of the Japanese traditional Sakura Sakura.

Seated at a grand piano together with an array of synthesisers and other instruments, Chen creates a unique and seductive sound world,...