Photo: Courtesy of Universal Music Group

Chinese pianist Zee Zee (Zuo Zhang) held a launch party for the Chinese mainland release of her debut classical performance album Ravel Liszt on Monday in Beijing. 

Published by Deutsche Gramophone (DG), the oldest classical label in the world, the album features Zee Zee's performance of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major as well as his piano solo Gaspard de la nuit. 

"The album represents the beauty of classical music in my heart. My first solo album with DG, such a world famous label, is an affirmation of my professional and artistic standards as well as incentive that spurs me on," Zee Zee said at the launch. 

The musician said she thinks classical music and the dramatic works of Shakespeare have been successfully performed throughout different ages because performers in different eras put a different spin on these classics as well as incorporated them into their own works as a form of tribute.

"Although I have played some music pieces many times before, I experience a different feeling after each performance. That is the charm of classical music," Zee Zee said. 

She noted the Ravel's part is played according to Ravel's composition, so the album is different from a live performance.

Zee Zee started her music training in Germany at the age of 5 and later developed a keen interest in the piano. After finishing her bachelor's degree in the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music and her master's degree at The Juilliard School, she began to collaborate with many well-known orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the UK and the San Francisco Symphony in the US. 

She won first prize at the 1st International Piano Competition in China and the Juilliard's 32nd annual William Petschek Piano Recital Award.

"A qualified and excellent musician should always be ready to give a performance on the stage," Zee Zee noted at the launch. 

Zee Zee told the Global Times that the stage experience she gained working with so many famous orchestras has been very valuable and that she was very grateful to everyone who helped her throughout her career.

Having studied in the US for so many years, Zee Zee said she was optimistic about the state of China-US cultural communication. 

"Both of the countries are opening to music exchanges, and I believe cooperation in the classical music field will improve even more in the future," Zee Zee said.