Yu-Peng Chen to Release THE POEM OF LIFE on Deutsche Grammophon
Chen becomes the first Chinese composer signed exclusively to Deutsche Grammophon, following singles including Under the Moonlight.
Composer, pianist, and producer Yu-Peng Chen and Deutsche Grammophon announce the release of The Poem of Life on September 25, 2026. Under the Moonlight, a piece rooted in the Chinese musical tradition and celebrating the warmth of family reunion, is now available on streaming platforms worldwide, following the earlier releases of three singles from the album-Overture: The Flavors of Life, Waltz of the Fireflies, and Wordless Farewell. Conceived as a symphonic suite for piano and orchestra in twelve movements, the album explores different stages of life through music. The Poem of Life will be released digitally, on CD and LP.
Best known for his acclaimed score for the global phenomenon Genshin Impact and other popular games, Chen has reached listeners around the world and accumulated more than 2 billion streams. With The Poem of Life, he turns to a more personal, concert-focused approach to classical composition, extending the narrative sensibility that has defined his acclaimed work for film and games.
'As I continue to draw inspiration from diverse cultures through an open international perspective, allowing different traditions to meet naturally within a unique musical language has become one of my core artistic principles,' says Chen. 'The Poem of Life represents an important stage in my current reflections and explorations. I hope this album can serve as a vessel for human emotions, inviting listeners to pause, reflect, and reconnect with their own life stories.'
The First Chinese Composer to Join DG
Recognized by a wide international community of gaming fans as 'Archon' ('Master'), Yu-Peng Chen has become one of the most influential voices in contemporary game music. His work has earned numerous distinctions, including Outstanding Artist at the Annual Game Music Awards 2020, Golden Deer Award for Best Original Score for Andrew Lau's The Founding of an Army in 2018 and a SABAM Award nomination at the 2019 World Soundtrack Awards. Recently he has added to his many awards and accolades, winning first prize in the chamber music composition section of the 2025 4Seasons Vienna International Musician Competition; a 2025 World Artistry Music Award for Film/Game Music (for music from Justice Online); and a Platinum Prize in the Composition Category of the Global Genius Music Awards.
In 2025, Deutsche Grammophon announced the signing of Yu-Peng Chen, making him the first Chinese composer to enter into an exclusive agreement. The same year also saw the release of the DG deluxe edition of Fantasyland, the first project resulting from this collaboration.
'I first heard Yu-Peng Chen's music at a gaming event,' says Kleopatra Sofroniou, DG General Manager Classics. 'I thought its beautiful melodies, imaginative instrumentation and skillful blending of western and world music traditions were simply magical.'
A Distinctive Musical Storyteller Exploring the Shared Human Experience
In The Poem of Life, Chen showcases his distinctive musical voice through a symphonic suite for piano and orchestra in twelve movements. Each movement stands on its own, while together they form a larger narrative arc.
Conceived as a reflection on the human experience, the album traces a journey from birth to farewell. Through lyrical melodies and rich orchestral textures, Chen evokes the wonder of childhood, the challenges of adulthood, and the serenity of later years.
The movement titles themselves serve as milestones along this journey-from First Breath and Waltz of the Fireflies, depicting birth and childhood, to A Journey Forged Through Fire and Under the Moonlight, exploring growth and fulfilment, and finally to Wordless Farewell, Where Longing Ends, The Unfinished Poem, and Life, Like a Dream, meditations on loss, acceptance, and remembrance.
Bringing Together Global Talent and Diverse Musical Languages
From conception and composition to recording and final production, The Poem of Life took approximately eighteen months to complete. The album was recorded by the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zhang Liang at the Shanghai Philharmonic Hall.
In addition to composing the work, Yu-Peng Chen performs as piano soloist throughout the album and collaborates with young pianist Yixuan Wei in passages written for two pianos. The project is further enriched by guest appearances from internationally acclaimed violinist Daniel Hope, virtuoso mandolinist Avi Avital and cellist Philipp Schupelius, among many more, whose contributions bring additional colors and perspectives to the recording.
The seventh movement, Under the Moonlight, is particularly a work with a strong Chinese character that blends Chinese folk instruments with the Western symphony orchestra. Through the use of instruments including guzheng, erhu, pipa, dizi, and sheng, Chen reveals his artistic roots, bringing centuries of cultural memory into dialogue with a contemporary symphonic language.
Realizing a Lifelong Dream Through His First Classical Album for DG
Originally trained as a clarinetist, Yu-Peng Chen was inspired at an early age by composers such as Joe Hisaishi, John Williams, and Sergei Rachmaninoff, whose music first sparked his interest in composition. He later studied Music Engineering at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where he received training in composition and music production.
Over the past two decades, Chen has worked across an exceptionally wide range of musical fields, including film scores, game music, popular songs, musicals, dance productions, and commercial projects. These experiences continually exposed him to different musical languages, new forms of storytelling, and audiences with diverse artistic expectations.
From the earliest stages of conceiving The Poem of Life, Chen envisioned an album that would bring together a broad spectrum of musical influences and historical styles within a single artistic framework. These influences range from Classicism and Romanticism to Modernism and Minimalism, while elements of traditional Chinese music coexist alongside jazz-inflected musical language.
The result reflects both the breadth of Chen's musical imagination and his ongoing exploration of artistic expression across cultures and generations. Across its twelve movements, the album traces the emotional and psychological stages of life while unfolding a richly varied musical landscape held together by a coherent narrative arc.
For example, First Breath draws structural inspiration from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier while subtly reflecting the impressionistic atmosphere of Ravel. The fifth movement, Love in First Bloom marks Chen's first attempt at composing a large-scale single-movement work and serves, in part, as a tribute to Rachmaninoff. Meanwhile, A Journey Forged Through Fire, the sixth movement, reveals traces of Gershwin's jazz language alongside the coloristic energy and dramatic tension associated with Stravinsky and Schumann.
Chen's partnership with Deutsche Grammophon, one of the most iconic labels in classical music, represents not only a major milestone in his career but also a powerful artistic statement. It reflects his commitment to expanding the possibilities of contemporary classical music while pursuing an increasingly personal, ambitious, and distinctive artistic voice.
ABOUT YU-PENG CHEN
Yu-Peng Chen (also known as Chen Zhiyi) is a multi-award-winning composer, music producer, and pianist celebrated for his richly melodic, stylistically versatile scores. A pioneer in bridging classical genres and the gaming universe, his immersive compositions for Genshin Impact have led millions of fans to revere him as 'Archon' ('master') and his music has amassed over 190 million official YouTube views and 2 billion streams.
In May 2025, Chen made history as the first Chinese composer to sign an exclusive agreement with Deutsche Grammophon (DG). His DG debut was the deluxe edition of FANTASYLAND, an orchestral suite showcasing his signature fusion of Eastern and Western musical influences, recorded at Abbey Road Studios with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Following FANTASYLAND, Chen's relationship with Deutsche Grammophon reaches a landmark milestone with the release of The Poem of Life, his first classical album for the label. Scheduled for global release on September 25, 2026, this deeply personal, 12-movement symphonic suite for piano and orchestra traces an emotional human arc from birth to farewell with soloists' appearances, including violinist Daniel Hope and mandolinist Avi Avital.
A graduate of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Chen skillfully blends Western orchestration with traditional folk elements from China, Japan, India, and beyond. His diverse portfolio spans TV, film, and video games. He won the 2018 Golden Deer Award for Andrew Lau's The Founding of an Army, received a Hong Kong Film Award nomination for The Last Tycoon, and was nominated for a SABAM Award at the 2019 World Soundtrack Awards. His recent accolades include first prize at the 2025 4Seasons Vienna International Musician Competition and a 2025 World Artistry Music Award.
Now working as an independent composer, Chen continues to score hit games like Justice Online and Where Winds Meet while focusing on large-scale orchestral works designed to resonate deeply across cultural boundaries.
