Thursday, March 7, 2013

Winner of 18 International Piano Competitions, Pianist Rueibin Chen

Translation of excerpt from the  Magazine : MANAGER today

After entering this field of piano concert performance and facing many tough obstacles throughout my journey, I needed to closely examine the finer details and challenges that I came across such as traveling and encountering society on a day to day basis. Sometimes these obstacles hindered my ability to concentrate fully and focus 100% of my attention on my performing career. The challenges that I have faced could not be learned from being a student or textbooks. These were life lessons that I would take with me for the rest of my life. Everything that I have experienced thus far has molded me into the person that I am toda


No matter your social status or class, everyone must face the same life experiences as the next person. Without these experiences, an individual will not fully know what the world is like. Music is a part of the world, and without a thorough understanding of this subject matter, one will be impeded by many obstructions.

Classical music has been in existence for hundreds of years now. All music has different historical backgrounds and each style of music has their own interpretations along with ideas. To the performer, this is a huge challenge to master because each individual has his or her own ideas and personality. It is difficult to escape from other people’s ideas and to create their own soul.

In fact, all the pressure and difficulty of the challenges I had encountered did not prove to be a bad thing. Even beyond that, it was a relief to resolve them and deepened my life experiences. When fully comprehended, the truest feelings within me and the deepest thoughts I have will be reflected on the pieces I play.

This growth within me is difficult to explain and even harder to understand, but the change inside me can be seen in the quality of my performance. From my technical skills, amplitude, artistic expressions, emotions, unique interpretations, and sensitivity, there is an enormous difference in my presentation that cannot be learned nor mastered in one day. Everyone can simply play the piano, but to really become one with the instrument is to have a personality and mind of its own. The true art behind piano is not to simply play the notes of the music but to feel the music being played.

When I play the piano, my true feelings and story of the music come to life and the meaning of the song is conveyed through my fingers. I do not memorize the notes of the music, instead I let them come to me. It feels as if one painting is constantly changing scenes from a sunny landscape to a cloudy day. The weather, colors, and atmosphere are harmonious and the music comes from within my soul and my heart.

This uniqueness is what distinguishes me from others. This is the art of creativity. We all play the same notes but every individual plays so in a different way. Even though the same theme is being depicted, two people who carve it with similar material will have a different outcome. The finished product will not be the same. With me, I simply use the sound of the music to play the piano. When I play, I give my complete emotional involvement and resolute commitment; when I perform, I never cease to touch the audience’s heart. This is my devotion, and it will never change.




Monday, March 4, 2013

Happy birthday to Antonio Vivaldi (3/4/1678-7/28/1741). Recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, his best known work is a series of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons.


Sunday, March 3, 2013

The 2013 Taitung Arts Festival – A Concert by Pianist Rueibin Chen and Friends

Internationally-acclaimed pianist Ruiebin Chen had shown incredible talent for playing the piano at a very young age. It was with Beethoven's Sonata "Pathetique" that he won his first competitive gold medal at the age of 6. He became the winner at age 16 in the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition, and made his European debut in the Grossensaal of the Konzerthaus in Vienna.



A Chinese-Austrian born in Taiwan, Rueibin has won a total of eighteen medals in various international piano competitions in many countries, including Warsaw (Chopin) , Tel Aviv (Rubinstein), Salt Lake City (Bachauer), and Rome (Rachmaninoff, Bellini, and Stresa), etc. Among them, five gold medals were received before the age of 20. Rueibin’s musical talent and virtuosity are sublime and self-evident. He has won competition after competition, countless awards, and causes listeners to search for elusive words to describe their heightened level of appreciation. In addition to the awards from various international piano competitions, Chen has been the recipient of various recognitions such as the "Best Prize for Contributions to Music" at Salzburg International Music Festival and was chosen by the Minister of Culture in Taiwan as the "Best Young Artist". He was awarded the "Golden Melody Awards" for "Best Solo Performance" and for "Best Classical Music Album" in Taiwan.



On April 27, world renowned pianist Rueibin Chen will team up with pianist Lin Wan-Ru to perform piano duet, playing various well-known classical music pieces, such as Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite, Brahm’s Hungarian Dance No. 5, Le Carnaval des Animaux, and many more. The famous soprano Huang Fan-Feng will perform popular opera songs, such as Gounod’s Valse de Juliette, Puccini’s La Rondine and La Boheme. Don’t miss this great opportunity to discover and experience the beauty, joy, power and intensity of classical music. The performance will sure to leave a sensational imprint in the minds of the audiences.

For more information about Rueibin Chen and the concert,
please visit
 http://rueibinchen-pianist.blogspot.tw/