Pianist Rueibin Chen captivates his audience
Report by CCTV News , in Beijing , China
April 29, 2015
Taiwan-born Austrian pianist Rueibin Chen captivated his audience with a live rendition of Sergei Rachmaninoff's ‘Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini’ at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing last week.
‘Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini’ is perhaps the Russian composer's most renowned piece, and Chen is among the world's best at this repertoire. In 1984, he became the youngest winner of the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition in Italy.
Rachmaninoff's charm and passion was replicated magnificently on the night through Chen's display of virtuoso skills, as each note and chord was thoroughly absorbed by his audience.
"For me, 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini' the most representative work of the composer, and people are familiar with it, especially the 18th variation. Since it inspired the music score of the movie 'Somewhere in Time'. The piece has so many different levels you can savor -- passion, as well as serenity," Chen said.
A Chinese-Austrian born in Taiwan, Chen has a reputation for brilliant technique and intense artistic expression, as well as having a certain expertise on the works of Russian composers.
He is the only Asian disciple of the legendary Russian pianist Lazar Berman, whose teacher was best friends with Rachmaninoff.
Chen said: "The encore was from Tchaikovsky, also a Russian composer, and that was to echo with Rachmaninoff's work. So the whole performance is one hundred percent Russian. It's a nod to the Russian music maestros, and my mentor, Lazar Berman."
Chen's interpretation of Chinese piano concertos is equally as impressive as that of Western classics.
He was invited as a piano soloist to the 2010 World Expo in China, performing the Yellow River Concerto.
