Rueibin Chen Delivers a Stunning Performance of Brahms’s Masterpiece in Jakarta 陳瑞斌在雅加達精彩演繹布拉姆斯的傑作
Interview and report by Indonesia's national news agency ANTARA World-renowned pianist Rueibin Chen has held a concert in Jakarta, Indonesia. Collaborating with the Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra, Chen performed at the Aula Simfonia, performing Johannes Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1.
印尼國家通訊社ANTARA採訪報導
世界知名鋼琴家陳瑞斌在印尼雅加達舉辦了一場音樂會。他與雅加達交響樂團合作，在雅加達交響樂音樂廳演奏了布拉姆斯第一鋼琴協奏曲。
The Voice Crossing of Taiwan and Austria in Rueibin Chen’s Piano
Taiwanese-Austrian classical pianist Rueibin Chen delivered a captivating performance of Piano Concerto No. 1, composed by Johannes Brahms.
Interviewed and Reported by Tempo Magazine (Indonesia) ,
印尼 《時代雜誌》專訪, 23 June 2026
Taiwanese pianist Rueibin Chen during a rehearsal session at Aula Simfonia, Jakarta, on June 17, 2026. Photo: Tempo
News Summary
Taiwanese-Austrian pianist Rueibin Chen performed Piano Concerto No. 1 by Johannes Brahms.
The complexity of Brahms’ composition is considered comparable to Indonesia’s cultural diversity.
Since moving to Austria at the age of 13 to study piano, Chen has lived a life with very limited opportunities to interact with the outside world.
After the musicians of the Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra finished performing the opening section of Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 for about four minutes, Taiwanese-born pianist Rueibin Chen slowly pressed the black-and-white piano keys. Under the baton of conductor Stephen Tong, the music flowed from the stage for nearly 50 minutes at the Jakarta Simfonia Hall.
Chen’s deep appreciation of the German classical music tradition was reflected in his warm, emotional, yet distinctive interpretation. It also mirrored the many challenges he experienced in the past while honing his piano technique in Europe after moving to Vienna, Austria, at the age of 13.
Nearly all audience members in Jakarta that evening seemed captivated by the “angelic fingers” of Chen, which produced beautiful sounds from Piano Concerto No. 1.
“Before the concert, I couldn’t sleep. But when I stepped onto the stage, it felt as though there was another life within me, and it was very meaningful,” he told Tempo after the performance on Saturday, June 20, 2026.
Chen appeared pleased with his performance, while also enjoying the response from Indonesian audiences. He felt a sense of real life when he saw Indonesian spectators applauding for more than five minutes in the hall.
“This is truly different. I feel more free and patient. This is life, not competition,” he said.
The musician stated that in Europe, orchestra and piano players usually have less than three days to rehearse a work before a performance lasting around 50 minutes.
“This is a long and major work, but the audience remained very calm and enjoyed it without being nervous or bored,” he said.
Philosophical Reflections of Johannes Brahms
Three days before his performance in Jakarta, Chen said that he would perform compositions by the Hamburg-born German composer Johannes Brahms. For Chen, Brahms’ music is highly traditional, important, and influential in the European classical music world.
“I have to try to let the audience know how to understand this music. It is different from popular music. It is not expressed through body language or the piano alone,” Chen said at Aula Simfonia Jakarta on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Chen believes that the uniqueness of Brahms’ music shares similarities with Indonesia’s strong cultural roots. In his view, classical music is not a foreign language to Indonesian society, considering the cultural diversity that has existed for a long time.
Taiwanese pianist Rueibin Chen during a rehearsal at Aula Simfonia Jakarta on June 17, 2026. Photo: Tempo
Chen explained: “Technically speaking, Brahms is very difficult. It requires many octaves and chords,” said Chen. These are not commonly found in early German compositions, which often used other instruments to accompany the piano.
By relying on the orchestra, the sound of Chen’s piano must still stand out. Brahms’ piano compositions, in his view, must blend cohesively with the orchestra while remaining enjoyable for the audience.
“Brahms spent a long time living in Vienna. Even there, not everyone can receive a standing ovation after performing Brahms. Today I am deeply touched by the audience in Indonesia,” he said.
According to Chen, this is the power of music as a universal language, capable of connecting souls universally.
His arrival in Indonesia before the concert was a symphony that united individuals from various regions. “I am very interested in collaborating with Indonesian classical or traditional musicians. What would happen if a strong Russian piano technique were combined with Indonesian rhythms? It would become a cultural phenomenon on the global stage,” he said.
Only Solitude and the Piano
As a child, Chen had to take an airplane for the first time, with a journey lasting more than 24 hours from Taiwan to Austria. On his mother’s lap in Vienna, at only 13 years old, he already realized the limitations he would face besides simply playing the piano.
“I have never even bought a pair of shoes in German, yet I had to go and live alone during my education,” he said.
Since childhood, Chen had only played the piano at home until the age of 10. He was born to a family of music teachers in Tainan, Taiwan, and began his career as a concert pianist and child prodigy with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra.
At the age of 13, because of his outstanding talent, Chen was sent by the Taiwanese government to study at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and became the youngest student ever admitted there.
“Those were very difficult times because I was separated from my family at the age of 13. I had to leave my parents and go alone to Vienna. So the first two years were very difficult for me,” he said.
“After arriving in Vienna, I not only studied piano, but also learned German and participated in various competitions, all on my own.”
During his teenage years, Chen did not deny that there were happy moments living a life filled with music, although it was accompanied by simplicity and hardship.
“Loneliness was quite challenging. I didn’t go home for the first ten years.
I only received two phone calls a year from my parents,” Chen said.
That experience shaped a unique blend of cultural sensitivities between East and West, Taiwan’s cultural heritage, and a European education that also influenced the sound and style of his piano playing.
“I was fortunate to be in Vienna, one of the world’s most prestigious cities for music. It was there that I decided to become a professional musician,” he said.
After making his debut in Europe in 1984 at Vienna’s prestigious Konzerthaus concert hall, Chen’s career as a pianist flourished, earning praise from audiences around the world.
His concert repertoire ranges from the works of classical music lovers across Europe to pieces he has performed internationally.
Among the many accolades and praises he has received throughout his career as a pianist, one of the most famous is the nickname “the fingers of Horowitz.”
Vladimir Horowitz was a Ukrainian-born pianist who later became a Russian-American citizen, renowned for possessing finger speed likened to a tiger’s leap.
However, Chen believes that the nickname represents the lineage of Russian piano education passed down through Horowitz, rather than merely extraordinary finger speed.
“He inspired me to truly regard the piano as an orchestra,” he said.
Although educated in Vienna, Chen studied diligently under the legendary Russian pianist Lazar Berman, who belonged to the same generation as Horowitz.
Yet his goal was never to become a shadow of his seniors.
“My mission is to use powerful technique to express my own soul, my Eastern roots, and the fire that exists within me,” Chen said.
Vienna-trained pianist Ruibin Chen to perform Brahms in Jakarta
17/06/2026 Reported by RTI NEWS
