Review ( 樂評 ) Chinese-Austrian Pianist Rueibin Chen Wows Crowd with a Rachmaninoff Performance

YIBADA ENTERTAINMENT  
May 4, 2015

Rueibin Chen, renowned Chinese-Austrian pianist, performed a Rachmaninoff piece, "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini," in Beijing on April 24, showcasing his world-class skills flared with classical Russian touch.

The pianist played with the China National Symphony Orchestra at the National Center for the Performing Arts. With his passionate performance, Chen was able to captivate the hearts of his audience.

Chen is the only Asian student of the legendary Russian pianist Lazar Berman. Berman was a student of Alexander Goldenweiser, a classmate and friend of Rachmaninoff.

Chen hails from Tainan and was born to a family of an elementary school music instructor. He first went to Austria to study when he was only 13 years old.

In 1984, the pianist won the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition in Italy, becoming the youngest person to receive the tilt.

Chen's piece during the April 24 show was one of the most famous works by Rachmaninoff. The 1980 film "Somewhere in Time" popularized the 18th variation of the rhapsody's melody.

One of the movie's stars, Jane Seymour, was part of the crowd who watched Chen's performance back in Los Angeles.

According to a China Network Television report, Chen stated that "the piece has so many different levels you can savor--passion, as well as serenity," adding that the rhapsody was Rachmaninoff's "most representative work."
The Chinese-Austrian talent played his own version of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 for an encore. He said that he performed the encore to mirror Rachmaninoff's work, making the whole of his performance "100% Russian."

Chen further shared that his performance was a tribute to his mentor, Lazar Berman, and to other Russian music instructors.

Photo : Award-winning Rueibin Chen gives a virtuoso performance of a Rachmaninoff rhapsody.

Concert " Rueibin Chen & Fiends " , May 4, 2015

 " Rueibin Chen & Fiends " 
Concert  in Hsinchu , Taiwan  ,    May 4, 2015  

perform with China National Symphony Orchestra at National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing , China

Rehearsal with China National Symphony Orchestra

Interview by CCTV in Beijing , China

I am going to perform at National Centre for the Performing Arts for 4/24 concert in Beijing

National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing , China

Date : April 24, 2015 (Fri.) 19:30 

RACHMANINOFF: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43

with China National Symphony Orchestra

Review : Rueibin Chen's "Total Rachmaninoff" piano recital Dec. 7- impressive virtuosity

Review ( 樂評 ) :

Rueibin Chen's "Total Rachmaninoff" piano recital Dec. 
7- impressive virtuosity

AXS Entertainment (USA) 

December 14, 2013

This past weekend the internationally celebrated Chinese/Austrian Pianist, Rueibin Chen, performed a solo piano recital featuring an all Rachmaninoff program, on Dec.7, 2013 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts,Costa Mesa, CA.

While people familiar with Rachmaninoff’s famous Piano Concertos may have found this eclectic program challenging, lovers of classical music
were in for a fascinating evening of rarely performed works. Chen, who has performed with all the major orchestras of the world, gave a recital that showed the depth of his musical taste and virtuoso skills.

The impressive Segerstrom Recital Hall was a good venue for Chen's playing, despite the acoustics which sometimes caused his tones to sound blurry. Especially refreshing to see, was the attendance of so many young families with children, along with many classical music supporters from our Asian community.

Rueibin Chen has been on the stage most of his life. He began his career as a child prodigy and went on to win the most prestigious International Piano awards including the Rachmaninoff Piano Competition. With an international solo career already now decades long, he is making another world-wide tour with his new Total Rachmaninoff Recital.

Chen opened the program with Rachmaninoff's playful Lilacs, Op.21, spun out with an alluring warm tone and perfect balance between left and right hands. Without break, he went on to play a completely contrasting work, bringing out the piano’s metallic tones for Rachmaninoff's brilliant arrangement of Bach’s Gavotte, No. 3.

Next was a heartfelt and nuanced performance of the Southern California premiere of Three Nocturnes, Op. 1, the first works composed by Rachmaninoff when he was just 14 years old. Chen then played the astonishingly difficult Rachmaninoff Preludes - Prelude in G Major, Op 32, No.5, Prelude in G Sharp Minor, No.12 and Prelude in D Major, Op.23 No. 4. After these demanding works, Chen closed out the first half with another fabulously intricate work, the Etude-Tableau in D Major, Op. 39, No.9, brilliantly executing complex passages with a myriad of tonal colors.

After intermission, the second half of Chen's ambitious recital presented the more familiar melodic and flashy Rachmaninoff style. Featured were arrangements by the composer of Tchaikovsky’s Lullaby, Bizet’s Minuet from L’Arliesienne, Fritz Kreisler’sLeibeslied and Leibesfreud, along with Rachmaninoff’s Daises, No. 5. In this repertoire, Chen seemed more at ease as did the audience. Concluding his recital with a thunderous Liebesfreude, a rowdy piece all fireworks and cascades of sound played at a tremendous pace, the audience responded with a very appreciative applause, calling the artist back for more.

Despite having given this demanding recital, Chen seemed visibly more relaxed and plunged into two encores from the famous Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.2. Beaming and smiling on stage, he played with great power and flair. Responding to this encore performance, the audience gave him the thunderous applause he deserved.