Central News Agency (2011,3,15):Taiwanese pianist returns home for recitals

Taiwanese pianist returns home for recitals 2011/03/15 19:45:42 Taipei, March 15 (CNA) World renowned Taiwanese-Austrian pianist Rueibin Chen has returned to Taiwan for three solo concerts in which he will perform some of the world's best known Russian ballet suites, the organizers said Tuesday.“For a pianist, reworking the much-loved orchestral scores for keyboard in a concert setting is a great challenge, " Chen said at a press conference in Taipei. "But if the pianist plays really well, listeners will find greater enjoyment in the piano recital than in a 90-member orchestra performance.”In the three recitals that will be held in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung March 20, March 25 and Apr. 6, respectively, Chen will perform piano transcriptions of Russian ballet music such as Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet Ballet Suite, Op. 75.The program will also include Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker from the Ballet Suite Op.71a, Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petrushka Ballet Suite, Rachmaninoff's 18th Variation from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and Chopin's Nocturne in C minor, Op.48 No. 1 and Barcarolle in F Sharp Major, Op.60.Chen told reporters he had been a big fan of Russian ballet since his teenage years, and later when he began to practice ballet score transcriptions for piano solos, he realized how talented the Russian composers really were.When he was much younger, he said, his playing of Russian music was focused more on technique, how fast his fingers could move on the piano. But as he matured, he began exploring ways of interpreting the distinctive characteristics of the Russian people and their music, he said."Russian music is about sharp contrasts and intense emotions," he said. "It's not just about presenting the electric power from within the pieces."Chen, born in Tainan in 1967, began learning piano at the age of five under the tutelage of his school teacher father.At the age of 13, Chen went to Vienna, Austria on a state-funded scholarship and later obtained Austrian citizenship in 1999.He is the only known Asian follower of the late legendary Russian pianist Lazar Berman, who was famous for his thunderous technique and thrilling interpretations of Liszt and Rachmaninoff."I think I am now fully capable of portraying the distinctive flavor of Russian scores," Chen said.The pianist has won 18 medals in various international competitions and now spends

Taiwan News(2011,03,19):Austria-based pianist Chen to perform Russian ballet suites in Taiwan

Austria-based pianist Chen to perform Russian ballet suites in Taiwan By Yali ChenTaiwan News, Staff Reporter

2011-03-19 10:56 AM

Austria-based pianist Rueibin Chen is set to hold his recitals in Taiwan from March to April. Central News Agency http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1547134

Internationally acclaimed Austria-based pianist Rueibin Chen is scheduled to hold his recitals in Taiwan from March to April. These concerts feature the world’s best-known Russian ballet suites. Playing famous orchestral scores on the piano was very challenging, Chen said, adding that but if a pianist plays really well, audiences will find greater pleasure in the pianist’s recital than in a 90-member orchestra performance. The first-half program of Chen’s concerts will open with Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Ballet Suite, Op. 75, followed by Russian pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff’s 18th Variation from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and Russian composer Peter Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker from the Ballet Suite Op.71a. The second half includes Polish composer Frederic Chopin’s Nocturne in C minor Op.48 No. 1 and Barcarolle in F-sharp major Op.60, and ends with Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s Three Movements from Petrushka Ballet Suite. A big fan of Russian classical ballet, Chen played Petrushka on the piano at the age of 17. When he was younger, he said, his performance of Russian music was focused more on technical skills and how fast his fingers could move on the piano. But as he matured, he began to play with a touch of Russia – he called it Russian spirituality. These pieces, Chen said, are also famous soundtracks to the films “The Pianist,” “Somewhere In Time” and “Fantasia,” as well as a Japanese television serial “Nodame Cantabile.” Chen, born in Tainan in 1967, learned to play the piano at the age of five under his father’s teaching. Eight years later, he went to Vienna, Austria, and obtained Austrian citizenship in 1999. The Tainan-born pianist, the only Asian disciple of the late Russian pianist Lazar Berman, has lived overseas for many years. He graduated from the Vienna Academy of Music City and the German National Institute of Music in Hannover in the eighties. After winning in the International Piano Competition of Rachmaninoff in 1984, the soloist began shining at many international piano competitions held in Warsaw, Tel Aviv, Salt Lake City, Athens, Vienna, Spain and Italy. Working with the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra at Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Chen was the first Taiwanese musician to perform the famous piece “Yellow River Piano Concerto” during the opening season of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China. To mark the bicentennial birth date of Franz Liszt, the virtuoso Hungarian virtuoso pianist, Chen will perform some pieces of that composer’s works as his Taiwanese recitals’ encores. The concerts will be held at the National Concert Hall in Taipei on March 20, at the Sun Yat-sen Hall of the National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung on March 25, and Taichung Chung-hsin Hall on April 6. Tickets are now available at http://www.ticket.com.tw/

Rueibin Chen plays Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3(Mvt .3-2)

Pianist Rueibin Chen &. Russian Ballet Piano Recital on March 20 at Taiwan's National Concert Hall

Coming Soon:
國泰世華音樂饗宴 陳瑞斌Rueibin Chen俄羅斯芭蕾鋼琴音樂會


Dates and Venues:

2011 03/ 20 (日) PM 7:30  National Concert Hall , Taipei

2011 03/ 25 (五) PM 7:30   National Sun Yat-sen University , Sun Yat-sen Hall , Kaohsiung
2011 04/ 06 (三) PM 7:30  Taichung Chung-Hsin Hall


Ticket prices : TWD: 500 (student) 800 1200 1800 2400 3000 3600 4800

www.ticket.com.tw

02-2341 9898 04-2292 5321 07-225 6360

 Critics' Compliments to Rueibin Chen from all over the world:
Neue Zuercher Zeitung (Switzerland)“He is one of those geniuses that come along once in twenty years. He has immense energy and intensity that is almost supernatural.”

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Germany)“…that he has worked out a stupendous technique, is beyond doubt.”

Alicia de Larrocha (Spain)“…finds his performance a magnificent one!”

Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (U.S.A.)“...so many fine achievements and excellent performances.”

Kurier (Austria)Concert in the Musikverein:“The pianist Ruei-Bin Chen gave proof that he merits the many prizes he has already won. He performed Ravel's “Gaspard de la Nuit,” first delicately, then swelling in mood and very securely throughout, completely engrossed in his act.”

Wiener Zeitung (Austria)Headline: “Climax of the Chopin Festival”“Chen performed the pieces with technical brilliance and a surprisingly high degree of emotional penetration for such a young musician . . . "Trois Mouvements de Petrouschka" by Stravinsky, with the rhythmical and technical difficulties, was mastered in sovereign fashion.”

The Boston Globe (U.S.A.)Headline: “The Power Piano of Ruei-Bin Chen”“He plays with the white-hot energy, steel-fingered, power and athletic virtuosity . . . has impetuosity and undeniably impressive technique . . . Chen showed that he can play with delicacy and imagination.”


The Times (U.K.)“He mesmerized the audience as his fingers traveled the ivories with at times mind-boggling precision and swiftness and a level of emotion which delivered each note, each chord, to the heart of each member of the audience.”

Arts in Season (U.S.A.)“PCAC brings Carnegie Hall to Pleasanton.....Pianist Rueibin Chen is one of the best.....The event sold out. The audience was entranced.”

Pleasanton Weekly (U.S.A.)“A rare opportunity to see a world class pianist in a theater setting.”

South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)“. . . one could never doubt Mr. Chen's brilliance, and his instinctive feel for the music.”
繼陳瑞斌世界蕭邦誕辰200周年巡演，在台北國家音樂廳2010年全台唯一壹場全數售完之輝煌成績後，為回饋廣大之樂迷，將再次舉辦全國巡演，此次巡迴演奏曲目可謂是鋼琴音樂會最為大眾所熟悉之曲目，是一場由1歲至100歲都適合聆聽的鋼琴音樂，包含多首電影如《似曾相識》、《幻想曲》、《戰地琴人》、日劇《交響情人夢》等主題曲配樂。陳瑞斌特別挑選過去極少用鋼琴詮釋的曲目，將給樂迷們耳目一新的音樂饗宴。同時，大家耳熟能詳的芭蕾舞劇《胡桃鉗》、《羅密歐與茱麗葉》也將在陳瑞斌的兩手間，爆發強勁的情感音樂動能。經過陳瑞斌演繹後，有如是一個打開的音樂魔盒，播放出奇妙的動人旋律；陳瑞斌的《胡桃鉗》演奏曾獲得金曲獎雙冠王「最佳古典音樂專輯獎」及「最佳演奏獎」，今年也將以台灣出生之華人鋼琴家再度以首位演出者踏上美國洛杉磯迪士尼音樂廳及舊金山Davies交響音樂廳演出鋼琴獨奏會，陳瑞斌的演奏，絕對是值得您驕傲參與的大師饗宴。



Programmes 演出曲目 ：

浦羅柯菲夫：選自芭蕾組曲《羅密歐&茱麗葉》，作品 75

(日劇 “ 交響情人夢 “主題曲)

a) 羅密歐 Montagues & 茱麗葉Capulets 家族

b) 羅密歐與茱麗葉臨別前



拉赫瑪尼諾夫：《第18變奏》，選自《帕格尼尼狂想曲》

(電影 “ 似曾相識 “主題曲)



柴科夫斯基：芭蕾組曲《胡桃鉗》組曲，作品71a

(日劇 “ 交響情人夢 “及電影 “ 幻想曲 “主題曲)



蕭邦：夜曲 升C小調，作品 遺作 (電影 “ 戰地琴人 “主題曲)

蕭邦：船歌 升F大調，作品 60

斯特拉溫斯基：芭蕾組曲《彼得洛西卡》(日劇 “ 交響情人夢 “主題曲)



票價 : 500 (學生票) 800 1200 1800 2400 3000 3600 4800

購票 : 年代售票 www.ticket.com.tw

02-2341 9898 04-2292 5321 07-225 6360



主辦：綺想室內樂團 02-3233 6304

主要贊助：國泰世華銀行財富管理



更多詳細介紹詳見陳瑞斌部落格及陳瑞斌Facebook

http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/rueibin_pianist/

http://rueibinchen-pianist.blogspot.com/



E-mail : ccoservice@hotmail.com

*主辦單位保留節目資訊內容異動權



l 國泰世華銀行財富管理貴賓可享有1200元(含)以上票價8折優惠。請敬洽主辦單位綺想室內樂團 02-3233 6304

l 團體優惠 請敬洽主辦。

l 國泰世華銀行世界卡、尊榮禦璽卡、尊榮白金卡、鈦金卡、白金卡等卡友可享有1200元(含)以上票價8折優惠。

l 學生票(憑有效學生證購買 ,入場時需出示有效證件) 。

l 本節目開放110公分 以下兒童入場
Pianist Rueibin Chen is coming back to Taiwan soon to share his beloved piano music with his fans in Taiwan. After his successful and sold out concert playing Chopin in Taiwan's National Concert Hall last June, he is pleased to be invited and sponsored by Cathay United Bank to hold three piano concerts in Taiwan in March 2011. These three concerts will take place in Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung respectively.  He would like to take this opportunity to increase music appreciation outreach and will be performing some popular and familiar pieces which will appeal to audience of all ages.  Please join us at one of these upcoming not-to-be-missed performances:

Rueibin Chen--Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3(mvt 3-1)

CNA(2010/08/10): Taiwanese pianist expresses deep affinity with two 'river' concertos

Taiwanese pianist expresses deep affinity with two 'river' concertos

2010/08/10 CNA
The music inspired by two rivers on either side of the Taiwan Strait should be performed back to back at one concert to highlight the similarities and unique differences in sentiment and influences, according to a renowned Taiwanese musician.

Concert pianist Rueibin Chen, who has played both the Yellow River and Love River concertos for international audiences, said the two pieces resonate deeply with him.

The Yellow River Piano Concerto is always a big challenge because of the emotional associations it elicits, he said in a recent interview with the Central News Agency."I must control the overwhelming emotions evoked by the epic music, which, in my mind, becomes scenes that reflect the legacies of contemporary Chinese history," he said.

Three of Chen's most recent concerts featured the Yellow River Concerto, which is the best-known Chinese composition in the world. He performed as the piano soloist in a 200-member orchestra of mostly Chinese instruments in Hong Kong early this year, and later was accompanied by a symphony orchestra at a concert in the northern Chinese city of Tientsin. His most recent performance was in Shanghai in May."

I first learned about the Yellow River concerto when I was a music student in Vienna in the early 1980s," he said.A Chinese musician told Chen the story of the concerto, which is based on the Yellow River Cantata that was composed by Xian Xinghai of China during World War II (1937-1945) when Sino-Japanese conflict was at a peak."I was deeply moved by the story of the struggle of the nation and the people, and have since tried to comprehend the nuances which reflect a very Chinese sentiment."Although he moved from Taiwan to Vienna at the age of 12, Chen said, he is still very Chinese."

Also, probably because I have traveled to China many times since the 1980s on concert tours, I feel very connected to the music, " he said.Chen's first visit to China was more than 10 years ago, long after the Cultural Revolution that inspired some of the music that was later added to the concerto."

Over the past years, I've seen changes in the land and among the people, and the music of Yellow River always conjures up many images of the past, " he said. "Like a river of history, it reveals so much about the misery, frustration and perseverance of the people and the land.

"The fourth movement of the concerto, which has been described by critics as too politically loaded and militaristic, has been edited many times and the various editions have been given different interpretations by pianists and orchestras.

But Chen said that for him the most moving version of the piece is the original Yellow River Cantata composed by Xian Xinghai.However, at his recent concerts in Hong Kong, Tientsin and Shanghai, Chen performed a version that was edited in the 1960s and in which the melody of The East Is Red -- the de facto anthem of the People's Republic of China during the Cultural Revolution -- recurs consistently.

"The Yellow River Piano Concerto arranged by Yin Chengxong and Chu Wanghua in 1969 has become popular again in China after being banned on concert stages when the Cultural Revolution ended, " he said.The East Is Red music in the fourth movement is no longer considered taboo because it is now associated more with China's rising power in the 21st century than with the haunting memories of the Cultural Revolution, Chen said."Some renowned Chinese and Western pianists have picked up the piece and made it the best known Chinese piano concerto in the world," he said.

Not that there are many piano concertos by ethnic Chinese composers, he noted. One of the few is the Love River Piano Concerto, composed by Taiwanese Lu Liang-hui in 2006."The mood of the Love River Piano Concerto is comparable to the Yellow River Piano Concerto because they both combine Western music methodology with elements of Chinese music," he said.

The Love River Piano Concerto uses piano and Chinese musical instruments to portray the seasonal scenery along the Love River in southern Taiwan.Chen and the Kaohsiung City Chinese Orchestra have given a series of highly acclaimed performances of the piece in Taiwan, the United States, Australia and New Zealand."

I can detect the influence of Russian Romanticism in both concertos -- Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov in particular, " Chen said. "Actually, I was amazed when a music critic in Tientsin told me that he was sure my interpretation of the Yellow River music was inspired by Russian Romanticism."He admitted that despite his training in Austria and Germany and his admiration for Beethoven, he always falls for the passion of Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Liszt and Rachmaninov.

The pianist said that he would like to perform the two "river" concertos, which are each approximately 20 minutes long, at one concert.The Yellow River Piano Concerto has never been performed in Taiwan, and people on mainland China probably do not know about the Love River composition, he said.

"I always believe that music is the best medium through which to forge affinity," Chen said. "In the Yellow River and Love River pieces, you can find similarities, and at the same time, appreciate the uniqueness of each."

CNA News(2010/07/27): Greater Tainan to host chamber music festival in December

Tainan, July 27 (CNA) Several heavyweight musicians from Europe will perform and give master classes at the First Chamber Music Festival hosted by Greater Tainan City on Dec. 6-11, a cultural ambassador of Tainan County told the Central News Agency on Tuesday.

Pianist Rueibin Chen said he and the county government's Department of Cultural Affairs have planned the music event to cele

brate the merger and elevation of status of the Greater Tainan region.The music festival -- the first of its kind in southern Taiwan -- will be held immediately after the Dec. 4 election for mayors of the island's five major cities.

Chen, a Taiwanese-Austrian musician, was brought up in Tainan as a child before he moved to Austria 30 years ago. He told CNA he was excited to be able to invite renowned musicians, including violinist and conductor Manuel Briega from Spain, German cellist and conductor Peter Bruns, French violist Pierre Lenert and British violinist Justine Chen, to bring a musical sensation to southern Taiwan.

During the six-day festival, chamber music groups from Europe and Asia will present a series of concerts at the Tainan County Music Hall.The sponsor will also select three chamber music groups, each with two to four young musicians aged between 16 and 28, to take the stage with the masters from Europe.
"It is a marvelous opportunity for local chamber music groups aspiring to have international encounters," Chen said.Music groups interested in the contest should contact the Department of Cultural Affairs before Aug. 6, he added.

Source: CNA News