Ray Chen: "Global Classical Festivals Should Balance Audience Engagement and Social Contribution"

Taiwanese Violinist... Performs Brahms at Classic Revolution
"Korean Audiences Have High Knowledge of Classical Music and Are Very Passionate"

"Most world-class classical music festivals share several common features. They include engaging and diverse performance programs that reflect both long-standing classical traditions and innovative new works, communication between performers and audiences, and educational programs that contribute to enriching the local cultural environment."

Taiwanese-American violinist Ray Chen identified these as the essential elements for Lotte Cultural Foundation's Classic Revolution to grow into a world-class classical music festival. Classic Revolution is a summer classical music festival launched by the Lotte Cultural Foundation in 2020. This year’s 4th edition opened on the 11th and runs through the 20th.

The musician selected for this year’s Classic Revolution festival is Leonard Bernstein (1918?1990). To balance Bernstein’s music, works by Johannes Brahms (1833?1897) are also featured. While Bernstein was a 20th-century composer, Brahms lived in the Romantic era but is known for maintaining the solid formal beauty of the Classical period. In a way, Chen has prepared a performance program that reflects both tradition and innovation, as he emphasized.

Chen, who won the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2009, is the performer appearing on the most stages at this year’s Classic Revolution. He performs three pieces by Brahms. At the opening concert on the 11th, he collaborated with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra on Brahms’ Violin Concerto, and on the 15th, he performs Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet and Hungarian Dance No. 7 in a chamber music setting. He also participates in the Lotte Department Store Kids Orchestra master class.

Violinist Ray Chen [Photo provided by Lotte Cultural Foundation, ?John Mac]

Chen described Brahms as a sensitive and passionate figure whose characteristics shone through his music.

"Brahms was known for his melancholy, but he had a special ability to infuse his works with deep warmth and tenderness. The sorrow in Brahms’ music is not simply a layer of 'sadness'; it is a complex blend of sorrow mixed with melancholy and poignancy. This complexity is especially prominent in chamber works like the Violin Concerto and Clarinet Quintet. The essence of performing Brahms lies in embracing and conveying this emotional complexity. In this performance, I hope to share Brahms’ intricate and diverse emotions with Korean audiences and explore his profound understanding of human feelings together."

Emphasizing communication with the audience, Chen also expressed his anticipation for the passionate Korean audience. He said, "Korean audiences have a very high level of knowledge about classical music, allowing for deeper connections, and their responses are so lively that the atmosphere resembles that of a rock concert. This vibrancy and passion inject an energy that cannot be compared to other venues." He added, "The unique liveliness and enthusiasm of Korean audiences are so appealing that I gladly accepted the invitation to participate in Classic Revolution."

Chen has frequently collaborated with Andreas Ottensamer, the artistic director of this year’s Classic Revolution. He affectionately calls Ottensamer "Andy." "Andy and I have performed together many times in various chamber music settings. I am really looking forward to seeing Andy take on his new role as conductor and artistic festival director."

Regarding pianist Jinju Cho, who will perform with him on the chamber music stage on the 15th, Chen said, "She is a longtime friend and an excellent musician with whom I studied at the Curtis Institute of Music."