Behind the grandeur of the world-class Aula Simfonia Jakarta, a major\nnarrative of Johannes Brahms\u2019 Piano Concerto No.\u00a01 will soon be\ncomposed. On 20 June, Indonesia will witness how the piano keys under\nthe fingers of internationally acclaimed pianist Rueibin Chen, of\nTaiwanese descent and Austrian citizenship, engage in dialogue with the\nJakarta Simfonia Orchestra. For Chen, his arrival in Indonesia bringing\nthe distinctive musical colours of Germany-Austria is not merely a\nstopover on a Southeast Asian tour. \u201cMy arrival in Jakarta is only the\nfirst movement of a far more magnificent symphony,\u201d he said when met in\nthe Kemayoran area of Central Jakarta on Wednesday (17\/6).<\/p>\n
The world knows Rueibin Chen as a pianist with an impressive\ninternational reputation. However, the foundation of his musicality was\nactually made fragile by loneliness in his childhood. At the age of 13,\nhe had to leave his hometown in Taiwan to venture alone to the world\u2019s\nmusic capital, Vienna, Austria. \u201cIt was a very difficult time. At 13, I\nwent alone without being able to speak German. I had to do everything by\nmyself, like studying, managing my life, and preparing for competitions.\nThat sense of loneliness was very tormenting,\u201d said Chen. Back then,\ncommunication technology was not as fortunate as it is today. During his\nfirst ten years living in Europe, Chen never once returned home. \u201cWe\ndidn\u2019t have the internet or Wi-Fi. I could only call my parents twice a\nyear. That was it,\u201d he added. Being emotionally isolated as an Asian\nteenager in Europe made the piano his sole ally for self-expression.\nNevertheless, that childhood suffering ultimately transformed into a\nhidden blessing. \u201cWhen I play Brahms or Rachmaninoff now, I know they\nalso went through very difficult times. So music represents everything\nfor me,\u201d said the only student of Asian descent of the legendary Russian\npianist, Lazar Berman.<\/p>\n
International critics often bestow two nicknames upon Chen: \u201cHorowitz\nFingers\u201d for his explosive virtuosity, and \u201cAngel Fingers\u201d for his\ntenderness. For Chen, being compared to Vladimir Horowitz is the highest\nhonour. Horowitz also became his inspiration to treat the piano as a\ncomplete orchestra. Even so, he does not wish to live in the shadow of\nthat Western legend. As for the nickname \u201cAngel Fingers\u201d, it does not\nmean he only produces gentle music. \u201cMy mission is to use this strong\ntechnique to express my own soul, my Eastern cultural roots, and the\nfire within me today,\u201d Chen revealed.<\/p>\n
As a musician who carries the legacy of European classical technique\nand possesses Chinese cultural heritage, he has a mission to build\ncultural bridges. When he brings compositions with local Eastern content\nto magnificent stages, he witnesses the power of music to dismantle\nbarriers of difference. Chen recalled his experience performing in\nEurope and the United States, where he encountered two very contrasting\ntypes of audiences. \u201cThere were Western audience members who had never\neven set foot in Asia. Yet through the melodies presented, they gained\nwarm imagination and fantasy about Eastern culture, and were then driven\nto study it more deeply,\u201d he recounted. Meanwhile, the group of audience\nmembers who had lived separated from their homeland for decades felt a\nprofound emotional bond when they heard their cultural roots woven and\nplayed on a magnificent stage. \u201cWhen they hear their own cultural roots\nbeing played, they cry. For me, that emotional moment is proof of how\npowerful the force of music is,\u201d Chen concluded.<\/p>\n
Chen\u2019s choice to perform Brahms\u2019 Piano Concerto No.\u00a01 was not only\nbased on his strong emotional connection to the figure of Brahms, but\nalso because this composition is deemed very suitable to satisfy the\nhigh-standard thirst of classical music connoisseurs in Indonesia. \u201cI\nfeel that audiences and young musicians in Indonesia have a great\npassion for music. Indonesia is very rich in cultural roots,\u201d Chen\npraised. He also admitted to being very interested in collaborating with\nboth classical and traditional Indonesian musicians. Chen invited\nimagining what would happen when Russian piano technique meets the\nmystical rhythms of Indonesia\u2019s traditional cultural heritage. \u201cI think\nthat collaboration will create a \u2018cultural earthquake\u2019 that shakes the\nglobal stage,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rueibin-chen-and-the-mission-to-build-cultural-bridges-through-piano-1782031830", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }