BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
This article was produced with Musica Viva and was featured inside the concert program. It has been edited for publication in CutCommon.
From the outset, Ray Chen may appear an ordinary kind of guy: he enjoys morning showers, walks on the beach, and chatting with his friends online.
Except that for this Australian-raised violinist, none of these activities is ordinary. A soloist who performs 100 concerts in any given year, Ray has a shower to warm up his muscles and ligaments for a day filled with performance practice. He walks along the beach to wind down after posting a sound recording for more than 2 million digital listeners.
And as for chatting online, Ray uses the same technology to read music – sometimes opting to present his concerts through digital mediums instead of traditional paper manuscripts. “It’s either the iPad or bringing an extra 20kg suitcase full of scores,” he laughs.
Ray is one of the foremost violinists of our generation. And while our generation may see the emergence of many talented violinists, his own voice as an artist is defined by an ability to shine far brighter than his career achievements alone. (Even if those achievements do include performances at the 1998 Japan Winter Olympics, the 2012 Nobel Prize Concert for the Swedish Royal Family, and winning the 2009 Queen Elisabeth and 2008 Yehudi Menuhin Competitions…)
The star may perform in traditional concert blacks. But just a few seconds of watching him reveals that he doesn’t belong to a ‘stuffy’ culture of classical music. His forehead will sparkle with sweat and crease with raised brows; his eyes will bulge with the drive or cringe with the dissonance of the music he presents.
“If you don’t put in 100 per cent, then your audience is going to feel like you’re holding something back,” Ray says – and rightly so.
Ray performed two programs throughout his August tour with Musica Viva – the first showcasing works by Beethoven, Grieg, Falla, Monti, and Australia’s own Matthew Hindson; the second, Vitali, Franck, YsaӰe, Ravel, and Hindson once again. In all, Ray presented 10 concerts and four masterclasses alongside pianist Julien Quentin.
“When you’re on these intense tours, you really get to know yourself in ways where under ordinary circumstances is almost possible,” Ray explains.
“The secret to dealing with situations like this is to take it step by step; to do one thing at a time, but to do it extremely well. Then, as you become more competent and faster at accomplishing that, it will appear to others as though you can multitask on ridiculous levels.”
Certainly no stranger to multitasking, Ray complements his practice routine with the production of hilarious videos and candid social media posts – engaging his audience of more than 2 million listeners across various pages from Facebook to SoundCloud. For Ray, building his personal brand in the virtual world is an essential part of the show.
“Social media is about communicating your ideas as an artist directly with your audience in a personal and relaxed manner,” he says.
“Nearly all of the videos I’ve uploaded were scripted, directed, and edited by myself. It does take a lot of time, but if something’s important to you – as my audience is to me, and they know that! – then you make time. It’s as simple as that.”
If video isn’t enough, Ray has also released his first Decca album – The Golden Age, a “tip of the hat to the era of my favourite violinists; Oistrakh, Heifetz, Kreisler, Milstein – you name it”.
The album features Ray’s quartet performing music old and new. But, a personal album, its title also honours “my own new chapter in life, both musically and career-wise”.
“I feel that I’m onto a new level of understanding and confidence between audiences and myself.”
When audiences saw Ray in the flesh as part of his national tour, they witnessed his violin expertise – but here, Julien also accompanied him in recital. The two musicians met in 2011 – “relatively early” in the young violinist’s career – in a castle in Germany.
The location was host to a music festival in which Ray witnessed Julien perform with each soloist at the event – and a different piece of music for every player.
“To be able to do that alone is already something,” Ray marvels. “And then, to be able to perform the way he did on such a high level – even then, relatively cool, calm, and collected – just made me realise that he was a whole different league of pianist from what I had ever known.”
Together, the pair premiered a new work by Matthew Hindson on their Musica Viva tour. The piece is called Dark Matter, referring to the majority of the universe that we cannot see. But there is a hidden meaning in the work, Ray says, “which is that the dark matter of the universe could be perceived as a metaphor for our existence”.
“Matthew Hindson points out that perhaps, our lasting legacy is the thing we can’t see ourselves. Rather, it’s the memories others hold of us.”
Check back in with CutCommon to read a review of Ray Chen with Julien Quentin on this tour.
READ NEXT: Our Lead Writer (QLD) Celine Chong page-turned for this very event. She shares eight reasons why it was actually an amazing job.
Images supplied. Tour photos captured by Alex Jamieson.
