Moscow International Performing Arts Center Svetlanov Hall | 2015, December, 13 The VIII Moscow Music Festival “Vladimir Spivakov Invites …” Ray Chen, violin National Philharmonic of Russia Vladimir Spivakov, conductor Programme: Johannes Brahms. Violin Concerto in D major Symphony №4 in E minor BOOK TICKET Ray Chen, one of the most inspiring violinists today, the winner of the Queen Elisabeth (Brussels) and Yehudi Menuhin (the UK) International Competitions, has won the admiration of the public and the respect of fellow musicians worldwide. In December, as a guest of the “Vladimir Sivakov Invites...” Festival, the violinist will make his debut on the stage of the Moscow International Performing Arts Center and will play for the first time with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia. A native of Taiwan, Ray Chen was raised in Australia and then continued his studies at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia with Aaron Rosand. In 2011 he released his first recital album “Virtuoso” on Sony Classical, which received the ECHO Klassik award and the support of leading mass media, such as The Times and The Chicago Tribune, choosing it "The Disc of the Week." The Strad and Gramophone magazines proclaimed Ray Chen "the musician to watch", while Bogdan Roscic, the President of Sony Classical, compared Chen to Gustavo Dudamel: “He seems to have it all: an instantly recognizable sound, charisma and confidence, so rare in his age. Now he is at the beginning of a magnificent artistic career ... ". Festivals and concert halls are vying for the young violinist's participation in their concerts: he has already played in Verbier, Dresden, Chicago (the Ravinia Festival), Guangzhou (the Asian Games), Schleswig-Holstein where the Hall greeted him with a standing ovation. Chen plays the 1715 “Joachim” Stradivarius violin on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation. This violin once belonged to Joseph Joachim who was the dedicatee of Brahms' Violin Concerto (it will be performed in the first part of the concert). In the second part, Vladimir Spivakov will present his ingenious rendition of Brahms's Fourth Symphony. "Each composer, each product has a key of his own, - says the Maestro, - find it - and the mysterious door would swing open. Just close your eyes and imagine how after a stormy evening Brahms returns home, lights a fire, rolls himself in a rug. He pulls out a cigar and indulges in dreams of his love for the woman with whom they are bound not to be together. For his beloved Clara Wieck is the wife of his friend and colleague Robert Schumann ... And one perceives with a sheer clarity why in the Fourth Symphony there appears that tune, so close to the song which begins with the words, "Oh, death ...." For me it is always very important to approach a composer as a personality, an individuality. History is apt to soften and smooth too much, often hiding the true meaning of what actually happened from us. "