Blogcritics: Exclusive Interview: Pianist Weiyin Chen on Music, Healing and Designing Her Own Performance Wear
To Taiwanese-American pianist Weiyin Chen, music is more than a creative endeavor. It’s part of a whole range of artistic and humanitarian engagement with the world.
For years she has worked with her father, renowned surgeon Hung-Chi Chen, to raise funds for charitable activities in the field of medicine. Their “Music & Medicine” humanitarian foundation arose from Dr. Chen’s development in the 1990s of a way to restore the gift of speech (and even song) to cancer patients who had lost the use of their vocal cords.
Growing up in a family of doctors linked music and medicine in Weiyin Chen’s mind from an early age. “As a concert pianist,” she has said, “my goal is to also become a healer, a healer of people’s soul or spirit through music.”
Blogcritics
By Jon Sobel
To Taiwanese-American pianist Weiyin Chen, music is more than a creative endeavor. It’s part of a whole range of artistic and humanitarian engagement with the world.
For years she has worked with her father, renowned surgeon Hung-Chi Chen, to raise funds for charitable activities in the field of medicine. Their “Music & Medicine” humanitarian foundation arose from Dr. Chen’s development in the 1990s of a way to restore the gift of speech (and even song) to cancer patients who had lost the use of their vocal cords.
Growing up in a family of doctors linked music and medicine in Weiyin Chen’s mind from an early age. “As a concert pianist,” she has said, “my goal is to also become a healer, a healer of people’s soul or spirit through music.”
Read more here.
Bachtrack: The New York Phil pays heartfelt tribute to Stephen Sondheim at Bravo! Vail
One of four orchestras appearing at Bravo! Vail this summer, the New York Philharmonic brought along six different programmes, the first four of which were led by music director Jaap van Zweden – including a cathartic Mahler Sixth. Leonard Slatkin took over the reins for the remaining two programmes in the open-air main venue: an all-Tchaikovsky evening and this concluding concert, “A Sondheim Celebration”. Originally, these last two concerts were to have been conducted by Bramwell Tovey, a much-loved regular at Bravo! Vail who died on 12th July, only 69 years old. Slatkin dedicated the performances to his memory.
Bachtrack
By Thomas May
One of four orchestras appearing at Bravo! Vail this summer, the New York Philharmonic brought along six different programmes, the first four of which were led by music director Jaap van Zweden – including a cathartic Mahler Sixth. Leonard Slatkin took over the reins for the remaining two programmes in the open-air main venue: an all-Tchaikovsky evening and this concluding concert, “A Sondheim Celebration”. Originally, these last two concerts were to have been conducted by Bramwell Tovey, a much-loved regular at Bravo! Vail who died on 12th July, only 69 years old. Slatkin dedicated the performances to his memory.
The NY Phil has made several deep dives into the work of the Broadway trailblazer, who died at the age of 91 last November. Along with orchestral arrangements of suites from several of his musicals and a film score, they’ve given semi-staged concert presentations of Company and Sweeney Todd over the years. But the guiding idea of this programme was simply to sample and savour the astonishing variety of worlds that Stephen Sondheim conjured with his innovative – indeed, paradigm-shifting – contributions to music theatre.
Read more here.
Photo: Carly Finke
Blogcritics: Concert Review (NYC): The Knights and Lara St. John with Music of Avner Dorman and Felix Mendelssohn at the Central Park Bandshell
The meat of the program commenced when Lara St. John stepped in front of the white-clad orchestra. Nigunim is a violin concerto rooted in melodies inspired by Jewish songs from around the world. The piece won the Azrieli Prize in 2018. In a recent interview with Blogcritics the composer told us that in writing it he created new melodies inspired by “listening to music from Jewish communities around the world, recalling music I had heard from different diasporas, and internalizing the styles and gestures. I also analyzed these melodies and found some surprising commonalities.”
Blogcritics
By Jon Sobel
The organizers of the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts could hardly have asked for a nicer evening for The Knights and violinist Lara St. John to present the New York Premiere of Avner Dorman’s Nigunim. The darkening sky turned rose-red and aqua blue as the audience heard a spectacular performance of the virtuosic concerto and an invigorating reading of Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 (“Scottish”).
Around the World in Four Movements
The meat of the program commenced when Lara St. John stepped in front of the white-clad orchestra. Nigunim is a violin concerto rooted in melodies inspired by Jewish songs from around the world. The piece won the Azrieli Prize in 2018. In a recent interview with Blogcritics the composer told us that in writing it he created new melodies inspired by “listening to music from Jewish communities around the world, recalling music I had heard from different diasporas, and internalizing the styles and gestures. I also analyzed these melodies and found some surprising commonalities.”
Read more here.
Photo: Oren Hope Media
The Economist: The wonder of Lim Yun-chan’s performance of “Rach 3”
Still standing at her podium, the distinguished conductor Marin Alsop wiped away a tear. She says she cannot remember the last time she cried onstage, but she was far from alone in feeling moved by the artistry of Lim Yun-chan. Ms Alsop had just conducted the 18-year-old South Korean pianist in Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 3” in Fort Worth, Texas—a performance that last month helped make him the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. A video of his mesmerising interpretation of “Rach 3”, as the piece is known by pianophiles, has been viewed more than 5m times on YouTube.
The Economist
The 18-year-old pianist’s version of a famously difficult piece has wowed music fans
Still standing at her podium, the distinguished conductor Marin Alsop wiped away a tear. She says she cannot remember the last time she cried onstage, but she was far from alone in feeling moved by the artistry of Lim Yun-chan. Ms Alsop had just conducted the 18-year-old South Korean pianist in Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 3” in Fort Worth, Texas—a performance that last month helped make him the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. A video of his mesmerising interpretation of “Rach 3”, as the piece is known by pianophiles, has been viewed more than 5m times on YouTube.
Read more here.
The Strad: Andie, Andy and Andy present a work for violin, trumpet and steel pan
n an instrumentation not seen every day, violinist Andie Tanning, trumpeter Andy Kozar and percussionist Andy Akiho perform ‘the rAy’s end’.
Akiho composed the work in 2008 for the trio, dubbed ‘The Andes’ because of the first name shared by its members - indeed, the title of this work, ’the rAy’s end,’ can be rearranged to spell out ’three Andys’.
’Although we did not start playing music together until well after we met, we soon realised the potential for the unique combination of timbres between our instruments,’ said Akiho. ’It was an inspiring challenge to combine these sounds together, because all three instruments encompass a similar range of pitches.While each instrument is extremely unique as a solo sound, the combined timbres create an amazing homogenous texture.
The Strad
Members of the Andes Trio, who all share the same first name, perform Akiho’s work ’the rAy’s end’
In an instrumentation not seen every day, violinist Andie Tanning, trumpeter Andy Kozar and percussionist Andy Akiho perform ‘the rAy’s end’.
Akiho composed the work in 2008 for the trio, dubbed ‘The Andes’ because of the first name shared by its members - indeed, the title of this work, ’the rAy’s end,’ can be rearranged to spell out ’three Andys’.
’Although we did not start playing music together until well after we met, we soon realised the potential for the unique combination of timbres between our instruments,’ said Akiho. ’It was an inspiring challenge to combine these sounds together, because all three instruments encompass a similar range of pitches.While each instrument is extremely unique as a solo sound, the combined timbres create an amazing homogenous texture.
Read more here.
The Oregonian: Portland composer Andy Akiho’s ‘Seven Pillars’ blends sound and light into a percussion extravaganza
Created by Portlanders past and present, Chamber Music Northwest’s “Seven Pillars” is more than a concert. Composer Andy Akiho’s 11-movement extravaganza for Sandbox Percussion quartet also integrates stage director Michael McQuilken’s colorful lighting effects and stage design that add up to a multicolored dance of light and sound.
The Oregonian
By Brett Campbell
Created by Portlanders past and present, Chamber Music Northwest’s “Seven Pillars” is more than a concert. Composer Andy Akiho’s 11-movement extravaganza for Sandbox Percussion quartet also integrates stage director Michael McQuilken’s colorful lighting effects and stage design that add up to a multicolored dance of light and sound.
It’s also a showcase for some of today’s most inventive artists. Akiho created “Seven Pillars” explicitly for and with Sandbox and McQuilken. The quartet has quickly risen to be one of the world’s most prominent and accomplished new music percussion groups. Another opera designed by McQuilken, “Angel’s Bone,” won the 2016 Pulitzer. Sandbox’s recording of “Seven Pillars” earned a pair of Grammy nominations.
Read more here.
Your Classical: Marc-André Hamelin explores William Bolcom's piano rags in his new album
“In 1985, I won the Carnegie Hall competition for American Music. One of the prizes was an invitation to the Cabrillo Festival in California, which is still going on, I think. And the two composers in residence that year happened to be Arvo Pärt and William Bolcom. So, I got to meet him.”
Pianist Marc-André Hamelin not only got to meet Bolcom, the American composer whom he’d been admiring since he was 16, but he also got to make music with him. For his latest release, Hamelin has recorded a two-disc set of The Complete Rags of William Bolcom.
Your Classical
By Julie Amacher
“In 1985, I won the Carnegie Hall competition for American Music. One of the prizes was an invitation to the Cabrillo Festival in California, which is still going on, I think. And the two composers in residence that year happened to be Arvo Pärt and William Bolcom. So, I got to meet him.”
Pianist Marc-André Hamelin not only got to meet Bolcom, the American composer whom he’d been admiring since he was 16, but he also got to make music with him. For his latest release, Hamelin has recorded a two-disc set of The Complete Rags of William Bolcom.
There's a lot of diversity in Bolcom’s rags. Can you talk about the many moods that we experience throughout this two-disc set?
“I think his first rags were a little more Joplin influenced, even though he was adding some touches of his own.
“There is one of them, which is a kind of a joke, actually, it's called Brass Knuckles. And it was written in collaboration with the late William Albright. They decided to write that together one day as sort of an antidote to the overdelicate rags that they'd each been writing. It's just a joke, of course, but it's full of clusters and very violent piano writing. And that's why I put it at the very end of the two-disc set.
Read more here.
Jackson Hole News and Guide: GTMF goes deep for 61st season
After two years of COVID-induced uncertainty and instability, we all deserve a little something — a treat or a bonus, something that begins to make up for all the time lost social distancing and isolating.
The Grand Teton Music Festival is doing its part. Its 61st season begins Sunday and Monday with two free outdoor concerts on the Center for the Arts Lawn and then runs for eight full weeks, all the way through Aug. 27 — its longest season in decades, GTMF Executive Director Emma Kail said.
Jackson Hole News and Guide
By Richard Anderson
After two years of COVID-induced uncertainty and instability, we all deserve a little something — a treat or a bonus, something that begins to make up for all the time lost social distancing and isolating.
The Grand Teton Music Festival is doing its part. Its 61st season begins Sunday and Monday with two free outdoor concerts on the Center for the Arts Lawn and then runs for eight full weeks, all the way through Aug. 27 — its longest season in decades, GTMF Executive Director Emma Kail said.
That’s eight weeks of symphonic music performed by the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra in the storied Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village, with longtime Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles at the podium for five of them and guest conductors for the others; seven Wednesday night chamber music programs featuring orchestra members and guests; four “Gateway” concerts highlighting jazz, folk and popular music; three new Sunday matinee piano recitals; and loads of free outreach programs for kids and families (and anyone else who just can’t get enough) at Teton County Library, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, Astoria Hot Springs and other fun and unexpected spots.
Read more here.
The Strad: Hsin-Yun Huang: Life Lessons
When I was growing up in Taiwan, people either played piano or violin. I learnt piano, and when the time came to learn a second instrument, at ten years old I thought I may as well be useful and play something other than the violin! So I went to the orchestra office and asked what they needed, which was the viola. At first I didn’t take it very seriously, but it was with the guidance of conductor Felix Chen that I progressed to the level of being able to join the Menuhin School when I was 14. Every Saturday my friends and I would spend five hours at Felix’s house having lunch, drawing, singing, joking, playing sonatas and duos – just having fun.
The Strad
The Taiwanese violist on what she learnt from her early years, and her move to the UK’s Yehudi Menuhin School
When I was growing up in Taiwan, people either played piano or violin. I learnt piano, and when the time came to learn a second instrument, at ten years old I thought I may as well be useful and play something other than the violin! So I went to the orchestra office and asked what they needed, which was the viola. At first I didn’t take it very seriously, but it was with the guidance of conductor Felix Chen that I progressed to the level of being able to join the Menuhin School when I was 14. Every Saturday my friends and I would spend five hours at Felix’s house having lunch, drawing, singing, joking, playing sonatas and duos – just having fun. This sense of the joy of music was also emphasised by my father, who taught us to sing. He had such a fresh mind and was so open to the world.
I was part of one of the first generations in the Taiwan music scene to get the chance to go abroad. People often say, ‘You poor thing, it must have been so hard,’ but at the time that wasn’t the mentality I had. I felt so lucky to have the freedom to explore and learn. Only in retrospect do I realise I developed coping strategies for what was often a very difficult time. Chamber music became my medicine and my daily walks around the school taught me the importance of taking time for myself.
Read more here.
Boston Globe: Marc-André Hamelin and the riches of ragtime
Like many music lovers of a certain age, pianist Marc-André Hamelin was introduced to ragtime by pianist Joshua Rifkin’s recording of Scott Joplin rags, which his father bought when Hamelin was young. Released in 1970, Rifkin’s recording was credited with sparking a revival of interest in ragtime. (The resurgence got an extra kick a few years later with the release of the Paul Newman-Robert Redford film “The Sting” and its ragtime-infused soundtrack.)
Boston Globe
By David Weininger
The pianist, who appears at the Rockport Chamber Music Festival on Saturday, recently released a two-CD set of American composer William Bolcom’s complete piano rags
Like many music lovers of a certain age, pianist Marc-André Hamelin was introduced to ragtime by pianist Joshua Rifkin’s recording of Scott Joplin rags, which his father bought when Hamelin was young. Released in 1970, Rifkin’s recording was credited with sparking a revival of interest in ragtime. (The resurgence got an extra kick a few years later with the release of the Paul Newman-Robert Redford film “The Sting” and its ragtime-infused soundtrack.)
Hamelin started learning some of the rags from a popular Dover collection of Joplin’s piano works. A few years later, he came across “Heliotrope Bouquet,” an LP featuring the American composer William Bolcom at the piano. It featured a few Joplin rags, as well as pieces by Joseph Lamb and James Scott, who together made up the “big three” of ragtime.
Read more here.