Ray Chen Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64

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Live concert on 28th February, 2015
Ray Chen with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Kent Nagano

I. Allegro molto appassionato
II. Andante
III. Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace

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RAY CHEN

[felixmendelssohn]

I am so proud of Ray... he nailed my concerto 10/10 <3

[juliantso]

i bet he could play the violin with just his eyebrows

[txepjkq]

i know ray isnt gonna read this comment, but i want you to know that your violin playing got me out of depression/anxiety zone, Thank you very much for your performances

[dolphinsandsunsets]

Eddy and Brett really opened up the whole door of classical music to me..where I once merely peeped through the cracks, now I am discovering wonderful musicians like Ray and Hillary and experiencing music more profoundly. BRAVO TwoSet!

[addisondurrence]

Ray Chen:

Good playing: ✔️

Handsome: ✔️

Technique: ✔️

Speed: ✔️

Facial Expressions: ✔️(definitely)

[dannyboy]

All phrases of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto
I. Allegro molto appassionato
0:20 - the opening (main subject)
1:06 - epic & powerful part (octaves)
1:20 - tutti main subjekt
1:51 - dance-like part
2:59 - hopeful part
3:39 - quiet & lonely part
4:46 - energetic part
5:22/5:38 - explosive part
6:16 - unclear part
7:48 - cadenza part
8:59 - last phrase of Cadenza
9:27 - cadenza ending (Main subjekt return)
10:04 - abstract part
10:39 - soft & empty part
11:45 - epic part
12:22 - most epic part
13:02 - ending part

II. Andante
13:50 - the beginning
14:29 - beautiful solo start
15:49 - new melody
16:23 - bright part
17:37 - ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ part (orchestra)
17:50 - mysterious part (solo violin)
18:00 - epic octaves
18:30 - tense part
19:30 - magical part
20:25 - warm part
21:01 - soft ending

III. Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace
22:05 - sentimental opening
22:52 - main subject start
23:40 - festive & epic part
24:20 - steady & skip-pie part
24:46 - hurrying part
26:04 - lovely part
27:17/27:39 - triumphant part
28:18 - ending of the Concerto

If you want me to do this on another video in the future, let me know in the reply section :)

[mertensduplooy]

When I try to introduce my students to Ray Chen (my favourite violinist); they're like: "yeah, I know him. Why do you think I wanted to learn the violin?" Thank you for inspiring so many teachers and pupils.

[jthg-jthg]

Ray is one of the best violinists of the time. He really is fabulous.

[stevesaunders]

This mans intonation is phenomenal. I never hear an off note. Truly one of the great violinists of the 21st century.

[rogert]

Mr. Chen, I have listened to this piece many times. I must admit that it is usually when i am cleaning this house. It gets me moving faster but today I stopped and watch at times. I must extend you wonderful compliments because you really are enjoying yourself and your face elicits some much expression. And this time I saw a brief smile between you and the conductor. Thank you for sharing this gift of music with a large audience. I hope you come and play here in Austin, Texas one day. I would enjoy seeing you in person. Peace to you always :)

[pianist]

My favourite Violin Concerto. What a brilliant performance!

[alwaysLurking]

I love the emotion Ray puts into his playing. He truly gives it everything he has. It's as if the violin is an extension of his soul.

[cassiecasper]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the fact that we can all watch such an amazing performance for free at home in such high quality anytime we like? 30, heck even as close as 20 years ago this is the kind of thing only the upper classes could have had even semi-regular access to. Thank god for youtube and modern technology.

[katam]

I kind of wish that the camera would stay on his left hand the whole time. Seeing Rays fingers dance on the strings is something I can never get enough of.

[BangkokVoiceCoach]

I love Ray. He's not just a wonderful player but he's a great guy, really fun, modern, cool, clever... really, he has it all.

[eddominates]

Some soloists just make it look easy. Ray shows you exactly how difficult it is, and shows his appreciation for the difficulty at the same time, all while making it look easy. It's a really refreshing style. Shows passion both for the piece and for the genius involved in its creation.

[plsignore]

Wonder if we added a few TwoSet handicaps in...

[gingerjam]

In my opinion, Ray Chen is one of the most talented, expressionistic and passionate players of our generation, if not the most. I absolutely love the way he appreciates music, understands the music and the composer. His sense of humour and passion are unmatched. He can have fun while playing accurately and that is amazing. So much hard work has been put in to achieve this standard and it really shows, also how much Ray cares for the music.

[irisce]

Ray's Mendelssohn is honestly king. I don't think anyone plays it better than him. Mendelssohn VC requires the perfect balance of just playing in a way that sounds nice and not tilting too far in any direction which many soloists with strong playing styles tend to impart on their interpretations. Ray's performance is just a service to the music and delivers each note and phrase in the Goldilocks zone, the ideal interpretation.

[RionPhotography]

More musicians need to smile when playing classical music... thanks Ray 😅