"Why would a classical violinist film shorts of music from 'K-Pop Demon Hunters?' It's because I want to open the door to music through the surprise of 'the violin can do this too.' Once you pass through that door, you naturally enter deep into the world of classical music."
Ray Chen, the world-renowned Taiwanese-born violinist, explained his reason for engaging on social media in a written interview on the 20th. Chen, who won the Queen Elisabeth Competition at the age of 20 and has been active on the international stage ever since, will hold a recital in Korea at Lotte Concert Hall on June 4.
Ray Chen is known as a "maverick" in the conservative classical music world. He films and posts shorts of performances of K-pop and anime music, and actively communicates on social media by live-streaming his practice sessions. He has a total of more than 2 million followers across platforms such as YouTube and Instagram.
"Whatever piece I play, there is only one thing I want to convey through video: the emotion and materiality of the violin," he stressed. "Classical music is not a relic behind museum glass but a living, breathing art with intense power." He added, "Short-form content is a means of showing millions of people the power of the violin and classical music in just a few seconds. If even some of them become more curious, I'm fulfilling my role."
What he considers most important in performance is also communion with the audience. "Today's audiences don't want to be passive observers watching something beautiful — they want to be active participants," he said. "Giving them a reason to spend their time and money to come to the concert hall is the performer's role."
Chen cited watching sports as an example. "You can comfortably watch sports games on TV, but people still go to the stadium. Even if they don't play themselves, they want to be part of the game. Live concerts should be the same. Enabling the audience to share the emotion and become part of the performance — that is the performer's mission."
His belief in the power of connection is also why he personally developed the music practice app "Tonic." Tonic is a platform where anyone can open a live online practice room and listen or practice together with others. "I created it remembering my childhood, when I learned violin through the Suzuki method, sitting huddled together on my teacher's floor and taking turns listening to each other play," he said. "Music is more meaningful when shared."
The program for this Korea performance covers various eras and styles, ranging from Bach's Partita to Sarasate, Mozart, Grieg, and Bizet's Carmen Fantasy. The introspective Bach and the extroverted, energy-filled Sarasate contrast sharply in character. He likened the recital to a "course meal." "My goal is to compose it so audiences can experience the various flavors of music in one sitting," he said. "I want to explore the full range the violin can express."
Asked what video he would like to leave for violinists 100 years from now, he recommended the violin concertos of Sibelius and Korngold. "Both works have deep emotional layers and are at the same time very bold and unpredictable, so they are music that can resonate across any era," he said. "People of future generations will need music that captures the emotion of venturing into the unknown, and classical music will accompany them on that journey."
