Ray Chen - Mozart: Violin Concertos & Sonata (2015) [Official Digital Download]

This is Ray’s first album of all Mozart repertoire. He’s joined by the renowned Mozart-interpreter Maestro Christoph Eschenbach, who conducts the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra for the concertos and accompanies Ray for the Violin Sonata. The festival orchestra, founded by Leonard Bernstein in 1987 consists of exceptional young instrumentalists who come together for the annual music festival in northern Germany. Ray composed his own cadenzas for both concertos on this recording.

Winner of the Queen Elisabeth (2009) and Yehudi Menuhin (2008) Competitions, Ray Chen is among the most compelling young violinists today. “Ray has proven himself to be a very pure musician with great qualities such as a beautiful youthful tone, vitality and lightness. He has all the skills of a truly musical interpreter,” said the great Maxim Vengerov.

In 2012, Ray became the youngest soloist ever to perform in the televised Nobel Prize Concert for the Nobel Laureates and the Swedish Royal Family. His Carnegie Hall debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and Sakari Oramo, as well as his sold-out Musikverein concert with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Riccardo Chailly were met with standing ovations.

Ray Chen is the first ever classical musician to be invited to write a regular blog about his life as a touring soloist for the largest Italian publishing house, RCS Rizzoli. He is supported by Giorgio Armani and was recently featured in Vogue magazine.

Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, Ray was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15, where he studied with Aaron Rosand and was supported by Young Concert Artists. He plays the 1702 "Lord Newlands" Stradivarius violin on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation

“Chen’s warmly communicative manner is something to be treasured over interpretative correctness. All in all, a most impressive release.” (Gramophone)

“His tone is silken, his technique faultless, his musicianship persuasive as well as controlled and poetic.” (The Guardian)

“Chen often judiciously eschews vibrato or applies it tastefully and sparingly rather than smothering proceedings in too much Schmaltz…Chen has many gifts: clean, shining tone, secure intonation and sensitive musicianship but he does not yet have the star quality which sets apart artists such as Mutter.” (MusicWeb International)

TRACKLIST

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 3 in G Major, K. 216
1 Allegro 09:49
2 Adagio 09:57
3 Rondeau: Allegro, Allegretto, Tempo I 06:49

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 4 in D Major, K. 218
4 Allegro 09:01
5 Andante cantabile 07:20
6 Rondeau: Andante grazioso - Allegro ma non troppo 07:27

Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 15 in A Major, K. 305
7 Allegro di molto 05:11
8 Tema: Andante grazioso, Variations I-V, Variation VI: Allegro 11:06

PERSONNEL
Ray Chen, violin
Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival Orchester
Christoph Eschenbach, conductor (tracks 1-6), piano (tracks 7-8)