First things first: this is not a "Top Ten" list. All of WCRB: Boston's CDs of the Week are Top Ten-worthy, so instead, we asked our staff an even harder question: which CD of the Week was your number one favorite this year? Here are our picks for the best classical music album releases of 2018. The Standout Favorite - Jay Fondin: My favorite CD of the Week is Sheku Kanneh-Mason's "Inspiration."  Sheku and his family are an amazing bunch of musicians, but I'm blown away by his love for the cello every time I see or hear him play - you can tell how much fun he's having! Plus, the CD is packed with some of my cello favorites. Not only was this album the winner of our Twitter #CDOTWOTY bracket, but two separate members of our staff chose it as well! Laura Carlo: You will be astounded to learn that Sheku Kanneh-Mason was just 18 when his first CD, "Inspiration," was released earlier this year. Whether playing Saint-Saens' "The Swan" or Leonard Cohen's "Alleluia" his cello sings, dances and weeps with mastery and warmth. Two notes in and I pegged him as a budding superstar. Inspired Bach - Brian McCreath: When it comes to Yo-Yo Ma, impeccable, imaginative performances are just the beginning of the story. His ability to see beyond the intrinsic rewards of any particular piece or collection of music to find a deeper meaning to us as a community of listeners is unparalleled. That's why, when you hear his third (and, according to him, last) recording of these cornerstones of the cello repertoire(Yo-Yo Ma, "Six Evolutions: Bach Cello Suites"), you're opening an invitation, one that Ma has extended to thousands of people around the world, to embrace each other's presence and possibility. Violin Virtuosos - Rani Schloss: Ray Chen's "The Golden Age" is like an extremely satisfying meal: a main course (Bruch's Violin Concerto) flawlessly executed, surrounded by many an amuse-bouche that delight and surprise you. Chen's string quartet, Made in Berlin, joins him on this album in a few tantalizing reinterpretations of pieces you may have heard many times before, but these versions (arrangements by cellist Stephan Koncz) take the old melodies in a completely new direction. I can't say enough how much I enjoyed listening to this album, and eagerly await what comes next from Ray Chen and Made in Berlin. Kendall Todd: I've said it before, and I'll say it again: there is nobody who plays Bach with more clarity, grace, and precision than Hilary Hahn. Revisiting Bach's solo violin music 20 years after releasing her first recording, Hahn proves that taking a second look at even the most timeless music can lead to new discoveries. Her tone on Hilary Hahn, "Bach: Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2, Partita No. 1" is sure, and the sound she creates is pure beauty. This album is a must-have. SEE THE FULL LIST

a message from Ray Chen........ 'The purpose of this video is to give people a fair idea of how a real practice session looks like when you approach a piece from scratch. You usually hear the sparkly clean finished product, but it tends to always start somewhere deep in ugly-town. Sometimes practicing is demotivating, especially when Señor Show-off over on instagram has uploaded a perfect 1-minute clip of themselves nailing that stupidly difficult passage. If you feel like you've hit a wall in practicing, just know that EVERYBODY has struggles. I hope you feel better after watching me get my ass kicked by the first 2 phrases of the Sauret Cadenza.  Now go practice!  Much love to you all and thanks for watching! :) ' p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

One of today's most outstanding young violinists, Ray Chen, has released a new album "The Golden Age." It's "a thrilling collection of chamber and orchestral works," released on the Decca Classics label. Chen handpicked a selection of works that he says celebrate the "golden age" of the violin, "not only in terms of repertoire, but also in terms of performance style and ingenuity." While centered on Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1, the album features works performed by Chen's "Made in Berlin" quartet (members of the Berlin Philharmonic), as well as pieces and arrangements for solo violin and piano.  PHOTO: John Mac I hope you enjoy the chat with Ray Chen and IdeaStation: WCVE: Richmond VA Classical Music Host, Mike Goldberg. LISTEN   p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

This week Ray Chen is talking about SOUND and how to produce various colors of sound which is one of the most important things in music making. Chen's new album The Golden Age – on Decca Classics is a thrilling collection of chamber and orchestral works which the violinist handpicked to celebrate the "golden age" of the violin – not only in terms of repertoire, but also in terms of performance style and ingenuity.  Remember, there are endless possibilities for producing sound lon the violin but watch the attached clip as Ray Chen gives us a few tips to help get you started.     Happy practicing!  :) p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

A pin drop or a pen's scratch would have rent the air as Ray Chen's high harmonics held the Perth Concert Hall on a fingertip at the apogee of Matthew Hindson's Dark Matter. This new work for Musica Viva explores both the depth of human frailty - framed by the composer's father's death - and the hidden hand of cosmic fate: the dark matter that binds the universe. At the introduction, Julien Quentin leaned into the keyboard almost hesitantly, as if once launched there was no going back, intoning intense chords as Chen's bittersweet violin swept over the top, the piano muttering darkly of life's mystery lurking just out of sight, an underground stream undermining all endeavour; entropy in a harmonic sequence. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL West Australian ARTICLE

VIOLIN megastar Ray Chen will return to Brisbane next year to play Bach and Mendelssohn, in a major coup for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Mr Chen, 29, has millions of followers on social media and is regarded as the first classical virtuoso "rock star". He was born in Taiwan but grew up in Brisbane. Details of his Brisbane concerts are expected to be unveiled tomorrow by musical director Alondra de La Parra. Critics have praised Chen's "jaw-dropping violin pyrotechnics". In Brisbane, Mr Chen will play a 1715 Stradivarius violin on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation. The instrument was once owned by the famous Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim, who died in 1907.  photo; Chris Dunlop READ THE FULL news.com.au ARTICLE

Ray Chen's new album - The Golden Age is a thrilling collection of chamber and orchestral works. Released in June, it is Chen's first recording on Decca Classics since signing to the label last year. The Violinist handpicked the selection of works for the  album, all of which celebrate the "golden age" of the violin – not only in terms of repertoire, but also in terms of performance style and ingenuity. The centrepiece is Max Bruch's Violin Concerto, performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Robert Trevino and recorded in August last year. RC joins WGTE: Toledo, Classical host - Brad Cresswell to preview the disc, which includes classic arrangements of standards by Gershwin, Kreisler, and Debussy alongside energetic new arrangements of well-known works, created for Ray's virtuoso string quartet Made in Berlin.    LISTEN TO THE SEGMENT p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

With a precious instrument once owned by one of the most legendary violinists of all time, Ray Chen has channeled the flexible charm of the players of the past on his new recording "The Golden Age," WCRB's CD of the Week! Bookending the CD are performances by Made in Berlin, Chen's own string quartet. The opening piece, "A New Satiesfaction" is a mesmerizing arrangement by cellist Stephan Koncz that weaves in Satie's famous Gymnopédie No. 1. It was a major YouTube hit on Chen's channel even before the CD was released. The final track is another arrangement by Koncz, a nod to Australia in the form of variations on "Waltzing Matilda." Koncz has also created a gorgeous arrangement of Debussy's "Clair de lune" that hits the spot with just the right atmospheric restraint.  It trembles like a soft French breeze, and Chen and his quartet make it breathtaking. READ THE FULL 99.5WCRB: Boston ARTICLE

Violinist Ray Chen is a local luminary who is lighting up classical music world wide.  He's appeared with orchestras across the U.S. and throughout Europe, and began recording with Sony Classics in 2010. Now 29, he has an engaging new CD his first with Decca Classics-The Golden Age-which we are celebrating as Album of the Week. Ray Chen made his way to Philadelphia in a circuitous route that started in Taiwan, the country of his birth. As a young child, he moved to Australia where he began his studies, and made his orchestral debut with the Queensland Philharmonic at the age of eight.  At 15, Chen came to Philadelphia to attend The Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Aaron Rosand, and where he still has a home. His new album features works made famous by Jascha Heifetz and Fritz Kreisler. It's a beautiful collection.   READ THE FULL WRTI: Philadelphia ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Described by critics as "preternaturally gifted," and his music "spellbinding," violinist Ray Chen performs all over the world. He's also distinguishing himself off the concert stage with over 100 YouTube videos ranging from zany comedy to a motivational series. Chen talked with WRTI: Philadelphia - Susan Lewis about his new album, The Golden Age, and about how recapturing joy may be the key to making every age a little more golden. Listen to Ray in conversation with Susan.  Ray talks-and plays a bit to make his points-about music and life, including why he loves the violin, how he and his colleagues came up with their unique arrangement for "Waltzing Matilda," and the role social media can play in classical music.

Born in Taiwan, raised in Australia, violinist Ray Chen is a citizen of the world and making waves currently as a rising violin superstar. This week, KDFC: San Francisco focuses on his new album, The Golden Age, which features a performance of the Bruch Violin Concerto #1 with the London Philharmonic, as well as shorter works that spotlight his immense talent. For the Week of July 9th, KDFC selects; Ray Chen - The Golden Age for it's 'Album Of the Week.' Preview some of that talent in the videos below and listen all week as we play selections from The Golden Age.

Born in Taiwan, raised in Australia, violinist Ray Chen is a citizen of the world and making waves currently as a rising violin superstar. This week, KUSC: Los Angeles focuses on his new album, The Golden Age, which features a performance of the Bruch Violin Concerto #1 with the London Philharmonic, as well as shorter works that spotlight his immense talent. For the Week of July 9th, KUSC selects; Ray Chen - The Golden Age for it's 'Album Of the Week.' Preview some of that talent in the videos below and listen all week as we play selections from The Golden Age.

I first encountered Bruch's G Minor Concerto when I was 13. I loved it then, and more than half a century on, I still do. It's a piece I never tire of; familiarity merely breeds an even deeper affection. There are so many recordings of it, who needs another one, let alone two? But when they are as good as these are, who's complaining? Joshua Bell is not only a first-class virtuoso, but has arguably the most gorgeous tone of any active player. Here he directs the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, of which he's music director, in an in-your-face recording of Bruch: Scottish Fantasy on Sony that enlarges every opulent solo. Bell plays on a Stradivarius once owned by the mid-20th-century virtuoso Bronislaw Huberman.  Ray Chen, of Chinese heritage, raised in Australia, goes one better, with a Strad once owned by Joseph Joachim, who gave the first performance of the revised version of this concerto which Joachim himself helped Bruch prepare. Chen is also a fine player, and his response to the concerto is measured, musical, and thoroughly satisfying. His recording - The Golden Age on Decca made with the London Philharmonic in Henry Wood Hall, has a much more natural concert-hall perspective, which some will undoubtedly prefer. The choice between these two albums may well depend on the couplings.  p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} span.Apple-tab-span {white-space:pre} READ THE FULL Daily Mail ARTICLE

The violinist Ray Chen is redefining what it means to be a classical music star. Yes, Chen is a virtuoso who can don a tuxedo and inspire awe as a soloist, as he will Friday when he performs Mozart's Fifth Violin Concerto with the Aspen Chamber Symphony. Yet he also has an online following in the millions - a fan base that clicks to hear his music but also to watch his goofy videos or to see him mess around with Instagram filters. In the often-staid world of classical music, Chen is a revolutionary personality and an ambassador to the new generation of digital natives. "I don't mind being a bit of an entertainer," Chen said in a recent phone interview from Berlin. "That was always kind of my thing." A youthful 29, Chen has a millennial fluency with social media and video production to match his world-class ability with his instrument. He has more than 2 million followers on SoundCloud and huge virtual crowds on Facebook and on Instagram.  READ THE FULL Aspen Times ARTICLE

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} Ray Chen has just released his new album - The Golden Age, a thrilling collection of chamber and orchestral works on Decca Classics. The Violinist handpicked selections which celebrate the "golden age" of the violin – not only in terms of repertoire, but also performance style, and ingenuity. The centrepiece of the recording is Max Bruch's Violin Concerto, performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Robert Trevino. In conjunction with the album's release, on June 2 Chen made himself available to Classical Radio Stations and Outlets throughout the US. The session was conducted from WRTI: Philadelpia and as part of the day, RC joined WRTI's Susan Lewis in their performace studio for an in depth perf/chat.  Watch the attached video.

Deemed one of today's most charismatic and compelling young violinists, Ray Chen presents The Golden Age – a collection of chamber and orchestral works and his first recording on Decca Classics since signing to the label. Chen handpicked a selection of works, all of which celebrate the "golden age" of the violin. The centerpiece is Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1, performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Robert Trevino. The album also features compositions and arrangements from legendary violinists Fritz Kreisler and Jascha Heifetz, with pianist Julien Quentin. Ray Chen - The Golden Age is the WFMT: Chicago 'Featured New Release'

Deemed one of today's most charismatic and compelling young violinists, Ray Chen reveals his new album The Golden Age – a thrilling collection of chamber and orchestral works. It is his first recording on Decca Classics since signing to the label last year. The Violinist handpicked a selection of works for the upcoming album, all of which celebrate the "golden age" of the violin – not only in terms of repertoire, but also in terms of performance style and ingenuity. The centrepiece is Max Bruch's Violin Concerto, performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Robert Trevino and recorded in August last year. In conjunction with this release, RC has made himself available TODAY!!  June 2, to Classical Radio Stations and Outlets throughout the US. Watch for our tweets.

Instead the serious silhouette he presents at concerts, many non-hardcore fans' first impression of Chinese Australian violinist Ray Chen comes from the funny videos he posts on Facebook and SoundCloud. The first prize winner of the 2008 International Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition and the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Music Competition and the second ethnic Chinese musician to perform at the annual Nobel Prize Concert in 2012 following Chinese pianist Lang Lang, the 29-year-old violinist has become a classical music Internet celebrity of sorts with more than 2 million subscribers on audio sharing platform SoundCloud and more than 130,000 followers on Facebook. From funny self-produced videos of him putting on little skits during routine violin practices to serious stage performances and online master classes, Chen's social media presence is packed with all kinds of content that shows off the artist's sense of humor and talent. One of his most-watched videos playing Johann Sebastian Bach's "Sarabande received more than 46,000 YouTube views - a relatively impressive figure for classical music videos. "For me, the goal was never to be a celebrity," the Taipei-born musician told the Global Times after the Beijing release party for his new album The Golden Age in mid-June.
Photo: John Mac        READ THE FULL Global Times ARTICLE

This week, we listen to the newest gems in jazz, classical, and world music. We begin with an unusual and interesting version of Erik Satie's famous "Gymnopédie #1," featuring the superb Taiwanese-Australian virtuoso violinist Ray Chen. Although I've heard this famous Satie piece many times, Chen's take on it from his debut Decca Classics album sounds completely new and fresh. Chen won the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin Competition in 2008. Ray Chen - Golden Age makes KCRW: Rhythm Planet - New Music Gems. SEE PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060}

Because today - June 8, Ray Chen reveals his new album The Golden Age – a thrilling collection of chamber and orchestral works. Deemed one of today's most charismatic and compelling young violinists, Golden Age is Chen's first recording on Decca Classics since signing to the label last year. The Violinist handpicked a selection of works for the album, all of which celebrate the "golden age" of the violin – not only in terms of repertoire, but also in terms of performance style and ingenuity. The centrepiece is Max Bruch's Violin Concerto, performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Robert Trevino and recorded in August last year. WATCH CHINADAILY VIDEO

When Ray Chen, the professional violinist, found himself stuck on an plane on the tarmac in Porto, Portugal, he offered his fellow stranded passengers something they don't ordinarily get from their airlines: A brief Bach concert, played on a 300-year-old Stradivarius.  A smiling Chen walked down the aisle serenading the passengers, many of them shooting video on their phones. Even one of the flight attendants appears to be recording the impromptu performance. On Facebook, Chen wrote he was flying from Amsterdam to Lisbon when TAP Air Portugal Flight 663 inexplicably "had to make an emergency landing in Porto where we were told to wait indefinitely inside the plane on the tarmac. He said;  "Now at the time I must confess that playing the violin was the last thing on my mind, but knowing personally how stressful delayed travel days are, I decided to whip out the Strad for a good old airplane performance. The flight eventually made it to Lisbon (3 hours after the scheduled time) and I'm just happy we were able to get there all safely in the end. Safe travels to you all!" WATCH THE VIDEO via Nola.com

Remarkably, Ludwig van Beethoven wrote but one violin concerto in his prodigious lifetime. While this alone makes the concerto special, it also has become one of the most widely played and popular works for the instrument. Under the spotlight for Pacific Symphony's first concert of 2018, the concerto is famous for its highly spirited final movement. The work's grandeur-every bit as lush as any of his piano concertos-reveals the amazing melodic and technical range of the violin, especially when played by Taiwanese-Australian violinist, Ray Chen. The Washington Post declared: "Chen can do pretty much anything he wants on the violin." The orchestra also tackles Edward Elgar's regal Symphony No. 1, a work performed over 100 times within a year of its premiere. It was hailed by The Musical Times as an "immediate and phenomenal success." p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px} Led by international guest conductor and British native Michael Francis, the Symphony's musical toast to the New Year takes place Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 11-13, at 8 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Included in the evening will be a preview talk with KUSC Radio - Los Angeles classical music host, Alan Chapman. READ THE FULL Orange County Breeze ARTICLE

The music of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich is arguably more politically loaded than that of any other composer. Some even question whether we can hear his music only as music. Of the three works in this all-Shostakovich concert, it is the first violin concerto (1947) that can be divorced from politics most easily. When I last heard Australian violinist Ray Chen with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 2011 playing Brahms's violin concerto, his performance seemed slightly inhibited. At the time I wrote that his artistry had "yet to flower into full bloom". It sure has now. Chen's spectacular performance of Shostakovich's concerto was thrillingly virtuosic yet also nuanced and thoughtful. Ray Chen's spectacular performance of Shostakovich's concerto was thrillingly virtuosic yet also nuanced and thoughtful. In the first and third movements his long-breathed phrasing, well-sustained sotto voce passages and subtle dynamic control realised their deeply felt lyricism. By contrast, his aggres­sive staccato attack, rhythmic acuity and brilliantly executed bravura passagework captured the second movement's sardonic character and fourth movement's energy. He maintained a focused tone, clear articulation and piercing upper register clarity while varying his timbre to the needs of the moment.  PHOTO: Rebecca Michael READ THE FULL ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

Ray Chen headlined Friday's Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concert with the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor alongside Polish guest conductor Krzysztof Urbanski, who also led the orchestra in Beethoven's Egmont Overture and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5. Mr. Chen's technique was impeccable. He luxuriated through the opening arpeggios and excelled through Bruch's fervent opening movement. His second movement began with a bit of tightness. Phrases could have used more space to breathe, and the intense vibrato distracted slightly from the beautiful simplicity of the music. As the movement progressed, Mr. Chen seemed to relax into the music. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px} His finale was brilliant, however, despite a few moments of disconnect with the orchestra. The soloist's delivery of the final movement's opening theme and its subsequent iterations soared over the orchestra. READ THE FULL Pittsburgh Post-Gazette REVIEW

One of the greatest living pianists, Sir Andras Schiff, returns to Australia after more than two decades next year as the highlight of one of the most ambitious seasons in years for Musica Viva. Schiff, especially noted as a Bach specialist, will play a gala recital in Melbourne and Sydney, with an attractive but different program ranging from Bach to Brahms in each city in October, according to the just-released 2018 season for Australia's specialist chamber music group. The star power in the subscription season is also high, with violinists Nicola Benedetti and Ray Chen, pianist Joyce Yang, clarinettist Sabine Meyer and mandolin player Avi Avital. Avital and the Giocoso String Quartet, who won the Musica Viva and audience prizes at the 2015 Melbourne International Chamber Music Festival, visit in April, with a program including a new work written for the unusual combination by Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin. Canadian group Tafelmusik, touring for the third time in May, combine precision playing with video in a tribute to Bach and his world, followed in July by Joyce Yang, who won a silver medal as the youngest contestant at the 12th Van Cliburn competition. Australian-raised virtuoso Ray Chen tours in July, the acclaimed Borodin Quartet from Russia returns in September, and violinist Benedetti joins cellist Leonard Elschenbroich and pianist Alexei Grynyuk in their new piano trio in November. READ THE FULL Sydney Morning Herald ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

If you like your romanticism with extra layers of hot fudge -- I say bring it on -- this week's Baltimore Symphony Orchestra program is just the ticket. Two super-lyrical, extra-passionate Russian works, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, make a sumptuous, satisfying pair. Both were served up in rousing fashion Thursday night at Meyerhoff Hal. Hans Graf, conductor laureate of the Houston Symphony, has a fine track record of inspiring guest appearances with the BSO; he added to that record on this occasion. And in his local debut, the fast-rising violinist Ray Chen gave notice of a distinctive musical personality. As he demonstrated on a delectable Mozart recording with pianist/conductor Christoph Eschenbach for Sony, the 25-year-old Chen is capable of sustaining an exceptionally refined tone and elegant phrasing. It's very easy to hear on that disc the influence of his sterling teacher, Aaron Rosand, back in his student days at the Curtis Institute. On Thursday, Chen showed just as persuasively that he can be edgy, volatile, even a little rough, too. His account of the Tchaikovsky concerto was a grabber from the start, partly because of the sheer tonal intensity. Where other fiddlers apply sweetness, this one kept things spicy. READ THE FULL Baltimore Sun REVIEW.

Recorded 21-23 July 2013 at the annual Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, these refreshing Mozart performances rather elevate the "virtuoso" status of Ray Chen into someone more "musical." The suave solo writing by the nineteen-year-old Mozart for Salzburg in 1775 combines affectionate lyricism in K. 216 with an unfettered brio that Chen and Christoph Eschenbach engage with breezy affection. Some may feel Chen's approach remains over-refined, perhaps too restrained. Chen supplies his own cadenzas that exploit the rich verve of the opening Allegro while adding fioritura within the tasteful standards of Mozart's time. The endless miracle of song in the central Adagio benefits from some lovely dialogue from Chen with two flutes. The young Mozart had absorbed the French style into his own expressiveness, along with the Italianate lyricism he knew from Boccherini and the Cremona violin masters.  Double stops and harmonic runs proceed from Chen in his cadenza, still meditative and arioso in the spirit of the heavenly sonority of the song. The movement ends with a drone figure applied from Eschenbach's responsive ensemble that provides the aerial music an earthy folk idiom. The charming French Rondeau invokes a flighty, witty spirit, rife with sudden injections of fortes and instrumental curlicues.  The brilliant filigree will become fertile in the manner of Tartini and the French court, at once. Nice horn work from the Schleswig-Holstein players to fill out the frothy mix. Chen's brief cadenza adds a martial note or two in playful colors. The last pages ring with affection and youth, of which Mozart possesses an endless supply. READ THE FULL Audiophile Audition REVIEW.

Ray Chen's rise to fame since winning the Menuhin competition in 2008 has been meteoric and with a musical endorsement from Maxim Vengerov and a sartorial deal with Giorgio Armani, he's sounding and looking like the full classical celebrity package. This sparkling Mozart collaboration will only enhance the Taiwanese-born, Brisbane-raised violinist's formidable reputation. In Mozart's Violin Concertos & Sonatas, he checks-in his fashion-blogs and Italian Vogue clothes-horse poses at the studio door, and delivers everything that one could want, two performances that sing and play and dance with effortless style and real joy. True, everything in the mix is weighted toward the soloist, and the solo wind players of Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra might feel gipped that they sound like they're playing out-the-corridor-and-down-the-steps, but when Chen simply caresses the openings to those heavenly slow movements, no one's going to care about the support act. Here's true star-power – one of those recordings that grips you and makes you happy, even when Chen's own cadenzas sound more ‘fresh' than convincing. Eschenbach then turns accompanist in a less ‘present' recording but equally fine performance of the Violin Sonata in A, K305, a foretaste of what can be expected when Chen tours Australia with Timothy Young for Musica Viva in November.

Each week KDFC San Francisco members can download a free mp3 from some of the biggest releases in the world of Classical music through their eNotes newsletter. This week you can download a free mp3 of Ray Chen and Christoph Eschenbach performing the final movement from Mozart's Sonata for Violin and Orchestra No. 4 in D major.  Mozart: Violin Concertos & Sonatas is violinist Ray Chen's first album of all Mozart repertoire. He is joined by renowned Mozart interpreter Maestro Christoph Eschenbach, who not only conducts the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra for the concertos, but also accompanies Ray on the piano for the Violin Sonata. For both of the Concertos, Chen composed his own cadenzas.

Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, Ray Chen is proving to be a man of the world. His music career in competitions has taken him to Wales, Russia, Belgium, and more. Chen's victories has earned him opportunities to work with orchestra's across the globe. From his first solo with the Queensland Philarmonic Orchestra to sold-out performances with the Seoul Philharmonic, it is clear Chen wants to share is talent with the world.

Ray Chen started playing violin when he was only four years old and quickly mastered the instrument. By age eight he was invited to play solo with the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra. Chen was also invited to perform at the opening celebration concert for the 1998 Winter Olympic Games.

Chen has been rewarded many times for beening a young and talented musician, from scholarships to 'Musician of the Year'. He has won multiple competitions and studied under great violinests. Chen's current teacher Aaron Rosand of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and is under contract with Sony Classical.

Ray Chen brings a fresh interpretation to these cornerstones of the violin repertoire. His second release is joined by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of its musical director Daniel Harding. "Music is teamwork," says Ray Chen, and he explains his choice of these works for the new release: "I won with Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. Maybe I bring something new and fresh to them. In any event, I would never take on something that I didn't feel ready for." Alongside his technical mastery, it is precisely the maturity of his playing which has impressed many critics. In the words of the Chicago Tribune: "He is an exceptional talent." His interpretation of the Mendelssohn E minor Violin Concerto led to his triumph at the 2008 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists. The following year the violinist's insightful performance of the Tchaikovsky Concerto secured him first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Both romantic masterpieces that have played a significant role in the young artist's career to date, are included in his first concerto recordingin with Sony Classical.

"Ray Chen can do pretty much anything he wants on the violin" - The Washington Post Sony Classical announces the release of Virtuoso the debut album on the label from the acclaimed young violinist Ray Chen.

Winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition (2009) and the Yehudi Menuhin Competition (2008), Chen has received rave reviews from critics, and high praise from distinguished musicians around the globe for the fresh insight he brings to his performances and a musical authority far beyond his age.

Maxim Vengerov, impressed by Chen's charisma, stunning technique and natural ability to communicate, has described him as "a very pure musician with great qualities such as beautiful, youthful tone, vitality and lightness". Chen's upcoming engagements include performances with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester at Berlin's Philharmonie, and with the Munich Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala, Spanish National Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, as well as recitals and chamber music at today's most prestigious venues and festivals, such as Verbier and Ravinia.

Virtuoso, Chen's first recording for Sony Classical represents a selection of his personal favorites from different strands of the violin repertoire. The album opens with the fiendishly difficult "Devil's Trill" Sonata by Tartini - a remarkable virtuoso and something of a rock star in his own time, whose phenomenal technique was reportedly explained by the fact that he had six fingers on his left hand. Legend has it the Devil appeared to the composer in a dream and tempted him into a pact by playing a beautiful melody on a violin. Chen considers the "Devil's Trill" Sonata, with its haunting opening melody, to be the ideal curtain-raiser. In total contrast to the brilliant fireworks display of the first piece, the album continues with Bach's Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor.  Chen considers this piece - based on a simple but moving theme which evolves into myriad intricate musical figures - to be a study of a whole range of human emotions: melancholy, delight, grief and rapture in the magnificent chorale finale. He describes it as the epitome of the solo violin repertoire.  Henryk Wieniawski is among Chen's favorite composers whose music features not only breath-taking technical display but also true passion. He first played the beautiful Légende in G minor op. 17 at the age of eight and it has remained special to him ever since. The epic Variations on an original theme in A major op.15, however, is a work to be attempted solely by musicians in the very top flight.  Chen confesses to learning it only when he felt that his fingers were "well-oiled enough to meet the challenge of this massive-monster-mammoth of a piece."  The mood shifts once again with César Franck's intimate and poetic Violin Sonata in A major. This composer wrote very little chamber music, yet this late work is regarded as a major masterpiece.  Chen chose to end his first album with this sonata, as it examines the different stages of human existence: "A lifetime of experiences, all represented in one single piece." Dedicated as a wedding gift to the Belgian composer and violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, it provides a fitting conclusion to this imaginative and far-ranging debut recording, an important milestone in the increasingly exciting career of the young musician.