The internationally renowned pianist Rueibin Chen (陳瑞斌) is bringing his new repertoire called “Fairy Tale Fantasy” to Taipei and Tainan in the coming weeks.
Magical music invoking fantastical images straight from a fairy tale will soon fill performance halls in Taipei and Tainan. That’s thanks to the efforts of the internationally acclaimed Taiwanese pianist Rueibin Chen (陳瑞斌).
During an exclusive interview for RTI, Chen talked about the two composers he had chosen for these performances — Erich Korngold and Chiang Wen-yeh (江文也).
Erich Korngold was an Austrian-born musical prodigy, composer, and conductor who made his fame as one of the pioneers of film music after he emigrated to the United States in 1934. Chiang wen-yeh, on the other hand, was a Taiwanese composer born under Japanese rule, who also became famous outside of his homeland.
Chen says this makes him resonate with those two artists. He himself also left his home as a youth and grew up in Europe, which made him appreciate Korngold and Chiang’s experiences and compositions.
He says this year is the 125th anniversary of Korngold’s birth, while next year will mark 40 years since Chiang passed away. Now both composers’ fantastical and magical works will be united in two performances — at Taipei’s Zhongshan Hall on November 15 and Tainan’s Xinying Cultural Center on December 10.