For Chen Xi, a student at the Middle School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music, this summer has been a character building and busy season.
It began in June when he traveled to Moscow to take part in the 12th Tchaikovsky International Music Competition. His performance won him the second prize in the violin contest with the first prize remained vacant. A somewhat remarkable achievement given that he was beaten up by a gang of soccer thugs at the start of the competition. Mistaken for a Japanese, Chen fell foul of rampaging louts following Russia's World Cup defeat by Japan.
Soon after winning universal acclaim for his playing and personal courage, Chen returned to Beijing, where he gave a concert accompanied by the renowned China National Symphony Orchestra. He delighted his Beijing audience with a repeat performance of his Moscow prize winning piece, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major.
He was then selected as the only middle school student to perform in the First National College Students Music Festival held in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province.
That was followed by three weeks in Canada where he attended a music camp, called Music Bridge before returning to China. He then joined in the well-known Perlman Music Program in Shanghai in August. In Perlman's program, Chen benefited from training under the direction of a first-class faculty and was given the opportunity of attending the private class of Itzhak Perlman and communicating with other prodigies from across the world.
During the same period, Chen gave a solo concert at the Shanghai Concert Hall.
Now back in Beijing and before the new school term starts, he and two other prize-winners in the Moscow competition, Wu Bixia, 2nd in the vocal contest and Ju Jin, who came 3rd in the piano category, will give a concert tomorrow evening to mark Teachers' Day. It will be performed in the concert hall of the Central Conservatory.
Moscow Contest
The international music competition named after the great Russian composer Tchaikovsky, with its long established traditions, is one of the most prestigious contests in the music world. Previous performers who went on to international celebrity include Mikhail Pletnev, Yelena Obraztsova, Zurab Sotkilava, Tamara Sinyavskaya and Denis Matsuev.
This year the event attracted 627 applicants from 54 countries, the largest number in the 44-year history of the competition.
The talented Chen's way to the final was by no means easy or smooth.
Lin Yaoji, one of the most renowned violinists in China and Chen's teacher, at first thought Chen was too young to participate in such a grand contest and hesitated to enter him. So it was only at the eleventh hour that Chen decided to try.
The preparation in Moscow was not ideal, either. For some reason, he had to change his accompanist three times before the first round.
Then, between the first and second round of the contest, Chen was brutally attacked.
Both his arms were badly hurt and doctors said he would not be able to play for at least six days. Fortunately, the judges allowed him to perform last in the remaining rounds, giving his injuries time to heal.
Despite this dramatic setback, Chen eventually went on to a resounding victory, a testimony not only to his musical skill but his strength of character.
Although he achieved the highest score, Chen failed to get the coveted 1st prize. But he did get some reassuring words from the president of the jury, Vladimir Spivakov, who told him: "You are very young, only 17-years-old. The gold medal would confine you and it would do no good for your development in the future. We hope the second prize will benefit you more."
Chen graciously replied: "The second prize is an unexpected award for me. I would not play for the sake of a prize. I play the violin for I love it."
Parents' Efforts
Chen's love and genius for music has been developed by his parents, almost from the time he came into the world. Born with a violin playing father in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Chen was given his first violin, one-sixteenth the size of an adult one, by his father when he was just three.
"I sensed his talent when I found he could sit quietly listening to Western classics on records at the age of four or five," said his father Chen Kang.
Therefore, at the age of five, Chen began to seriously study the violin with Wang Guan from the Shenyang Conservatory of Music. Wang taught Chen for five years until he was accepted by the primary school attached to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing in 1994.
If it can be said his father introduced him to the world of music, his mother has given him tremendous help following their arrival in Beijing in 1994.
In China, many parents ambitious to see their children pursue a promising musical career, give up their jobs, leave their hometowns and head for Beijing, where they settle in small rented homes near the conservatory.
Li Jianhua, Chen's mother, a kindergarten teacher, became one of them when her son was accepted by the country's leading music academy. His father visits them once or twice a month.
Meanwhile Li dedicates herself to taking care of Chen, including organizing his after class practice schedules and arranging concerts and contests for him.
"She is my mother, my nurse, my assistant and my agent," Chen said, grinning with thanks.
In their rented Beijing home, a small blackboard hangs on the wall where Li had noted the points needing attention in practice for the Tchaikovsky Competition. It is accompanied by the words: "Learn to take care of yourself so that you can develop well."
Chen furthered his study in the Middle School attached to the Central Conservatory in 1996.
During the first few years, the devoted mother even made notes of what the teacher told her son when the young boy was taking private lessons with Zhao Wei, professor at the Central Conservatory.
From March 1999, Lin Yaoji took Chen as his student, further helping him to progress in his playing. Chen quickly became one of Lin's favorite pupils.
"He has the great patience which most children of his age are lacking. He stands my repeated training," remarked Lin.
Lin also appreciates Chen's passion for the violin. "He is an introvert boy and very obedient in daily life, but when he plays, the music sparkles his amazing passion," said Lin.
Under the direction of Zhao, Lin and his parents, Chen attends a steady flow of concerts and contests. Hours of practice, experience in giving concerts and performing under the pressure of competition, all these have made Chen outstanding among the young violinists, not only in China, but also in the world.
Winning competitions provides him with confidence and opportunity, but Chen says he prefers to play to an audience of music lovers rather than for a panel of judges.
"It is much freer to play in a concert than a contest. I can give my imagination full release to the music and fully play and really express what I feel to the audience," he said.
In the middle school attached to the Central Conservatory of Music, Chen has had many opportunities to attend master classes given by virtuosos invited by the conservatory. Coming from across the world they bring with them the richness of different styles.
From Dumay Augustin to Maxim Vengerov, this gifted young lad has been privileged to learn from masters and in turn improve rapidly himself.
Remarking on these maestros of the violin, Chen said: "Every master has his individuality and his own style. For a student like me, the problem is to know whether he fits you well and what point you should learn from whom."
Talking about his idols, Chen spoke of his admiration for Jascha Heifetz' wonderful technique and David Oistrakh's artistic accomplishment.
"How great if I could combine both well!" Chen sighed.
At that moment, Chen looked more like a boy of 17, than the commanding authority he presents when performing on stage.
The pursuit of a musical career from such an early age has meant Chen has made a lot of sacrifices. He has given up many hours other children would spend on carefree games. He had to leave his computer games in Shenyang, there are not enough hours in the day for such frivolities in the highly competitive realm of study in Beijing. Chen enjoys playing table tennis, but there is little time to spare for that. Most of his time is taken up with practice, classes, concerts and competitions.
Techniques help to interpret music, while music expresses the emotions. Chen might be too young to be expected to express his own understanding of classical music, as well as complicated emotions, both of which come from life experience.
Aware of the dangers of burning out in one so young, Chen's parents and teachers are providing every help to ensure that does not happen. Under their watchful eye the signs are hopeful that he will not lose his passion through the monotony of disciplined practice but keep his extraordinary talent and also grow up a well-rounded person.
(China Daily September 9, 2002)
