中華表演藝術基金會 Chinese Performing Arts Foundation

~ Program ~

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Sonetto 104 del Petrarca from Années de pèlerinage II
(7’30”)

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Intermezzo in A major,Op. 118,No. 2
(5’30”)

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Mazurka in A minor,Op. 59,No. 1
Mazurka in A-flat major,Op. 59,No. 2
Mazurka in F-sharp minor,Op. 59,No. 3
(11’)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude and Fugue in F-sharp major from The Well-Tempered Clavier,Book II,BWV 882
(5’15")

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Suite bergamasque
Prélude
Menuet
Clair de Lune
Passepied
(18’)

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor,Op. 36
Allegro agitato
Non allegro—Lento
Allegro molto
(21’35’’)

Foundation for
Chinese Performing Arts

photos: Chi Wei Lo,Xiaopei Xu and Chung Cheng

Hung-Kuan Chen 陳宏寬,pianist

"Pianist Hung-Kuan Chen’s career - as well as his life -- has been a vivid example of the concept of yin-and-yang. In that Chinese philosophy,apparent opposites are actually complementary: each fulfills a need in the other; one cannot exist without the other. Mr. Chen embodies a synthesis of seeming opposites that coalesce into a unique artistic personality.

Hung-Kuan Chen was born in Taipei and raised in Germany. He established a strong connection to Germanic Classicism in his early studies which he integrated with the sensibility of organic Chinese philosophy. "I’m Chinese by birth,” he says,"but I’m actually more European. I’ve read and studied a tremendous amount of the great literature and language of Germany.”

One of the most honored pianists of his generation,Mr. Chen won top prizes in the Arthur Rubinstein,Busoni,and Geza Anda International Piano Competitions,and in the Young Concert Artists International Piano Auditions. He also won prizes in the Queen Elisabeth,Montreal International Musical and Van Cliburn International Piano Competitions,as well as an Avery Fisher Career Grant.

Mr. Chen has performed in many of the world’s foremost concert venues,including Carnegie Hall in New York,the Kennedy Center in Washington,D.C.,Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco,the Tonhalle in Zürich,the Herkulesaal in Munich,the Sala Verdi in Milan,Suntory Hall in Tokyo,National Concert Hall in Taipei,Shanghai Concert Hall and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. He was the first to perform the Rachmaninoff Third and Beethoven Fourth Piano Concertos in Taipei,and gave the Shanghai premiere of the Bartók Second Piano Concerto. His plans for the 2015-2016 season include solo and orchestral performances in China and Switzerland,in Boston,and at Aspen and Yale. He is also preparing new recordings to be made in Switzerland in 2016.

Hung-Kuan Chen has enjoyed fruitful artistic collaborations with,among others,Christoph Eschenbach,Hans Graf,George Cleve,Joseph Silverstein,David Shifrin,Roman Totenberg,ChoLiang Lin,the Shanghai Quartet,Sui Lan and Andrew Parrott. His most meaningful artistic partnership is with his wife,Tema Blackstone,with whom he frequently performs as a piano duo.

Hundreds of students worldwide have benefitted from Hung-Kuan Chen’s knowledge and love of music. "Teaching and performing complement each other,” he declares. "Teaching is sharing,and by sharing,our search continues in a more objective way. When I share,I become the beneficiary of the results of the investigation and the continued questioning. This benefits my playing,as I’m often coming up with new ideas and insights.”

Mr. Chen is currently on the faculty of The Juilliard School and is a visiting professor at Yale,and is also on the faculty for Artemisia Akademie at Yale. He previously served as Chair of the piano department of Shanghai Conservatory,and was on the faculty of New England Conservatory. He has adjudicated prominent international piano competitions such as the Van Cliburn,Busoni,Shanghai,and Honens. His 2015 summer teaching engagements included the Chinese Foundation for the Arts,Piano
Summer Institute in New Paltz,International Music Akademie in Lichtenstein and Aspen Music Festival. Among notable pianists he has taught or coached are Yuja Wang,Sean Chen and Niu Niu.

In 1992,Hung-Kuan Chen suffered a hand injury which caused neurological damage and eventually resulted in focal dystonia. Through meditation and his own unique research,he was able to heal and return to his life as a concert artist. His first post-accident solo recital in 1998 received rave reviews and he was described as a transformed artist.

Mr. Chen addresses his extraordinary journey in these terms: "What gave me the drive and courage to find a cure? On one side was the curiosity about the human body,awareness and consciousness; and on the other,my desire to continue my art. This was the biggest learning curve I had ever encountered. It meant having to detach from ego and ambition. It taught me to embrace all that comes to me and be extremely grateful…to notice the tiny things - those details which create a full life and are often missed by most people. To be ‘in the moment’ sounds clichéd but is not. And as part of the search for meaning,the joy of being able to play again - that was a true miracle.”

A many-faceted individual,Hung-Kuan has painted and drawn,danced,and played several other instruments. He is a serious chef,bakes his own bread and homebrews beer. He is an artisan of home improvement,a skilled woodworker and an electronics whiz. He is a meticulous piano tuner,a knowledgeable jazz enthusiast,and an avid hiker. He brings the same level of curiosity and dedication to both spiritual and worldly pursuits.

(2016)

中華表演藝術基金會第三十三屆音樂季,將由鋼琴家陳宏寬在10月2日週六晚8點於新英格蘭音樂學院喬頓廳(New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall) 開場。這是中華表演藝術基金會自2020 年2 月以來第一場回到喬頓廳的音樂會。當晚陳宏寬將演出李斯特、勃拉姆斯、肖邦、巴赫、德彪西和拉赫瑪尼諾夫的作品。喬頓廳規定僅有480 單獨座位,曲目不得超過90分鐘,沒有中場休息,觀眾需戴口罩,並出示打過疫苗的證明才可進場。票價 $15 (age 7-14),$30,$50,提供學生免費票 (十四歲以上)及非學生贈送券,請上網預訂,六歲以下兒童請勿入場。

陳宏寬出生於台灣,13歲時以資優生出國進修,先在德國修習五年,後來轉赴美國,在波士頓大學音樂系及紐英崙音樂學院完成學業,獲得藝術家文憑。在德國長大吸取德國古典文學,也閱讀過大量的德國文學著作,與中國哲學中感性的因素融合,講究的是彼此對立卻互補,正是陳宏寬獨特的藝術人格。

從1980年代開始,他參加了多項國際音樂大賽,在國際上受到肯定,除了獲得魯賓斯坦及普松尼兩項的金牌,也在蕭邦、蒙特婁、范克里本、伊麗莎白女王等大賽中獲得大獎,並得到1991年艾佛瑞費雪音樂成就獎 Avery Fisher Career Grant)。

陳宏寬的足跡遍布世界頂尖音樂廳,與眾多傑出的藝術家合作。在教育事業上,陳宏寬亦孜孜不倦,將自己的音樂學識和藝術熱情傳授給世界各地成百上千名學生。許多他的學生在國際比賽中獲得最高獎項。

陳宏寬現任茱莉亞音樂學院教師,耶魯大學客座教授。他曾任上海音樂學院鋼琴系主任,曾任教於新英格蘭音樂學院。多次擔任國際鋼琴大賽評委,包括範克萊本 (Van Cliburn),布索尼 (Busoni) 國際鋼琴大賽,上海國際鋼琴比賽,赫尼茲 (Honens) 國際鋼琴比賽等。

1992年,陳宏寬的手神經損傷,導致局部肌肉張力不全。通過 7年得以痊癒,重返音樂舞台。1998年他舉辦了康復後的首場鋼琴獨奏會,穫好評如潮,被稱作涅槃重生的藝術家。談起自己非同尋常的藝術人生時,陳宏寬說："這是一次極大的考驗。這次經歷教會我,要抱著感恩的心接受生活的幸與不幸。能重返舞台演奏的喜悅,對我來說真是奇蹟"。