Taipei, June 1 (CNA) World renowned Taiwanese pianist Chen Ruei-bin gave a mini-concert at a press conference Tuesday as a preview to a June 6 solo concert in Taipei to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Polish composer and pianist Frederic Chopin's birth.
The pianist, who comes from southern Taiwan and honed his musical skills in Austria and Germany, told CNA he is excited to play in front of local music lovers for the first time in three years in Taiwan's first full Chopin concert held at the National Concert Hall.
Chen, who was taught piano by his father from the age of 5 and went to Vienna, Austria aged 12 on a state-funded scholarship, has won 18 medals in various international competitions. He has spent most of his career overseas and most of his time traveling and performing.
The virtuoso launched a Chopin 200 commemoration tour in 2008 that has taken him from the United States to Australia and New Zealand and from Europe to China and Hong Kong during the last three years.
Chen said he has played Chopin since he was a teenager, when his interpretations of Chopin received high acclaim from Austrian media and music critics.
"Looking back, my performance at the time would not even interest me now because it was not that good. As I'm now older and have experienced setbacks, challenges and heartache, I think I am able to interprete Chopin's works better, " he said. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J