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Chen Xi sits back, his poise and calm belying his age of 17 years old. It was perhaps this same poise and calm that steeled the young man to produce the best performance of his life against fierce competition: on June 23, the violinist from Shenyang, northeast China Liaoning Province won the top prize for violin at the 12th International Tchaikovsky Competition.
Chen, who is in Shanghai to attend the three-week Perlman Music Program at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, will also perform a recital at the Shanghai Concert Hall this Sunday, featuring all the sonata pieces played at the competition.
“I hadn't expected to win a prize at all, to say nothing of the top prize,” says the senior at the Beijing-based High School affiliated with the Central Conservatory of Music. “I just wanted experience from such a competition,” he says. “I know that sounds pretty clich? and insincere, but it's true.”
Chen only became aware that he would attend the competition in October. At that time, he began preparing the 180-minute list, which includes solos, sonatas and concertos full-time. He felt overwhelmed, he says. And although he learned a new sonata every 20 days, Chen's self-confidence took another blow when his tutor, Lin Yaoji, director of the Central Conservatory of Music Violin Study & Research Department, called from a South African violin competition to tell Chen to bow out: a Russian who was in the South African competition was too good, said Lin, who might think Chen was not his match.
Chen shrugged off his tutor's concerns, and insisted on continuing. And the tutor is now eating his words, for Chen became China's second violinist to win the coveted prize. The first one was Xue Wei, who won the competition in 1990. And the Russian whom Professor Lin was so worried about came in fifth.
Even before Chen made headlines with his prize in Moscow, he was making headlines for an injury caused by rioting football fans in Moscow during World Cup. “Many Asians who were in the subway that day were targeted,” says Chen. “That was ridiculous,” interjects his mother, and constant companion. Li Jianhua, a former Shenyang Speaker Factory worker, has devoted herself to her son's career fulltime since her retirement. “I don't think it will rob him of independence,” says the 46-year-old, who has obviously done her research. “A number of famous musicians had their mothers accompany them, such as Mozart, Beethoven and Liszt, oh, also Paganini. Really, we are friends more than mother and son.” It was Chen's first teacher, Wang Guan, a professor at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, who suggested that one of Chen's parents should sacrifice their careers for the budding genius, and Li has done so. She attends class with him, videotaping all of Professor Lin's lessons, making notes after class, reading biographies of musicians, and keeping a journal for her son. “Chen Xi showed his special interest in music at 2,” Li recalls. “My husband played violin in the local army's art troupe, so there was always classical music playing at home. Interestingly, even then, he only paid attention to the string pieces. One day, when the classical music was on as usual, the 2-year old ran up to me, saying, ‘Mum, Beethoven.’ It was amazing.”
Chen has been studying music since the age of 6, and says that no matter how long he practices, he never feels tired. “It is natural to me, and I love to be with my violin. Exhausted? Never,” he says, his smile as poised and calm as ever.
(eastday.com August 16, 2002)
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