Download my app Tonic today tonicmusic.app/join-in if you'd like join a community of musicians practicing together! (and avoid breaking strings live) Thanks for watching! What would you have done?
Screamed and run off stage leaving the violin behind. I played for eight years and never got over the fear of strings breaking. Had to switch to woodwind in the end.
Very interesting to see how the hierarchy works for the greater good: The soloist passes onto the concert-master, who passes onto the 2nd chair, which then passes it on to the 4th chair, and thus, the audience has the least possible loss of the piece.
I found this especially interesting as well. After all, it would be quite problematic for a concertmaster to lead the section with a 3-stringed violin :/
That was handled so well. I like how everyone just hands the broken instrument down the ranks and the way he just has extra strings in his pocket. Nicely done folks.
Sebastian Garcia doing this with a violin takes a lot of skill, as i’ve come to find out while bullying violin players when i still played in my school orchestra. best believe i’d be clapping after he pulled that off
a lot of people commented on how impressive it is that he continued perfectly on another violin, but i think its worth mentioning that the first two violinists behind him ALSO kept playing on different instruments after passing the broken one back. its just an impressive band Edit: everyone stop bringing up that i called it a band i am in high school band (NOT orchestra) and its the only word i could think of i know its wrong youre not helping by correcting me months later
@@nicks22 the british military string orchestra gets large audiences and theyre called an orchestra, same with the Scottish orchestra? its only people who dont like orchestras because theyre ‘boring’ like calling an obvious orchestra a band (look up the difference between and band and an orchestra, theyre similar but not the same)
@@leila13dnd much much much much much more than their life savings haha. That violin costs millions and he could realistically have a day job to afford playing with the symphony.
Everyone is talking about Ray’s level of concentration after his string breaks, but I’m still not over how he played the beginning part so lightly and with so much ease! His sound is so crisp and clear it’s crazy!
Heey~ I know it has nothing to do with your comment but i felt to say that Jesus loves you so much, he died for you on the cross for your salvation. He cares about you and he's coming soon ❤️ Read the bible and he will talk to you more 🙌🏻
@@ellalogx Heey ~ I know it has nothing to do with your comment but I felt to say that Bhudha loves you so much, he sat under a fig tree and contemplated about life, suffering and death. He cares about you and prays for your enlightenment..keep up with your mantras and we talk soon.
Professional on so many levels. Doesn’t miss a beat or freak out when the string breaks, doesn’t lose his place when he takes the new violin, has no issue playing a violin that’s not his, and has extra stings ready to go in his pocket! And the rest of the violin section handled it expertly as well. Great job all around.
As Guitarists, our strings RARELY break, but that "pop" sound is literally "Oh no that sucks". Also, if I had to SWAP a guitar out with another person, my accuracy could maybe be up to 20% off. This guy just plays it like it's his. No warm-up. Unreal. Literally MILLIMETERS of difference are an entire planet on stringed instruments.
This dude is one of the best modern violinists according to a commenter in this video. Still he handled the smoothly and i know nothing about stringed instruments
Ikr. My guitar once had the thing you use to tune it (english is not my first language so i dont know its name) so I had to use the spare one at school. Didn't work out so well 😅 Edit: I really don't know ehat I wrote there. What I was trying to write there. Sorryyyy
as a violinist, the way he just played without having a thought was outstanding. whenever i trade with someone else, i have to adjust myself, which takes me minutes. it surprised me how he played just as he played with his own.
@@SurajInd89 ... And you hope to achieve what with this comment. Of course they aren't top 100 players worldwide. Nothing wrong with giving credit where credits due
The pizzicato at the end was just brilliant! A little humor injected into the performance was lovely, not to even mention how INSANELY smooth he had to be to break a string and switch to someone else's violin and play it perfectly in tune without getting used to it! All the things that happened in 2 minutes here are an example of what a master of his craft is.
I assume the concert master's violin was in tune, so the soloist didn't have to retune it. Playing someone else's violin, is like driving someone else's car. It is different, but you can still drive. Althouogh to get to the end of the piece unfazed, was an accomplishment for sure.
If I had a nickel for everytime Ray Chen broke a string in a concert, I would have two. Which isn't a lot, but it's still weird that it happened twice.
I like Ray, I got into classical music a while back and there are definitely violinists that just do things really well. I like almost all his versions
As a violinist myself, the ability to play someone else’s violin perfectly without getting used to it first shows tremendous amounts of skill. It’s such a particular instrument that requires so much muscle memory that even the slightest change in neck thickness, string separation or even texture or smoothness of the wood or strings can throw you completely off your game.
i played a ton of cello growing up, was all-state principal cellist in a big state, as well as first chair for a couple other non-professional orchestras in college. so not pro, but not a beginner either by any means. i never noticed any significant difference between one instrument vs. another that would be a huge problem when switching instruments in a situation like this. if anything, the bow and how much rosin was on it made more difference to the feel of an instrument than the instrument itself. of course, every instrument SOUNDS different, but in terms of playing one vs. another, unless you're switching to a smaller size (3/4 or something), I don't see how it would have been a huge problem switching.
VERY true. We play by feel and muscle memory, so my instinctual A might be a A# on a different instrument, even if its been well tuned. Edit: Ok for clarification I didn’t mean full note change, just a sharper A. Slightly different sizes and strings can do that
@@Electric_Bagpipes it wouldn't work like that at all. unless the instruments are different size categories (7/8 vs full size), if they're all tuned properly, an A should be proportionally in the same spot on one violin as another. the only somewhat noticeable difference ive felt when I've used other people's instruments (not talking about the bow, where the most differences would be noticed) would be that some instrument's "necks" feel more squared off or rounded. But that wouldn't affect your ability to pick up another person's instrument and play it pretty easily. What is to be commended is how quickly, efficiently, and professionally the issue was resolved in a completely calm manner. But people are making it sound like switching instruments is some amazing feat, when that's not what's impressive here.
The first chair aka concert master has to give the soloist his violin then a whole chain happens ending up with the first chair having one of his sections violin, its like the greater good
I have a strange feeling that Chen was playing on his beloved Widenhouse (modern) violin rather than his Strad, and perhaps the concertmaster was also playing Widenhouse or violin by a maker of similar prestige which is why there was almost no difference in sound. It's very common for orchestras to get to know a particular modern/local maker and then *boom!* , all of a sudden that maker's instruments start appearing in the orchestra by the handful.... or many handfuls haha. Ray Chen is definitely the reason why Brett and Eddy both got Widenhouse violins, since Ray Chen is one of their idols and they're friends.
For people who are not familiar with orchestra protocol, this is actually standard practice. If a violin soloist's violin breaks in the middle of a concerto, the concertmaster (aka, the leader of the first violin section) has to hand over his or her violin. An exception would be if it happens in the beginning, when it's not too much or a hassle to restring it and start over.
Had no idea. I assumed the best course would be to have the next ranking violin to take over the solo role until that one is ready to resume with a replacement.
The most impressive thing about this is how good he still sounded after the switch. Most people don't know how hard it is to play someone else's instrument. A musician's instrument is like part of their body and it just doesn't feel and sound the same when playing another instrument that they didn't tune or practice with.
that's happened to me before (when i was a beginner and thought i was turning the A peg instead of the E peg). pretty stupid on my part, would not recommend
The fact that he just didn't care that the string broke and instead just casually started playing the same notes on a different string shows what a maestro he is💜
@@ilovejettrooper5922yes, the e string broke and he continued playing on the a string, which is possible but you need a completely different fingering. Only a professional can do this so seemlessly
I was there! Center orchestra row M seat 4. I was totally entranced by the performance and when the string broke I didn't know what was happening. My first thought was someone in the audience causing trouble. Then I saw the broken string catch the light. I was stunned and wondered if they'd have to stop and then in a few seconds of activity everything was back on track. I was amazed at that level of sang-froid. Thank you so much Mr. Chen for that amazing experience !
That was just incredibly smooth -- a brief "oh crap" look, then the first violin guy sees it and hands over. IDK if there is supposed to be a pause in the solo there, but if not you'd never be able to tell.
For you non-violin players out there, you can not imagine HOW difficult it is to play on another's violin, precisely a concerto and without reheasing on it for even two minutes before. The space between strings and their pressure, the height of the bridge... you have rehearsed for years with them to obtain that perfect finger positioning. It makes my adrenalin rush just by watching it. And he performed perfectly afterwards!!!! This guy should get a medal...
Based on a couple of things, I think it’s unlikely that he has never played this violin before. Apparently there is a protocol when this kind of thing happens, which means it happens often enough to have such a protocol. Having this protocol, and not at least playing/trying the violin you would swap to seems negligent if this is the case. During rehearsals, I’m sure that he will have had the opportunity to play this violin and presumably will have done so at the very least pre show/ tuning. That having been said, I’m sure he could pick up any violin and play it almost exactly the same, he is of course fantastically talented and practiced on the instrument. Just saying I think it’s unlikely that he would never have played the violin he would be handed in such a situation.
@@eds7228 It usually doesn't happen. The soloist can play with several orchestras during the year and the only time he and the concertino meet is at general rehearsals. Indeed, the protocol dictates that, in case the soloist is unable to perform due to instrument failiure, there has to be one in reserve. Sometimes there can be an extra violin at hand just in case, but in most of the cases, the concertino offers theirs.
As a violinist myself. You are exaggerating so much. You are acting as if he was handed a completely different instrument. yes he has to adapt to the tension of the string, the bow weight and balance point, and the feel will be different, but it's not going to be extremely difficult to adapt as you put it. You're acting as if we never touch different violins in our life. It's like having to drive a rental car. Yes it's different but it's still the same. And I'm talking about a manual car. Stop exaggerating. Btw I'm not saying what he did wasn't impressive. I was impressed too. As it does take a couple min to adjust. But to be on the edge of your seat watching it. Come on bro. You know you just smiled and that was it haha
Well don't think us like that mate, even though I never played any violin, I knew how hard it is to play another person's instrument, it happen to me ( not violin ) and it's hard.
Can you imagine being the violinist who was handed the violin and the spare string. So no pressure just restring my £7.5 million violin as quickly as you can while on stage so I can use it again in a moment and by the way you might as well play it until I get to a point where I can swap it over again. Wow!
@@vegancrabcakes if it’s just one instrument, then the musician can pluck the strings very gently and tune that way. The sound will sit under the orchestra, and won’t be heard, although it is significantly harder to tune that way
The thing is with instruments though is that you _always_ treat them like their worth millions. Especially orchestral; fun fact: the strings are only held on to the instrument by friction against the spools, as is the bridge and soundpeg. Yes, you heard me right, THE STRINGS AREN’T EVEN ATTACHED.
For those who are wondering, the piece Ray was playing is Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, op 35. I highly recommend listening to it, its a beautiful piece, and Ray did an amazing job playing it. Have a good day.
It's good you left the piece name. This video has so many views, as if it were a pop song. I'm sure over half the people who clicked on this don't know what it is. If you're new to classical music, welcome to the party. You've got a lot of catching up to do. Enjoy yourself!
A very gifted musician. I love how without hesitation his fellow violin player handed him his own. I'm not a musician whatsoever but I know it's not easy to play on an instrument your not familiar with. Wonderful job!
The violinist sitting at the very top, closest to the soloist, is called the concert master. They're head of the string section and could even "take over" (not stand up and get to the conductor stand) in an extreme case where the conductor gets lost. If anything happens with the soloist violin, the soloist will swap with the concert master and the concert master with the 2nd violin. This is a common practice but it was still smooth as hell.
I don't know anything about violins, but I doubt the violin the soloist took was tuned correctly, but correct me if I'm wrong on that, because if it wasn't tuned correctly, it's amazing it sounds good still.@@alphabets0ng
That's probably the worst moment for a string break At first, he can't play the double stops with the e string missing forcing him to stop, and then he has to play the whole cadenza on a violin he's not used to Great job though!
you saw that realization happen, where he attempted to soldier on and just play without the e-string, then realize he was f'ed cause of the double-stops, then turn to the conductor, like "DUDE I'M F'ED" .. all in the space of like 1 second. Then with the replacement, that first double-stop was all it took for him to completely get the "feel" of it, I think that was the most impressive part. That solo is super difficult even with an instrument you know like your own hand, to play it THAT WELL on a totally unfamiliar instrument, on the spot, that is simply amazing.
@@anttimaki6633 that’s what an incel would say to make them feel better about themselves sitting on their bed all day with their favourite sock and their favourite website 🟧⬛️
Well unfortunately nowadays music awards are not given for music but for “music” like pop etc and I’m pretty sure that 80%(or even more) of people have never heard this concerto
Coincidentally I have been in a performance of the Tchaikovsky where exactly the same thing happened to the soloist and he did exactly the same as you. The thing I find most impressive is that you and that soloist were able to take someone else's instrument and still perform flawlessly. People think all instruments are the same but they are not, the positions in the fingerboard might be slightly different and how you produce sound might be vastly different. Well done!
In 2010, his E string breaks in the beginning of Max Bruch Gm Concerto in São Paulo. Ray played the entire concerto with the violin from the concertmaster, (this violin, if i remember, had a central chinrest, dominants strings heavy tensions, a very diferent setup) and still, his played perfectly! I was thinking "how did he manage to adapt so quickly?" Your words were exacly my thoughts that day
I don't play the violin but I imagine it's really difficult to just hop into another instrument other than the ones you've played for years, just like that. So smoothly. amazing
Yeah, especially at that level of playing (and then again: Every pianist has to do it over and over again - but if you are used to your one instrument, it is really hard without no proper warm up).
@@TheTruth-13 This is like saying "It is just another person. I don't see how it is different to work with another person." Instruments react slightly different from each other. It will not bother you as a beginner, but when you are more experienced, you need to know you instrument. Of course you can switch and you will produce a good result. But here we are talking about pros who want an excellent result. For example: Different wood makes a different sound. Different quality of instruments make a difference how quiet or how loud you can play them. Violins don't have "keys" like a piano, so you have to figure out, where your note is on the finger board (and even keys respond slightly different. Some are harder to press, some respond easier ...). Different material in strings might feel different in touch, sliding can be harder ... Even the temperature of the room and or/instrument and the humidity do make a difference in sound. The tuning changes during playing (strings get a tad more flat during performances, because the strings get a bit longer while woodwinds get more sharp). All those tiny bits feature into your performance and can throw you off your game. Especially if you are going for perfection.
Well true but most violinists in a major orchestra (in this case the Seattle Symphony I believe) have fairly expensive (and usually quite old) violins of their own (I would guess typically around at least $25,000-$100,000 in value in most cases, more in the case of the concertmaster and a few others. Actual working symphonic violinists can correct me if I’m wrong.) Many if not most of them may have had the chance to hold and play a Strad, Guarneri, or other famous make at various times.
What a crazy world we live in, this video made me interested in Tchaikovsky's violin concertos, which led me to listening to your recording of the first movement of this piece with the Swedish radio symphony orchestra over and over again, so much so that it was in the top 5 of all spotify songs that I listened to(and the most listened to classical piece). Without this video none of that would have happened. Thanks for posting, keep up the good work
Wowww! As a previous violinist I can say wha most impressed me is that he picked up a violin that’s not his own and was able to still sounds good! Whenever I traded violins with any of my orchestra mates it was really weird trying to figure out the little difference between their fingerboard and what I’m use to - feels kinda like a whole different instrument but he didn’t let anyone know that
This simple scene speaks so much about decent human behaviors. The main violinist plays effortlessly on someone else's violin speaks of his talent. The violinist who offers up his violin speaks of his sense of teamwork. The rest of the orchestra did not miss a beat speaks of their professionalism. The audience's appreciation of the event speaks of the hope that still exists in today's self centered society.
His ability to transfer violins so seamlessly was incredible! And that vibrato was so good. I've been playing the violin and my vibrato sucks so I know how difficult it is
This is a clear example of a true proffesional musician. (To not panic and keep continue playing even when things go wrong) In addition with the crowd's laughter and cheering. Magically entertaining and epic performance!
I remember learning something like this in band back in high school. When something like a mistake happens, carry on to ignore the mistake so that the audience isn't affected. Or something like that. It's a performer thing i suppose.
Much of it being because the 1st's violin that was given to Ray was meant to BLEND in rather than stand out. If you're gonna play a solo with an orchestra, you need a violin that stands out, but if you're playing with the orchestra, you need a violin that blends in. But his violin is worth a TON so it's obviously going to sound brilliant :)
Saw Anne A Myers in concert when one string on her instrument came loose. The look she gave the violin was priceless and had the audience in love with her. She adjusted the string, first violin gave her the key, and they continued flawlessly. True professionalism by all concerned.
It’s his job but I don’t know how he felt about losing his violin for the rest of the concert. I think it would personally be kind of annoying to go out of the way to get there, get ready, practice for hours and then have your violin taken by the soloist.
It's their profession. Imagine someone else watching you doing things in your profession and how you do things they just do not imagine doing themselves. It's the same thing here))
He practiced his solo to perfection. This is the beauty of music; if you can play by memory of a piece then they orchestra could stop and pick up 10 seconds later in the song without missing a beat
Last night I was 10 feet from Ray when it happened, with no other spectator between us, as the first two rows were left open. This added excitement to an already incredible performance. Ray's Tchaikovsky was the best performance of this concerto I ever watched, and I had seen a few excellent ones over the years. Never in my life had I been thrilled by every single note of a piece of music. And Ray gave me that thrill. Thank you, maestro, for this incredible gift. ♥
Ray Chen, amazing violinist, still an entertainer even in this situation and then perfect further. An unbelievable maestro, fascinating and highly flexible. BRAVO👏👏
Dudee..... I just listened to the Arcane song with Sting. Unbelievably beautiful, man! I met you back in 2017 when I was an intern at the Storioni Festival in The Netherlands. Very happy to see your success :))
Some can tell that he isn't used to the violin change hence some issues here and there. But he's so good that it's barely noticeable to most people. Cause his messy playing is better than most of what we consider good when we play
@@bryanlin8333 yeah on the double stops, you could just barely hear that it was unfamiliar to him. especially if you've heard him play Tchaikovsky before. He still nailed the notes, it was just the dynamics of the instrument were a bit different. Immediately after that he had the "feel" for the instrument though, how he pulled off those harmonics on an instrument he's never played before, I will never understand. The man is a virtuoso.
Holy crap that was insane! He missed like what two notes when a string broke! The adjustment, timing, instantaneous reaction of the others behind him, covering the missed note during the handover… just… amazing ❤
I've watched this video for about 20 times now and I'm having goosebumps every single time. The way he knew the orchestra part and modified the solo part to still sound decent and not just have a huge gap in the middle of the piece, the way he plays with 100% accuracy on a completely new instrument... 👏👏👏
@@BrooklynBalla idk if you know the original but he played something else than what tchaikovsky actually composed for the solo violin during those bars, he sort of mimicked the bassoon (I think?) on the remaining things before switching violins
LOVE the humorous little pizz in the cadenza and the look. Wow, to have your string break right then with all the double stops, and then to have to play the cadenza on a strange violin! Very, very impressive.
This is brilliant. When the string broke it didn't stop people from helping, the audience showed their appreciation for it by clapping, and Ray played easily with a new violin. Awesome!
He also handed the Concert Master some extra strings he had prepared in case of a situation like this, and they passed the violin to the back of the section and someone put the new string on in the middle of the performance so that they could give it back to him by the beginning of second movement since there is no great enough pause until the end.
I was looking for something like this. It seemed odd to me that they just kept passing it along. I mean, someone is going to have to end up without a violin to play, so why not just hold on to it and take one for the team? Passing it along just seemed disruptive to me. But your explanation makes so much sense. Thank you!
@@sarahnadeofpoetry there’s a hierarchy in an orchestra. Not a social order as such but an order of musical importance. The first chair would probably have more important passages to play or lead. The second has some less and so forth. Anyone else in the group might not affect the performance as much as the 1st chair which is often called the “concert master”, and the 2nd.
@@sarahnadeofpoetry Because you need the first chair for certain parts.... and they kept passing because it finally went to the 3rd chair who decided to just fix it instead of passing it all the way back to the 5th chair. She could have but 1st and 2nd definitely had parts coming up.
these guys are the best of the best. well done for letting him celebrate when he was taken care of so quickly. everyone enjoyed that moment and if not I certainly did. I could see the smile behind the mask. it was a great moment.
This kind of selflessness is only possible with a great ensemble that (1) loves the music, and (2) plays and works together well beyond just the music. Class act by everyone involved
The sense of unity in the orchestra after Ray broke the strings was also spectacular. It was wonderful that Ray played each note carefully. So I would love to watch them all again.
I was sitting at the 3rd row then. Before the concert I literally imagined "what if he breaks the string". Don't blame me Ray. I asked my friend and he said he had thought the same too. Maybe we had watched your other string breaks video too many times.
The most charming violinist who’s smile and energy resonates light and love to everyone. The violin seems to be an extension of himself resonating his beautiful spirit.
Great save. A lesson in "how to cope with a mishap in a very important situation". I am very impressed. (And by the way: The orchestra was brilliant! Must be such a treat to play with so many talented, dedicated musicians!)
![Try to Beat me at Violin [🎻100 Violin Giveaway]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ctIbXWIHVXo/mqdefault.jpg)
Download my app Tonic today tonicmusic.app/join-in if you'd like join a community of musicians practicing together! (and avoid breaking strings live)
Thanks for watching! What would you have done?
Emergency Strad under the conductor's podium?
Finish the whole concerto without E string, challenge urself, man, hahaha
The same thing that you just did
Screamed and run off stage leaving the violin behind.
I played for eight years and never got over the fear of strings breaking. Had to switch to woodwind in the end.
walk off stage LMAO, man not letting that string break tilt you is insanely impressive. Already had a ton of respect for you but my god man
Remember:
Swapping your weapon is faster than reloading.
holyshit
Ray Chen
69420 hp
25% defence
100000 stamina
696969 charisma
Special ability:
Tacticool Violinist
gamers unite
… as a pubg player I feel targeted. But thank u, I rly do need to remember this lmao
Hahahah. Well said.
Very interesting to see how the hierarchy works for the greater good: The soloist passes onto the concert-master, who passes onto the 2nd chair, which then passes it on to the 4th chair, and thus, the audience has the least possible loss of the piece.
Actually, 2nd chair passes to 4th chair so that the outside players still play. Again, optimizing the audience's experience.
@@ghillies4life Thanks for explaining. I corrected my comment :p
@@ChiefHerzensCoach I agree. A humble act is great, but only at the right moment.
FINALLY thank you it seemed like nobody was talking about how they sacrificed one violin for another
I found this especially interesting as well. After all, it would be quite problematic for a concertmaster to lead the section with a 3-stringed violin :/
I love how Ray's like "not to worry" and pulls out spare strings like he's pulling out first aid for an injured kid.
I still cant see where he pulls out spare strings?
@@balqisbamenda 0:48
Professionals are always prepared
The violin is his child
Ahhhhh that's why he's going to that 4th chair. Was wondering.
THAT ONE DUDE WHO PLAYED THAT ONE NOTE WHEN RAY CHEN WAS PASSING THE VIOLIN TO FINISH THE PHRASE IS A REAL MVP
Wait, which one? xD
the one next to the concertmaster
Second chair fist violin! 💪
Average Assistant concertmaster W 🥱
The "one dude" is known as "the soloist."
2 observations:
1. Dude's a boss! Doesn't miss a beat.
2. How about that teamwork? It's like the violin section turned into his pit crew.
Wow, as if they have rules and practice before right? Crazy
@@KhoiV you don't practice stuff like this lol.
but yes there are certain rules
@@jakobesterbauer6058 hhhhmmmm
@@KhoiV lol no theres no practice for this happening, the only rule is to keep playing :)
@@KhoiV Yeah, you don't have to be a dick about it.
That was handled so well. I like how everyone just hands the broken instrument down the ranks and the way he just has extra strings in his pocket. Nicely done folks.
Keep in mind that the instrument they are passing is a 10M Strad that alone that is insane
Professionals have standards.
Not his first rodeo.
As it is handed down untill last chair is stuck with it.
@@ZenoDovahkiin be polite, be efficient
I love how the audience clapped to show encouragement, such a wholesome moment!
ikr!
You’re not supposed to clap while they’re still playing. It’s rude during the middle of a performance
@@justiceofbook this is a special case though obviously
@@PieInTheSky9 I guess
Sebastian Garcia doing this with a violin takes a lot of skill, as i’ve come to find out while bullying violin players when i still played in my school orchestra. best believe i’d be clapping after he pulled that off
The fact he lost that particular string and STILL managed to play the right notes is MAD talent
NAH ITS MAD SKEEL
he probably memorized the notes and just converted them into the other strings
@@kamekaha52 Dunno about violin, but when I play on the piano I sure remember how to contort my finger more than the note I'm supposed to play.
that's not so difficult, just play the right notes in the other strings, but it needs some alterations in the fingerings
it wasnt the right notes though
Legend has it that the violin is still being passed around the orchestra to this day
Lol
Old joke already lol
Old joke but that’s actually pretty cool to think about
I was just thinking of the nonsense they'd have to go through to get everyone's violins back to their original owners lol.
:-D
The violinist who got to play Ray's violin after the string broke: I see this as an absolute win
could have ran off and made millions
I would get sweaty hands restringing that violin
He did a switcheroo and now hides the Strad under his bed.
@@ivanhendr If you were to drop that Stradivarius not even Mr. Beast could save you
@@aconite72 i understood that reference
To have humor in such a difficult moment is beautiful. What an incredible person.
He just broke too many strings in concerts
@@tmic3273 "ah shiet here we go again"
Can you tell me the name of this piece,pleases ?
Tchaikovsky violin concerto no.1
@@viggos.n.5864
Thanks alot
a lot of people commented on how impressive it is that he continued perfectly on another violin, but i think its worth mentioning that the first two violinists behind him ALSO kept playing on different instruments after passing the broken one back. its just an impressive band
Edit: everyone stop bringing up that i called it a band i am in high school band (NOT orchestra) and its the only word i could think of i know its wrong youre not helping by correcting me months later
Thank you for noticing. Truly a masterful work by all involved.
sorry i have to correct you its an orchestra :) band wouldnt be the right word lol
@@0_ello_010 It's a band, for marketing reasons. Net even my grandpa would go and watch an orchestra. Wouldn't mind a cool band though
@@nicks22 damn what have you got against orchestras?
@@nicks22 the british military string orchestra gets large audiences and theyre called an orchestra, same with the Scottish orchestra? its only people who dont like orchestras because theyre ‘boring’ like calling an obvious orchestra a band (look up the difference between and band and an orchestra, theyre similar but not the same)
Meanwhile the 4th chair is sitting there holding a priceless Stradivarius trying to change a string as fast as possible
Maybe professionals are better at changing strings but I'd be terrified of snapping the whole thing in half
"I'm holding more than my life savings right now and Idk how to feel about that." - 4th chair, probably.
He's probably a bit sad that his own violin sounds so much better than it
I like the side story character narration like this. I think everyone is equally important as a team player.
@@leila13dnd much much much much much more than their life savings haha. That violin costs millions and he could realistically have a day job to afford playing with the symphony.
Everyone is talking about Ray’s level of concentration after his string breaks, but I’m still not over how he played the beginning part so lightly and with so much ease! His sound is so crisp and clear it’s crazy!
Heey~
I know it has nothing to do with your comment but i felt to say that Jesus loves you so much, he died for you on the cross for your salvation. He cares about you and he's coming soon ❤️ Read the bible and he will talk to you more 🙌🏻
@@ellalogx haha wtf
@@ellalogx Oh yea I met him the other day, pretty chill guy
He said the fandom is a bit cringe though, especially ones like you
@@ellalogx well im not christian
@@ellalogx Heey ~
I know it has nothing to do with your comment but I felt to say that Bhudha loves you so much, he sat under a fig tree and contemplated about life, suffering and death. He cares about you and prays for your enlightenment..keep up with your mantras and we talk soon.
Professional on so many levels. Doesn’t miss a beat or freak out when the string breaks, doesn’t lose his place when he takes the new violin, has no issue playing a violin that’s not his, and has extra stings ready to go in his pocket! And the rest of the violin section handled it expertly as well. Great job all around.
Not to mention that for a brief second he transposes the song to the a string during a live performance until he can swap out
Do you work in A&E
@@sruthis7715 what’s that?
I counted, he missed just under 9 beats
A professional just means you've made MORE mistakes than anyone, you've just learned from them
As Guitarists, our strings RARELY break, but that "pop" sound is literally "Oh no that sucks".
Also, if I had to SWAP a guitar out with another person, my accuracy could maybe be up to 20% off. This guy just plays it like it's his. No warm-up.
Unreal. Literally MILLIMETERS of difference are an entire planet on stringed instruments.
This dude is one of the best modern violinists according to a commenter in this video. Still he handled the smoothly and i know nothing about stringed instruments
Violin is even worse than the guitar. No frets! I play the guitar and my wife plays the violin so I know.
This dude, the violinist Ray Chen, is the uploader, too 😂
Ikr. My guitar once had the thing you use to tune it (english is not my first language so i dont know its name) so I had to use the spare one at school. Didn't work out so well 😅
Edit: I really don't know ehat I wrote there. What I was trying to write there. Sorryyyy
@@louisfainthere are fretless guitar too lol
I love how everyone works as a unit to help one another, truly the definition of teamwork.
Ok
truly amazing insight person I have never seen before ever in my whole of youtube
Calm down master oogway
Oh, its You again...
Wtf even in the video that I atleast expect you to be and yet you are here
as a violinist, the way he just played without having a thought was outstanding. whenever i trade with someone else, i have to adjust myself, which takes me minutes. it surprised me how he played just as he played with his own.
He has talent, unlike you.
@@SurajInd89 ... And you hope to achieve what with this comment. Of course they aren't top 100 players worldwide. Nothing wrong with giving credit where credits due
@@SurajInd89 Someone didn't get enough attention as a child.
Or maybe they're still a child, it's anyone's guess really
@@SurajInd89 so bitter and pathetic for no reason
@@SurajInd89 and what talent you have my good sir? Other than being toxic i don't think a person like you is capable of doing anything else.
The amount of adrenaline going through the 4th chair while changing the string on that priceless instrument could power New York for a day
Love this. You got a laugh out of me!
What song is this?
@@danielboss52 Tchaikovsky's "Violin Concerto" (He only composed one), it's one of my favorite pieces, pure romantic bliss
@@thebruckler3707 ‘pure romantic bliss’ damn, that’s poetic
oh did he change the string? I missed that!
The pizzicato at the end was just brilliant! A little humor injected into the performance was lovely, not to even mention how INSANELY smooth he had to be to break a string and switch to someone else's violin and play it perfectly in tune without getting used to it! All the things that happened in 2 minutes here are an example of what a master of his craft is.
I assume the concert master's violin was in tune, so the soloist didn't have to retune it. Playing someone else's violin, is like driving someone else's car. It is different, but you can still drive. Althouogh to get to the end of the piece unfazed, was an accomplishment for sure.
The pizz is a part of the piece, but he did it in a way that made it funny
Not me reading it as pizzacat😅
The audience laughing at the end is the best part. A rare non-cough sound from a classical audience in the middle of a performance :D
Well its funny, cause he still have the time to Aknowledge the "Strangers" Violin and be like *"Hmmm Nice, (Everyone Laughing) For real Tho !!!"*
If I had a nickel for everytime Ray Chen broke a string in a concert, I would have two. Which isn't a lot, but it's still weird that it happened twice.
Well. 2 is a lot that 1. So that’s still a lot.
Dr doof!
Family guy's reference ah? Eheheheh.
Family guy's reference ah? Eheheheh.
@@Nothing_to_see_here_27. Nope, Phineas and Ferb!
After his string broke he played the notes that were supposed to be played on the e string on the a string ain’t that crazy
That what I was thinking. It’s all muscle memory for me so I wouldn’t even know what notes I was supposed to be playing lol.
@@kelseyqueen2068 That’s the difference between a gifted amateur and the Ling Ling who practice 40 hr a day
@@Tempusverum "ling ling" ?
@@Tempusverum what even
@@Tempusverum wtf
I love how mostly everyone isn’t aware that Ray is one of the best violinists in the world haha
because that's as lame as being the best Ping-Pong player. Some people care, most people don't.
@@candyy9746 Best at bowling. Like I said. Some people care, most people don't.
I like Ray, I got into classical music a while back and there are definitely violinists that just do things really well. I like almost all his versions
@@lll9107 bro could open a whole hat business with that amount of cap
@@lll9107so?
As a violinist myself, the ability to play someone else’s violin perfectly without getting used to it first shows tremendous amounts of skill. It’s such a particular instrument that requires so much muscle memory that even the slightest change in neck thickness, string separation or even texture or smoothness of the wood or strings can throw you completely off your game.
i played a ton of cello growing up, was all-state principal cellist in a big state, as well as first chair for a couple other non-professional orchestras in college. so not pro, but not a beginner either by any means. i never noticed any significant difference between one instrument vs. another that would be a huge problem when switching instruments in a situation like this. if anything, the bow and how much rosin was on it made more difference to the feel of an instrument than the instrument itself. of course, every instrument SOUNDS different, but in terms of playing one vs. another, unless you're switching to a smaller size (3/4 or something), I don't see how it would have been a huge problem switching.
@@jayjacobl4667 you notice him feeling out the instrument after he got it
@@un33kgaming24 not at all. He was only checking out the chin rest nothing else. And that wasn’t until after he nailed the part before his rest.
VERY true. We play by feel and muscle memory, so my instinctual A might be a A# on a different instrument, even if its been well tuned.
Edit: Ok for clarification I didn’t mean full note change, just a sharper A. Slightly different sizes and strings can do that
@@Electric_Bagpipes it wouldn't work like that at all. unless the instruments are different size categories (7/8 vs full size), if they're all tuned properly, an A should be proportionally in the same spot on one violin as another. the only somewhat noticeable difference ive felt when I've used other people's instruments (not talking about the bow, where the most differences would be noticed) would be that some instrument's "necks" feel more squared off or rounded. But that wouldn't affect your ability to pick up another person's instrument and play it pretty easily. What is to be commended is how quickly, efficiently, and professionally the issue was resolved in a completely calm manner. But people are making it sound like switching instruments is some amazing feat, when that's not what's impressive here.
Ray Chen aka the only soloist who got extra strings in his pocket
That’s a Normal thing to do for soloists
@@thesuperintendentoffugues1144 and for first violins in general. Always have spares!
Aka string destroyer
he has learnt from the mendelssohn
Switching to your side string is always faster than reloading
The guy who volunteer to swap his violin deserves more appreciation for being such a good sport.
The first chair aka concert master has to give the soloist his violin then a whole chain happens ending up with the first chair having one of his sections violin, its like the greater good
Imagine if he said no
What good sport? They are a team. It's bad for him if he didn't. And it's all planned if something goes wrong.
He doesn’t volunteer.They plan ahead for these scenarios.It’s called professionalism.Sometimes the soloist will keep a backup violin hidden close by.
LMAO A GOOD SPORT 💀💀💀💀
I didn’t even realize this was Ray at first! What a legend, he definitely practices 40 hours a day
Yes! Fellow twosetter!
@@epicmao it’s a reference to a violinist channel
@@epicmaosorry I laughed so hard at this comment because you don’t understand
@@epicmao we got a genius in here
@@SchlickStevethey are not in the joke 🤷♂️
that violinist that gave ray his instrument is probably like "damn I never knew my violin could sound like that"
haha I can almost feel him
Noah Geller!
Oh c'mon, don't say that.
I have a strange feeling that Chen was playing on his beloved Widenhouse (modern) violin rather than his Strad, and perhaps the concertmaster was also playing Widenhouse or violin by a maker of similar prestige which is why there was almost no difference in sound.
It's very common for orchestras to get to know a particular modern/local maker and then *boom!* , all of a sudden that maker's instruments start appearing in the orchestra by the handful.... or many handfuls haha.
Ray Chen is definitely the reason why Brett and Eddy both got Widenhouse violins, since Ray Chen is one of their idols and they're friends.
@@liamnevilleviolist1809 If I were a violin maker, I’d probably gift one of my violins to a high profile violinist for publicity purposes, lol.
For people who are not familiar with orchestra protocol, this is actually standard practice. If a violin soloist's violin breaks in the middle of a concerto, the concertmaster (aka, the leader of the first violin section) has to hand over his or her violin. An exception would be if it happens in the beginning, when it's not too much or a hassle to restring it and start over.
Standard practice doesn’t change the fact of how cool it was
@@haveltherock1169 I didn't say it wasn't cool.
Had no idea. I assumed the best course would be to have the next ranking violin to take over the solo role until that one is ready to resume with a replacement.
Yep! They kinda don't have a choice. As a first chair you HAVE to give your violin.
The most impressive thing about this is how good he still sounded after the switch. Most people don't know how hard it is to play someone else's instrument. A musician's instrument is like part of their body and it just doesn't feel and sound the same when playing another instrument that they didn't tune or practice with.
I’m a violinist, and my biggest fear is the E string breaking and flying back to hit me in the face
that's happened to me before (when i was a beginner and thought i was turning the A peg instead of the E peg). pretty stupid on my part, would not recommend
Happened to me 22 years ago.pierced my cheek 🥺
It's happened to me. It hurts.
That’s terrifying to think about. Good thing I plan on becoming an orchestral writer/conductor instead
It’s kinda crazy thinking how much damage a little string can do
The fact that he just didn't care that the string broke and instead just casually started playing the same notes on a different string shows what a maestro he is💜
Wait, what?? Is that what happened??
@@ilovejettrooper5922yes, the e string broke and he continued playing on the a string, which is possible but you need a completely different fingering. Only a professional can do this so seemlessly
I was there! Center orchestra row M seat 4. I was totally entranced by the performance and when the string broke I didn't know what was happening. My first thought was someone in the audience causing trouble. Then I saw the broken string catch the light. I was stunned and wondered if they'd have to stop and then in a few seconds of activity everything was back on track. I was amazed at that level of sang-froid. Thank you so much Mr. Chen for that amazing experience !
😽😽😽
I always love Ray and his easy way to interpret class music.
I've been to a number of Ray's concerts. He is unique and he always plays with full commitment. My heart beats for Ray Chen!
That was just incredibly smooth -- a brief "oh crap" look, then the first violin guy sees it and hands over. IDK if there is supposed to be a pause in the solo there, but if not you'd never be able to tell.
I'm glad the string stayed in tune so quickly.... usually they stretch for quite a while ...
This was so funny
For you non-violin players out there, you can not imagine HOW difficult it is to play on another's violin, precisely a concerto and without reheasing on it for even two minutes before. The space between strings and their pressure, the height of the bridge... you have rehearsed for years with them to obtain that perfect finger positioning. It makes my adrenalin rush just by watching it. And he performed perfectly afterwards!!!! This guy should get a medal...
Based on a couple of things, I think it’s unlikely that he has never played this violin before.
Apparently there is a protocol when this kind of thing happens, which means it happens often enough to have such a protocol. Having this protocol, and not at least playing/trying the violin you would swap to seems negligent if this is the case. During rehearsals, I’m sure that he will have had the opportunity to play this violin and presumably will have done so at the very least pre show/ tuning.
That having been said, I’m sure he could pick up any violin and play it almost exactly the same, he is of course fantastically talented and practiced on the instrument. Just saying I think it’s unlikely that he would never have played the violin he would be handed in such a situation.
@@eds7228 It usually doesn't happen. The soloist can play with several orchestras during the year and the only time he and the concertino meet is at general rehearsals. Indeed, the protocol dictates that, in case the soloist is unable to perform due to instrument failiure, there has to be one in reserve. Sometimes there can be an extra violin at hand just in case, but in most of the cases, the concertino offers theirs.
As a violinist myself. You are exaggerating so much. You are acting as if he was handed a completely different instrument. yes he has to adapt to the tension of the string, the bow weight and balance point, and the feel will be different, but it's not going to be extremely difficult to adapt as you put it. You're acting as if we never touch different violins in our life. It's like having to drive a rental car. Yes it's different but it's still the same. And I'm talking about a manual car. Stop exaggerating. Btw I'm not saying what he did wasn't impressive. I was impressed too. As it does take a couple min to adjust. But to be on the edge of your seat watching it. Come on bro. You know you just smiled and that was it haha
Well don't think us like that mate, even though I never played any violin, I knew how hard it is to play another person's instrument, it happen to me ( not violin ) and it's hard.
So pretentious
Can you imagine being the violinist who was handed the violin and the spare string. So no pressure just restring my £7.5 million violin as quickly as you can while on stage so I can use it again in a moment and by the way you might as well play it until I get to a point where I can swap it over again. Wow!
How do they tune it without disturbing the music?
@@vegancrabcakes if it’s just one instrument, then the musician can pluck the strings very gently and tune that way. The sound will sit under the orchestra, and won’t be heard, although it is significantly harder to tune that way
I think they should stop concert for three minutes and play from the begining of part of concerto
The thing is with instruments though is that you _always_ treat them like their worth millions. Especially orchestral; fun fact: the strings are only held on to the instrument by friction against the spools, as is the bridge and soundpeg. Yes, you heard me right, THE STRINGS AREN’T EVEN ATTACHED.
7.5 million? Lol
That last bit where he points at the violin like " Dude! You're violin has a e string! Cool!" has me dying of laughter. Well played!
your
Your = possessive
You’re = you are
“You’re violin” = “You are violin”
I interpreted as he was complimenting the good sound of the other violin
@@Me-uv6kcsame😊
He is violin?
This is the biggest display of professionalism i have ever seen...
Who doesn't just LOVE Ray Chen's personality he's always so passionate about playing the violin and even makes the audience laugh
His personality is seriously the best!!! I've met him live after a concert and he is super nice and fun!
For those who are wondering, the piece Ray was playing is Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, op 35. I highly recommend listening to it, its a beautiful piece, and Ray did an amazing job playing it. Have a good day.
tysm i was looking for this comment
Bless you,I really wanted to know what piece it was
Thank you a lot
It's good you left the piece name. This video has so many views, as if it were a pop song. I'm sure over half the people who clicked on this don't know what it is.
If you're new to classical music, welcome to the party. You've got a lot of catching up to do. Enjoy yourself!
The string happened to pop at one of my favorite passages in the concerto. A real shame but he handled it so well
A very gifted musician. I love how without hesitation his fellow violin player handed him his own. I'm not a musician whatsoever but I know it's not easy to play on an instrument your not familiar with. Wonderful job!
The violinist sitting at the very top, closest to the soloist, is called the concert master. They're head of the string section and could even "take over" (not stand up and get to the conductor stand) in an extreme case where the conductor gets lost. If anything happens with the soloist violin, the soloist will swap with the concert master and the concert master with the 2nd violin. This is a common practice but it was still smooth as hell.
there are enough videos of these occurrences where the person in the same spot always switches immediately.
I don't know anything about violins, but I doubt the violin the soloist took was tuned correctly, but correct me if I'm wrong on that, because if it wasn't tuned correctly, it's amazing it sounds good still.@@alphabets0ng
hard to tell. could also be nervousness and not being used to the concert masters instrument@@HawkinaBox
EPIC SAVE
hi shawn
omg Shawn!
shawn ?!?
omg hi shawn I didn't know were in the community!
omg shawn
That's probably the worst moment for a string break
At first, he can't play the double stops with the e string missing forcing him to stop, and then he has to play the whole cadenza on a violin he's not used to
Great job though!
acoustic instruments are for incels anyway
you saw that realization happen, where he attempted to soldier on and just play without the e-string, then realize he was f'ed cause of the double-stops, then turn to the conductor, like "DUDE I'M F'ED" .. all in the space of like 1 second. Then with the replacement, that first double-stop was all it took for him to completely get the "feel" of it, I think that was the most impressive part. That solo is super difficult even with an instrument you know like your own hand, to play it THAT WELL on a totally unfamiliar instrument, on the spot, that is simply amazing.
@@anttimaki6633 tf where did u get that idea from
a
@@anttimaki6633 that’s what an incel would say to make them feel better about themselves sitting on their bed all day with their favourite sock and their favourite website 🟧⬛️
it’s the charisma and sense of humor he has that’s impressive after experiencing something like that that gets me
For him to immediately adjust to someone ELSE’S violin???!! and play beautifully deserves an actual Grammy.
Well unfortunately nowadays music awards are not given for music but for “music” like pop etc and I’m pretty sure that 80%(or even more) of people have never heard this concerto
Grammys are given to artists that create original pieces, not people that reproduce other's compositions.
Coincidentally I have been in a performance of the Tchaikovsky where exactly the same thing happened to the soloist and he did exactly the same as you. The thing I find most impressive is that you and that soloist were able to take someone else's instrument and still perform flawlessly. People think all instruments are the same but they are not, the positions in the fingerboard might be slightly different and how you produce sound might be vastly different. Well done!
In 2010, his E string breaks in the beginning of Max Bruch Gm Concerto in São Paulo. Ray played the entire concerto with the violin from the concertmaster, (this violin, if i remember, had a central chinrest, dominants strings heavy tensions, a very diferent setup) and still, his played perfectly! I was thinking "how did he manage to adapt so quickly?"
Your words were exacly my thoughts that day
Agreed. Even amateur violinist can tell switching instruments is not easy mid performance.
That length is standardized in modern violin making, as well as a few other lengths.
Which Tchaikovsky
I don't play the violin but I imagine it's really difficult to just hop into another instrument other than the ones you've played for years, just like that. So smoothly. amazing
Yeah, especially at that level of playing (and then again: Every pianist has to do it over and over again - but if you are used to your one instrument, it is really hard without no proper warm up).
@@blauespony1013 Yes, in the middle of the piece with almost no hesitation requires great confidence and also shows how great of a player he is
@@J.R.Swish1" no hesitation requires great confidence"
👍
It’s the same instrument though, I’m not seeing how it’s different to play the same instruments
@@TheTruth-13 This is like saying "It is just another person. I don't see how it is different to work with another person." Instruments react slightly different from each other. It will not bother you as a beginner, but when you are more experienced, you need to know you instrument. Of course you can switch and you will produce a good result. But here we are talking about pros who want an excellent result.
For example: Different wood makes a different sound. Different quality of instruments make a difference how quiet or how loud you can play them. Violins don't have "keys" like a piano, so you have to figure out, where your note is on the finger board (and even keys respond slightly different. Some are harder to press, some respond easier ...). Different material in strings might feel different in touch, sliding can be harder ...
Even the temperature of the room and or/instrument and the humidity do make a difference in sound. The tuning changes during playing (strings get a tad more flat during performances, because the strings get a bit longer while woodwinds get more sharp).
All those tiny bits feature into your performance and can throw you off your game. Especially if you are going for perfection.
Can you just imagine the amount of honor those violinists felt being passed a literal STRAD??!?
That would cause me literal financial/historical terror...
honor and trembling hands holding it
that's not a strad
Well true but most violinists in a major orchestra (in this case the Seattle Symphony I believe) have fairly expensive (and usually quite old) violins of their own (I would guess typically around at least $25,000-$100,000 in value in most cases, more in the case of the concertmaster and a few others. Actual working symphonic violinists can correct me if I’m wrong.) Many if not most of them may have had the chance to hold and play a Strad, Guarneri, or other famous make at various times.
@@roylin3490 The program stated it is.
What a crazy world we live in, this video made me interested in Tchaikovsky's violin concertos, which led me to listening to your recording of the first movement of this piece with the Swedish radio symphony orchestra over and over again, so much so that it was in the top 5 of all spotify songs that I listened to(and the most listened to classical piece). Without this video none of that would have happened. Thanks for posting, keep up the good work
Congratulations you have now discovered internet!
Legend has it that everytime Ray's string breaks a portal to the past opens and Antonio Stradivari himself hands him one
...so the portal is in Ray's pocket? I've got to get one of those suits!
Lol 😂
@@KonradTheWizzard yer a wizard
Love how the violin gets passed to each descending chair: "here, YOU deal with it..."lol... Great performance & teamwork
Wowww! As a previous violinist I can say wha most impressed me is that he picked up a violin that’s not his own and was able to still sounds good! Whenever I traded violins with any of my orchestra mates it was really weird trying to figure out the little difference between their fingerboard and what I’m use to - feels kinda like a whole different instrument but he didn’t let anyone know that
I like how at 1:27 Ray does a little bounce. Idk why but it makes me chuckle
0:25 Is nobody going to notice the guy who played the last note for him?
IKKKKKK!! kept thinking about that
imagine if he playing for entire few seconds ray wasn't playing. instant concert master
😂
I didn't notice that at first. Nice spotting. Yay 2nd chair~!
bro had a part on the solo for a second
This simple scene speaks so much about decent human behaviors. The main violinist plays effortlessly on someone else's violin speaks of his talent. The violinist who offers up his violin speaks of his sense of teamwork. The rest of the orchestra did not miss a beat speaks of their professionalism. The audience's appreciation of the event speaks of the hope that still exists in today's self centered society.
The world of classical music is a different kind of world. It's built on charity and teamwork.
its not that much about human decency its more that thats what the orchestra is required to do during such a situation so they have no choice
It's not a shining example of selfless teamwork. Do you honestly think a violinist would refuse to swap in the middle of a performance?
@@CrookedNose2131 Lol
@@dasren Ignorance is bliss.
Normal People: Violin Concerto
Ray: String break Challange
String break Challange.......................
name of a new lingling workout??
@@terencejean I see, you're a man of culture
@@terencejean 🤣🤣🤣TwoSet would love the challenge!
His ability to transfer violins so seamlessly was incredible! And that vibrato was so good. I've been playing the violin and my vibrato sucks so I know how difficult it is
This is a clear example of a true proffesional musician. (To not panic and keep continue playing even when things go wrong) In addition with the crowd's laughter and cheering.
Magically entertaining and epic performance!
I love how they did that so professionally and continued the performance like nothing happened
I remember learning something like this in band back in high school. When something like a mistake happens, carry on to ignore the mistake so that the audience isn't affected. Or something like that. It's a performer thing i suppose.
Wow the sound of Ray’s violin is so brilliant and you can tell when he switches to the other one how good the first was.
Much of it being because the 1st's violin that was given to Ray was meant to BLEND in rather than stand out. If you're gonna play a solo with an orchestra, you need a violin that stands out, but if you're playing with the orchestra, you need a violin that blends in. But his violin is worth a TON so it's obviously going to sound brilliant :)
Ofc. It's a $10.000.000 strat lol
Saw Anne A Myers in concert when one string on her instrument came loose. The look she gave the violin was priceless and had the audience in love with her. She adjusted the string, first violin gave her the key, and they continued flawlessly. True professionalism by all concerned.
I don’t care if it’s the guys job or not, the person who gave the guy the violin should get just as much respect dang it.
That's his job lol
It’s his job but I don’t know how he felt about losing his violin for the rest of the concert. I think it would personally be kind of annoying to go out of the way to get there, get ready, practice for hours and then have your violin taken by the soloist.
@@ZORGIN man got to play a strad, he is definately not sad
it's a common protocol in the orchestra.
@@ZORGIN the end of the concert? I would think until the end of the movement, or they didnt swap?
This was so smooth. Also, the way he instanlty remembered the flow of the music is amazing.
It's their profession. Imagine someone else watching you doing things in your profession and how you do things they just do not imagine doing themselves.
It's the same thing here))
He practiced his solo to perfection. This is the beauty of music; if you can play by memory of a piece then they orchestra could stop and pick up 10 seconds later in the song without missing a beat
The whole transition was done so clean
Hats off to you ray
Last night I was 10 feet from Ray when it happened, with no other spectator between us, as the first two rows were left open. This added excitement to an already incredible performance. Ray's Tchaikovsky was the best performance of this concerto I ever watched, and I had seen a few excellent ones over the years. Never in my life had I been thrilled by every single note of a piece of music. And Ray gave me that thrill. Thank you, maestro, for this incredible gift. ♥
This is what we called, PRO!! I hope you didn't get hurt from that broken E string. And you deserve a standing ovation!
That's got to be one plus to wearing a mask! 😂
I winced as soon as that E string snapped
Horror stories, I've seen and heard. Regarding the E string
@@colleennewholy9026 when I played violin, my E snapped and whacked me right in the face. Incredibly unpleasant, luckily it didn't cut me
Ray Chen, amazing violinist, still an entertainer even in this situation and then perfect further. An unbelievable maestro, fascinating and highly flexible. BRAVO👏👏
Gold medal for the professionalism.! Well done on continuing on and esp on someone else’s violin . You are all super stars ! Beautiful !
No stopping. just pure "the show must go on" and "just brush it off with a smile" mentality. i love this dude
Dudee..... I just listened to the Arcane song with Sting. Unbelievably beautiful, man! I met you back in 2017 when I was an intern at the Storioni Festival in The Netherlands. Very happy to see your success :))
Omg it takes me about a month to get used to a new violin and getting all the fingerings again... Ray does it in 0.01 seconds....... Yeesh!!
You can become like that with lots of practice and discipline 😊
Some can tell that he isn't used to the violin change hence some issues here and there. But he's so good that it's barely noticeable to most people. Cause his messy playing is better than most of what we consider good when we play
Lingling
@@bryanlin8333 yeah on the double stops, you could just barely hear that it was unfamiliar to him. especially if you've heard him play Tchaikovsky before. He still nailed the notes, it was just the dynamics of the instrument were a bit different. Immediately after that he had the "feel" for the instrument though, how he pulled off those harmonics on an instrument he's never played before, I will never understand. The man is a virtuoso.
I can confirm that even brass-instruments are weird to exchange. Same instrument, same model, feels totally different played by an other musician.
Holy crap that was insane! He missed like what two notes when a string broke! The adjustment, timing, instantaneous reaction of the others behind him, covering the missed note during the handover… just… amazing ❤
Omy I love that the violinists in the background were playing hot potato w/yours and passing it around lol
Eew, it's a Strad - here, take it!
"I can't afford to hold this"
I've watched this video for about 20 times now and I'm having goosebumps every single time. The way he knew the orchestra part and modified the solo part to still sound decent and not just have a huge gap in the middle of the piece, the way he plays with 100% accuracy on a completely new instrument... 👏👏👏
How did he do that?Was he just hitting the same notes but on a different string?
@@BrooklynBalla idk if you know the original but he played something else than what tchaikovsky actually composed for the solo violin during those bars, he sort of mimicked the bassoon (I think?) on the remaining things before switching violins
LOVE the humorous little pizz in the cadenza and the look. Wow, to have your string break right then with all the double stops, and then to have to play the cadenza on a strange violin! Very, very impressive.
Impressive how this dude just handled every soloists worst nightmare so calmly and professionally
This is brilliant. When the string broke it didn't stop people from helping, the audience showed their appreciation for it by clapping, and Ray played easily with a new violin. Awesome!
It was thoughtful of Tchaikovsky to write that long Orchestra part so Ray had time to add a new E string.
May I ask for the name of the piece?
I wanted to know as well
He also handed the Concert Master some extra strings he had prepared in case of a situation like this, and they passed the violin to the back of the section and someone put the new string on in the middle of the performance so that they could give it back to him by the beginning of second movement since there is no great enough pause until the end.
I was looking for something like this. It seemed odd to me that they just kept passing it along. I mean, someone is going to have to end up without a violin to play, so why not just hold on to it and take one for the team? Passing it along just seemed disruptive to me. But your explanation makes so much sense. Thank you!
He actually handed the spare strings directly to the violinist in the second row, nice guy
@@sarahnadeofpoetry there’s a hierarchy in an orchestra. Not a social order as such but an order of musical importance. The first chair would probably have more important passages to play or lead. The second has some less and so forth. Anyone else in the group might not affect the performance as much as the 1st chair which is often called the “concert master”, and the 2nd.
@@nickxiao6126 That makes sense as well, thank you! I hadn't considered that.
@@sarahnadeofpoetry Because you need the first chair for certain parts.... and they kept passing because it finally went to the 3rd chair who decided to just fix it instead of passing it all the way back to the 5th chair. She could have but 1st and 2nd definitely had parts coming up.
This kinda adds to the piece with just the way he swaps it with another. It’s so casual and appealing honestly
FunFact: this guy is Ray Chen (obviously, he's the one who posted it) and he's the violinist playing the Freljordan song in Arcane
And he played in 'what could have been' i love that song
Yeah, I remember thinking,"What a weird violin that is...Ray Chen?"
Wow, I always knew the violinist looked familiar.
thats why
there's something so attractive about how passionate this guy is
He's literally a handsome tall violin god. Like other men might as well give up now. Not even joking
i'm a straight male but i 100% agree with this haha
Same like its so attractive when a person is really passionate on something
0:45 I think we all agree this is the best moment of this masterpiece
True! The music feels like a game music and it’s just so good
So magical!!!
I love how it’s just BAM right in your face! Such an amazing piece❤
Name?
these guys are the best of the best. well done for letting him celebrate when he was taken care of so quickly. everyone enjoyed that moment and if not I certainly did. I could see the smile behind the mask. it was a great moment.
This kind of selflessness is only possible with a great ensemble that (1) loves the music, and (2) plays and works together well beyond just the music. Class act by everyone involved
idk why but exactly at 0:44 i started crying. such a beautiful piece af art...
i agree, Tchaikovsky is amazing
@@ethanma3916 do you know which song it is?
yes please which song? 🥺
I would also like to know the song name
I just found it :) Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto in D major, Op 35
0:26 - Bro helps out a homie
1:50 - Homie returns a compliment on his gear
It is so incredible that you adapted to the new instrument so quickly and was still able to play those challenging passages so beautifully
This makes my soul yearn to go see the symphony again. Such incredible playing and beautiful, exhilarating music.
Absolutely love that teamwork. Not panicking, but staying calm and making sure the solo violinist gets a new violin 👏
Plot twist: everyone behind him isn't actually part of the orchestra, but are all spare violin holders for the man to switch with
🤣
This comment has way to less likes
LMAO
The sense of unity in the orchestra after Ray broke the strings was also spectacular.
It was wonderful that Ray played each note carefully.
So I would love to watch them all again.
I was sitting at the 3rd row then. Before the concert I literally imagined "what if he breaks the string". Don't blame me Ray. I asked my friend and he said he had thought the same too. Maybe we had watched your other string breaks video too many times.
This isn't the first time I see you break strings during performances, Ray!
You're such a passionate player! 😁😁
The dude literally kept his sense of humour in such a moment
If it was me i would just freak out LOL
Respect
The most charming violinist who’s smile and energy resonates light and love to everyone. The violin seems to be an extension of himself resonating his beautiful spirit.
Great save. A lesson in "how to cope with a mishap in a very important situation". I am very impressed.
(And by the way: The orchestra was brilliant! Must be such a treat to play with so many talented, dedicated musicians!)
Love how your concentration and performance is still professional and lovely as ever! Well done recovering from that!
The fact that they exchanged eye contact and instantly helped each other is amazing
00:50 My guy has a back up E in his jacket really cracks me up
Wow never noticed that
It is the weakest string of the strings for being the smallest, so it makes sense to have reloads handy