Classical Music Performance FAILS 🍅

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0:00 - Intro
0:23 - Bow fail
1:45 - Viola fail
2:58 - Piano fail
5:58 - String fail
7:58 - Bach fail
8:21 - Sibelius fail
12:17 - Vivaldi fail

[@RayChenViolinist]

Learn to enjoy moments where all the focus is on YOU with Tonic: tonicmusic.app/join-in 🎵 Practice with the community for free

[@MissyTheMisfit665]

Can I make a suggestion for tonic? I am a fiddle player and I understand that the violin is a fiddle BUT when I practice or look for studios I only have violin as an option maybe a sun category for fiddle players because we are on tonic I promise!!

[@user-jo2gg2dl1m]

Ur one of my fav violinists! 2nd favorite :3

[@monimonica9529]

📛 Chen Ray/Ray Chen, would you consider joining your Talent with Dimash (Q/K)udaibergen's to perform on stage and/or Film Songs? It would be Fantastic! 🙌 Peace & Stay Safe (from Argentina)

[@RayChenViolist]

Oh it’s cool 😊

[@linglingjourney]

Ray I think u should react to our (your subscribers)playing and try to guess how long we've been playing our instruments and then rate our playing out of 10

[@kerimcelik3680]

good idea ! 😊

[@linglingjourney]

If this is the most liked comment, Ray has to do it

[@Aaron-xq6hv]

@@linglingjourney Luckily it doesn't work that way.

[@linglingjourney]

@@Aaron-xq6hv if we all force him he will do it...maybe

[@theoneandonlymagnum]

Although maybe the rating thing is a little savage 😅

[@Im_231]

"it never gets old, maybe cuz its a viola", damn ray, fr.

[@heitron81]

Thank you for giving (and explaining) an example of a „musical“ fail. We‘ve seen broken strings, dropped instruments, slipped musicians a lot of time. But to hear the orchestra fall apart is special! ❤

[@DareDevil0748]

I heard that he Sibelius fail was because the orchestra started playing in half time, so twice as slow. because they didn't rehearse enough. The conductor is mainly responsible

[@thecatspajamas8918]

That spot in the Sibelius is tricky. The woodwinds are in a different meter. The conductor conducts for the strings and the winds have to do the math to fit their parts in. Last time we played this we had to ask the conductor to conduct for the wind meter which solved the problem.

[@julioverneschannelmusic3135]

Yes, I uploaded this video. I was in the rehearsal that day in Teatro Real Madrid, Spain..

[@julioverneschannelmusic3135]

The conductor rehearsed Sibelius without going too deep, mostly of the time, the conductor conducted Debussy

[@oiarasilva5790]

Hello. My name is Oiara, I'm 77 years old and I'm your fan, because of the violin you play and your charisma, excellent and you certainly don't have time to be reading messages from everyone who admires you. Peci. May. God protect you always.

[@ShowdogTiger]

Strangest thing I have ever seen at a small concert was a piano going through the floor trapping the pianist. Luckily I had forced my then boyfriend (now husband) and his football buddies to come and watch the concert. The boys picked up the piano and moved it off of her to the other side of the room. She was not hurt and she finished her performance.

[@antine1279]

That's insane!

[@M_SC]

It’s been said but I have to say it too: that’s INSANE

[@changfred4905]

I've seen this video several times elsewhere (Tchaikovsky one I mean) and it still amazes me how easily you can pick up the tune after the interruption... Hours of practice must be made to be able to master this. It's just wonderful.

[@alexv3357]

6:55 "Which is standard protocol" here, you can hear Ray's Aussie peeking through

[@sharongerlofs8517]

As a preforming classical musician. Be prepared for anything to happen. Once while preforming harp outside the sheet music flew off the stand and ended up in a stream near by. Luckily knew most or the piece so needed to improvise areas some parts of piece that weren’t familiar. Improvising can also save you if you have a memory loss.

[@myrona.gilmorejr.]

I was playing my violin at a open mic and my fingers started cramping up and so did my right hand

[@Almandeen]

Ray singing the violin parts with such focus is very nerdy and sweet 😆

[@monimonica9529]

I liked it 🙌 . I like listening to skillful Singers.

[@frankbruno8556]

sounds like he might be conducting someday

[@lukaskmit1788]

Why am I again in the "fail" category? 🤔 But it's satisfying to hear Ray saying "Wow! Wow!" to my VIOLA playing! 😎

[@agatafurczyk9149]

If all the 'fails' are like yours, bRay...., it's going to be a really fun video 😁

[@TheSparshofMusic-wn7de]

I love how he’s just playing the Mendelssohn violin concerto in the background 👍🙂

[@user-xq9li5rn5e]

Let’s go Ray Chen! I love all of your videos and this one I’m sure will be great. Have tonic and love it too!

[@quaver1239]

A joy to watch and to hear. Thank you, Ray Chen!

[@btjhlp]

2:23 I used to have this weird twine-ish (?) loop connecting my tailpiece, and it snapped once while it was in my case. Super fun as a beginner to just open your case and see strings and my bridge and my tail piece just everywhere 💀

[@conniemckenney]

😦😦😦

[@jaegertiger384]

THANKS A MILLION for TONIC !!!

[@altoclef6688]

I have been to a concert where the world class violin soloist lost synch with the orchestra but they saved it in a second. Don't think most people even noticed. It was very close to disaster. The concert aired on radio and was possible to hear up to a month later, so I saved the recording...

[@danastefan8986]

It's a pleasure to listen to you!....whatever the topic of discussion, I'm always impressed!❤️🙂

[@johnlam7036]

Another great work Ray!

[@miokti]

We were at Ray’s concert in La Jolla, CA about 3 weeks ago. His string broke. I wouldn’t call it a fail because he dealt with it perfectly, just calmly changing the string since he was playing solo.

[@evanelliott8231]

I’ve froze up during an audition this semester. It happens, practice in front of people and practice recovering in front of people are great tips.

[@ssatjapot]

LOVE THIS. Requesting for interpretations: What would a Bach or Vivaldi interpretation of modern music sound like? Or...how would a Ray-Chen-ified / Paginini-fied version of Mozart or Bach sound like?

[@JasonMoir]

"It never gets old...probably because it's a viola."

[@carolineg.5461]

Je trouve ce vidéo professionnel et amusant de voir que tout ne coule pas de source même pour les meilleurs de ce monde. Votre réaction est adorable et m'a beaucoup fait rire. Si j'avais été à votre olace j'aurais été désamparé et stoique.Vous êtes naturel et j'adore votre humanité, et lorsque vous jouez divinement. ❤❤❤❤

[@purpletiger9313]

I was at an Itzhak Perlmann (sp, sorry!) concert at Stanford in 1996 (?) and ... this is a hazy memory so bear with me ... he was just starting I can't even remember the concerto, in his chair, with a local chamber orchestra (name?) -- you see this is tough to remember -- and his A string snapped -- back then we used aluminum-wound gut. He did a big arm-wave and stopped the orchestra, then said "One moment please" to the audience. As a recall, this is a dim recollection, he attempted some humor with the audience while he waited for the new string to be brought on-stage from backstage, because we (in the audience) had a few good laughs (but his jokes? Can't remember). The whole operation took about 2 minutes, and then they started the movement from the start because he hadn't got very far in. Recounting this is what I imagine hypnotism to be like.... I'm guessing that the A-string was pre-stretched?? Someone else who was at that concert can chime in? Unfortunately there's no video of that particular event....

[@keizenberg]

That was interesting :) (btw congrats for 500k)

[@Joshyrachi]

A lightbulb actually also exploded in my first solo recital! It was even in a more sentimental section as well haha. It's for some reason comforting to know that it has happened to other people even way above my skill level. I'm honestly proud that it basically didnt affect my playing, but it probably helped that it was on beat. 😅

[@g.970]

Thanks for the great concert in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. Wished you had played longer. But no broken string this time. 😂 When you came onto the stage a young woman, probably in her 20’s, gasped and screamed . She was so excited to see you. I was too, but I didn’t scream. ❤

[@ricoboulette3174]

10:00 I need a full version of this

[@jacoboblanco1555]

Nice coffee setup! Love the Niche 😊

[@peterwu8471]

I love this intro video - so cool

[@jshum02]

I was lucky enough to manage to hear the full Tchaikovsky performance of yours that you mention. in the video. Take what you will coming from someone who is loosing their hearing that hasn't played in 30 years but oh man I know you may not be as proud of how smooth the recovery was but it was not a distraction and the performance is one of my favourite performances ever. I tried to listen really hard cause of my hearing problems. It's almost like you were testing the violin out, maybe figuring out how far you could push it without over blowing the instrument and then it's almost like you got a little mad and then you just unleashed the tone out of the beast, It was such an unfortunate moment to break. You had created this fairy land but it was right back to business. You must be setting some record for how many times this happen to you. I think another two times in seaatle once in rehearsal from your posts?

[@iwatchtoomuchtwoset]

The viola guy's face when the phone went off tho-

[@anapaulaalves4422]

Até as falhas são divertidas. Um espetáculo diferente e divertido. Sem perder a beleza que o evento precisa ter.

[@frankbruno8556]

Great video!

[@ChiefHerzensCoach]

I was so sorry for the pianist. I might be completely wrong but he seemed so low energy in this piece so i would be afraid he was sick or just before getting sick. Poor guy....

[@SpencerMusicSchool]

As a concert pianist ... I'm sort of shocked the pianist actually stopped. That is actually pretty rare that some one just is not prepared. If some one forgets most pianist can fake until they are back on track or just do a chordal cadence. But stopping and starting is painful to watch. A big fail I had was I was performing the Khatchaturian piano concerto and the technician didn't secure the rollers on the piano. I hit the first chord and piano rolled away LOL. I burst out laughing it was like a Victor Borge routine. Luckily we are only about 15 bars in. So we stopped. The conductor and I left the stage. The Conductor was pissed I was like... yes needless careless error but people will remember. So the technician idiot who didn't do his job came out fixed it. About 15 minutes later we came out of the concerto. I was actually more relaxed after the incident because I was only 16, and scared with the demands of that concerto. I also when I was with the Young Artist Series played Rhapsody in Blue in a 2 piano version with my sister Anne. The second piano needed voicing and was if I remember 1/4 tone flat from my piano. It was like listening to the worst banal saloon pianos play it. Sounded more like Schoenberg. I think my mom still has that concert on cassette and we take it out for a good laugh. Another favorite was my High School alma mater after I graduated. The choir director was not very precise in teaching the choir German diction for a Bach cantata . and instead of singing the German word for hell. it sounded like the German word for "whore. So they were singing something like The devil in the whore .. instead of the Devil from hell. LOL> My German friend's mother nearly passed out LOL. Oh and I remember when I accompanied my Mom a soubrette coloratura for a Senior Center opera soiree. and the announcer painfully said every title wrong and couldn't even pronounce Vissi d'arte .. he said something like Visis Dart by Pu kee nee LOL. Oh and get this. He said Milhaud as Mill-howd and Henry Purcell as pur-SELL . The stupidity burns LOL

[@M_SC]

Well the last one is normal, it’s the normal pronunciation for that name in North America anyway. We also pronounce Bernard with the accent on the second syllable. I’ve never heard anyone pronounce Purcell any other way than the way you think is ridiculous

[@SpencerMusicSchool]

@@M_SC It is about correct musicology . Henry Purcell pronounced his name with the accent on the first syllable. It would be like someone pronouncing Henry Mancini -- Man-chi-ni or Richard Wagner with an Americanized pronunciation instead of correct German. It exposes the uneducated. Especially since names like Richard Wagner, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart etc are basic music appreciation knowledge.

[@p7j5]

For the first clip, the auction record for the maker ($93,548) is for a viola bow. TwoSet folks may need life support if they see that 😅

[@WutipongWongsakuldej]

I was in the concert locally where the conductor and the vocalist is from abroad but all of the musician is local. At one particular song the band plays the tune very slow while the conductor desperately try to speed the tempo up. It was a sight to be be seen It's a ballad tune from a well known video game series, so I think the band was practicing at the slow tempo before the show. They probably didn't have much to reherse with the said conductor. Also I think this conductor prefer faster tempo, even comparing to the original recording.

[@voanh99]

Just want to say I love Ray's over shirt.

[@SVG4ever]

uff... the last Clip, just in such a meditative quiet Piece😅

[@tomasdhana2180]

Well we all thought that Ray was a violinist but he surprises us by showing us his opera skills

[@lordneeko]

That light bulb bursting is definitely what we call a "Brown out" type moment 😜

[@ricardosalavessa1931]

Hi Ray! Great video. Why do you say that Kevlar doesn't sound as good on the tail piece gut?

[@Vaeinoe]

I was ready for the piano strings to snap

[@andacomfeeuvou]

I know it's hard to believe, but I've seen a viola bow fly into the lap of a woman in the audience. The woman stood up and gently handed the bow back to the musician. It was a professional orchestra and the musician was an excellent musician. I can't give any more details because everyone who was present looked as if nothing had happened.

[@M_SC]

Hahaha!

[@mellissadalby1402]

Hi Ray, My personal fails pale in comparison. One time I started a solo in a wrong key (turned into atonal), another time I was playing for a room full of Hells Angels and heard them all clapping in time, then I looked up and totally crashed and burned. Oh well, I lived.

[@robertwalker2052]

I think the larger question here is why you were performing for. . .oh, nevermind.

[@Jonathanhsax]

Not me wiggling my mouse to remove the thumbnail when Ray is conducting and singing the Sibelius

[@shawnerie]

Nice Rancilio Silvia!

[@M_SC]

Fight/flight/freeze happens at a concert *because you recognize the situation as danger* Obvious but also kind of mind blowing. I can use this to soothe my nerves

[@klawler4523]

Hi ray ! Kathy back,enjoying yr video.

[@leonscottkennedyre4]

So when a bow breaks and they switch with the concert master does he now sit there not playing, or does he then take someone else's bow? How does that work?

[@Christalksaboutrandomstuff]

Usually concert master would swap with the next person in the section after

[@leonscottkennedyre4]

@@Christalksaboutrandomstuff So someone still ends up sitting there holding broken stuff and not playing?

[@Christalksaboutrandomstuff]

@@leonscottkennedyre4 not 100% sure actually

[@leonscottkennedyre4]

@@quenoselecruzenadie Interesting! Hopefully ray can respond and let us know what happens in these situations!

[@M_SC]

I saw it get passed back once… I wonder if bows or violins all get mixed up.

[@nikanj]

Honestly, the adjudicator cutting off that pianist was a mercy. Most likely he would have kept fumbling.

[@hermin]

Ray, how often do you change your violin's string?

[@matthiasheymann]

In the Chopin etude 25.6, his right hand started skipping ahead already before the upwards run, making the two hands go out of sync. He did the same thing in his second attempt. Nerves…

[@diyVT]

My tail piece loop broke while my violin was just sitting. It was old and made of gut and it just gave up. At first I was afraid something more major had broken.

[@jh.y00N]

If you listen to Ray's music, you can tell if Ray is Raychen!!👍🏻✨💯🥇👑🎻

[@animaldancer]

"Because it's a viola" had me dying

[@NiiloPaasivirta]

The fourth one was deliberate. It was planned beforehand.

[@juliegill6278]

Ray, could you please tell me why violinists constantly give violists a hard time? Julie Gill, Glasgow, Scotland.

[@M_SC]

It’s just a stupid tradition for people who aren’t funny who want to be funny at this point

[@odilebeltran8462]

Mon plus concert...❤❤❤❤❤

[@simondanielssonmusic]

Okay nice I am expecting emotional trauma today from this video

[@chelseathompson4486]

Tail “loop” = tail “gut” Ray 😄

[@parhampourheidar2182]

Can someone say witch piece of Vivaldi was the last one?

[@oiarasilva5790]

Uma pena já tive dois feiks.ahora sempre a dúvida.mas como artista exlente.

[@owenmcneill7746]

Why was the Mendelssohn concerto playing in the background when you mentioned the Tchaikovsky violin concerto? 🧐 Ray Chen secretly giving us a quiz to see if we know our stuff 😂

[@simathepotato]

During the last fail even I got scared in 1 headphone 😅 I saw that fear in Kristina’s eyes as well)

[@user-xp6zd2sf1l]

Hey didn’t some violin guy lose an eye when his e string busted? That would be a tough one to continue on with.

[@M_SC]

New fear unlocked

[@sabrinai]

"It never gets old though, probably because it's a viola!" Dat buuurn 🙈🔥

[@lucienazario2786]

Anything can happen even during a concert. Like you .... your E string always breaks!!! I guess your E string feels your emotions when you play.😂 😂

[@CaRadJa]

4:31 stage fright mechanism every violinist should understand

[@scottman953]

Since l seen a video of you playing anime theme songs including the first season Pokémon theme song

[@salomaocabral8816]

I wanna watch a video of you making coffee in that machine

[@robertwalker2052]

My comment about the second performer. Why isn't the bridge of the viola cemented to the instrument? It never needs to move. It seems to invite a disaster like this.

[@lilychang5500]

❤❤❤

[@grgryl]

Definitely the orchestra's fault in the Sibelius polyrhythm. That should be only conducted in 2

[@wfpelletier4348]

I find it interesting that the violist had four fine tuners on his tailpiece. I thought only violin beginners like me used four fine tuners.

[@cubanmotion2010]

Is it me, or is Ray's bridge leaning back a lot? (I am referencing the scene where Ray is talking after the video where the tail piece broke). If it is leaning back, would that be intentional???

[@fDworked]

30k bow wow... When my bow just only bow that I get from the violin purchased 😅

[@Esterina550.]

❤

[@JuanC.Machado]

1:55 💀

[@johnhazencook]

After Twoset hickey challenge….i keep staring at his neck to try to figure out which kind of hickey he has and who gave it to him. 😂

[@popitoto]

No luck to have twice a concert accident!

[@coloraturaElise]

I just want to know who's changing Ray's string, and did he walk over there to give them his extra E string?

[@kerimcelik3680]

what im wondering is why dont they have a substitute instrument ready for such instances. seems like ,this sort of stuff with the string breaking especially the E string is pretty common 😮.

[@andrewzhang8512]

because like where are you leaving the substitute

[@e2pii213]

The standard procedure: The soloist gives his violin to the concertmaster, the concertmaster gives the soloist his. Then the concertmaster swap with some other violinist behind him. ( Btw breaking E string is not as common as Ray's videos might suggest:-)

[@YehajoVlog-xp9vv]

Bruh I just want to meet ray I am a Australian

[@elleneugenio9986]

The show must go on whatever happens..

[@TheVoitel]

The term is _tailgut_

[@M_SC]

My tail gut was made of gut and dried out and snapped, but not while I was playing. In the case. I opened it and it looked like the violin had exploded

[@Try_Gratitude.123]

Ouch

[@privacyvalued4134]

1:43 Ray cries on the inside through laughter. Asians have this odd habit of laughing nervously when they are expressing difficult and painful emotional damage. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the ambassador to the U.S. laughed nervously before FDR, who became irate because, well, the U.S. had just been attacked. Cultural differences can make an already tense moment worse. I think the nervous laughter comes from the wrong policy of "always saving face" because of the faulty belief that personal actions reflect on family and nation.

[@Esterina550.]

When are you coming to play in Italy? Please come here too I would be so happy 😃 HI❤

[@scottman953]

Can you play the Pokémon horizon theme music in a video please

[@shinopokuotcho]

Ray tried to play Arabic violin music😊😊😊

[@cpaul08]

"Probably because it's a viola' hahahahaha

[@dees3179]

Are there recorded instances where the concert masters instrument is a really different setup, significant enough to cause problems. Or is it a requirement for being concert master that they have to play on a full size fairly standard instrument, for this reason? What if the soloist normally plays something out of the ordinary?

[@Geoplanetjane]

That happened years ago when the soloist, Midori, was not playing a full size violin.

[@jazz2818-ib1ql]

10:27 He could be an opera singer

[@oiarasilva5790]

I am from Brazil.

[@scottman953]

Ray Chen