I can’t be stopped [response to TwoSet]

[@徐圣张]

As a musician myself, I feel awkward and unreasonable about these scripted playing videos as Twoset does. However after watching Ray's response, I realize that these videos are not for musicians but for wider public to spread classical music. Thank you Ray for bringing music to people in your way!

[@ggtoxin6148]

Yes it's great to spread it, but, to play it off as if it's a random encounter is really deceptive and weird.

[@Pepesilvia267]

I sort of agree. These videos are supposed to clickbait so I don’t like that but I do like that the people who are at the train station or subway get to experience some great music and have joy. I personally would prefer if the KZbinr didn’t act like it was spontaneous and unplanned when they post the video. I’d still watch these style of videos if they acknowledge they were planned. I admire Ray for his approach and for being honest. Much respect

[@nancyjfs]

@@ggtoxin6148 So don't watch.

[@fabiennelaplace6278]

J'ai découvert Ray Chen grâce à ces vidéos et je suis ensuite arrivée sur la chaîne de TwoSetViolin, ce qui est assez ironique vu leur vidéo sur le sujet. Je me rends compte que j'écoute plus de musique classique depuis, elle me semble moins réservée à une élite. Par contre, même si je n'ai jamais pensé qu'il s'agit de rencontres fortuites, j'aimerais mieux que cela soit annoncé comme étant mis en scène, ça n'enlèverait rien à la vidéo.

[@yisu4539]

I like musicians like Ray who strive to spread classical music to the broader public. I also recognize their effort making such videos, and I actually enjoyed many of them. However, I can't convince myself some of them are not mainly to bait clicks which I don't like. There are many other ways of making fun videos that bring classical to everyone, which I much more prefer. ^ I'm not talking about Ray's videos though, most of which I found fun. Just some generic observations. Tbh if the video looks clearly scripted and not pretending to be spontaneous, may be much better. Even film behind the scene would be cool too

[@shoppingreviews7755]

I actually got my interest in classical music thanks to those musicians-crashing-in-public videos, but my interest maintains and evolves thanks to Twoset and Ray Chen. And now I have been learning the violin for 4 months. Hope that I could play well someday!!

[@ecalpon1]

Keep going! You can do it!

[@Naerlyn]

Hey, great job and never quit it! One day, close to 20 years ago, one guy on the train approached me (I was carrying my violin) and told me "do yourself a favor and don't quit playing, I did and I've been regretting it ever since". Those words stayed with me during those periods when the violin was just no longer appealing to me, and I decided to trust it. Now, it's been 12 years since I've had any thoughts of stopping and I'm oh so glad I've kept going. So I'm passing those words onto you too, and may you have fun and find the ways to play that make you have fun :D

[@shuya-ei8hp]

To be honest, if I were at the station and two musicians were willing to rehearse in advance and give me such a high-level performance, I would really be happy. Although it is indeed necessary to consider issue of safety, I am still very grateful.❤❤

[@EidosTrantorianum]

The spirit of classical music now requires that Ray, Brett and Eddy do one of these, uhm, "spontaneous" videos together. Who better than Ray to get the boys out of their comfort zone to have some fun. Like if you agree ;)

[@blueyarn721]

Get them out of their comfort zone? Have you seen their video about chanting Rite of spring in public? 🤣

[@wakingtheworld]

Well Brett & Eddy have not long uploaded one of these 'spontaneous' videos only they went one better! All great fun, eh.

[@KatereenArt]

@@blueyarn721 I still can't fully comprehend how they filmed that 😆

[@littolcupcake1997]

oh that'll be really nice!😆

[@wakingtheworld]

@@blueyarn721 Just checked it out. OMG. THAT takes courage and risking to appear an absolute fruit loop.... What ya do for views, eh! But it was totally 🤣

[@sabrinai]

😳😳😳😳 oh my gosh! Didn't think Ray would actually answer to Twoset's vid but here we go.

[@karentravis2357]

I love Ray’s approach to educating the public. To me it seems everything he does has that aim at its core and I applaud him for it. I’m a big fan of him and his work and encourage my own pupils to listen to and watch him. ❤👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@emiliopiano.official]

Keep being amazing and share your music to the world Ray ❤

[@bonner119]

It was your video that made me meet Ray❤ thank you😊❤

[@samaritan29]

twoset are just a bunch of snobs for not being able to appreciate the humour and joy your videos bring to the general community, don't let them stop you from doing what you love!

[@yosoykibbles]

Agree to the comment above. It is you who introduced me to Ray! Amazing! Thank You for sharing Joy!!! ✨✨✨✨

[@rotalabong]

You're both awesome!

[@tinaw1763]

⁠@@samaritan29they aren’t being snobs. I don’t think you picked up much of the sarcasm..which is basically content they tend to make time to time

[@2434zzz]

I completely agree with you Ray about the purpose about these videos and the positivity it brings to people. After all, that is the purpose of music. My question is, why record it in a way that is so obviously staged? I feel like it’ll be much more authentic and interesting if you recorded videos by showing us the behind the scenes, how you set up the meeting, the practice, pre-recording, perhaps even some bloopers, interaction with audiences when you encourage them to request songs, and then of course, the performance itself, where the live audience is genuinely impressed by the sudden appearance of a flash mob. In this way, you can still spread positivity and joy to all, but in a more authentic and fun way. Just my 2 cents. Love what you’re doing and continue spreading joy to all!

[@marilynhaverly570]

You expressed my thoughts exactly!!!!

[@theiaselene]

Same!

[@sitbone3]

Clicks !

[@Gretchaninov]

Exactly. It's not like Twoset ever criticised the music or any kind of flashmob. It's the fakeness and the dumbed-down editing.

[@MyaMiaFroggy]

@@GretchaninovThat’s a great point

[@wishhh9960]

It's actually nice to see that Ray isn't offended because, you know, Twoset has dark past with parody😂 Edit: I really didn't mean to start this 💀

[@stravinskyfan]

what dark past

[@wishhh9960]

@stravinskyfan once they made a joke about how a kpop song used a classical piece and after that they were met with countless hate comments It was really ridiculous if you ask me

[@stravinskyfan]

@@wishhh9960 oh, forgot about that one. thanks for answering.

[@AndySaenz924]

Ray makes both of them look like amateur violinists!

[@stravinskyfan]

@@AndySaenz924 irrelevant but ok

[@jeremyjeffes8603]

I absolutely agree with Ray that it’s important to spread the joy of classical music, and I agree that these videos are certainly reaching a huge audience, and I’m glad about that, but it seems a shame to me that the only way that the makers of these videos can get people’s attention is with the clickbaity and hugely over-exaggerated captions that actually damage the image we give music in a different way, and still don’t give the truth of classical music, which is what they’re looking to achieve

[@ptvignettes]

I love Ray's calm and honest explanation of his videos, he didn't have to do it. And anyways, what's wrong with him wanting to be a violinist AND a youtuber? We all have multiple passions and we're all multi-facted. Him being a youtuber doesn't take away the fact that he is at the same time a very accomplished violinist! So you do you, Ray! Rooting for you ❤🔥

[@redpepperflakes8823]

I love TSV and I saw Ray Chen and Hilary Hahn in one of their videos. I now enjoy classical music because of all of them. Thanks to all of you who make listening to classical music more enjoyable.❤❤❤

[@baxter8it]

Same for me, but I saw Ray and Emilio first, then looked up TwoSet.

[@jenniferkuo6650]

I'm 60 and started to listen to classical violin because of Ray and Twoset. I hope Ray, Eddy and Brett are not mad at each other, because it's so fun watching you guys together. Love you all!

[@xandraxandra1437]

​@@jenniferkuo6650They are friends irl, don't worry.

[@teohyuanhui]

@@jenniferkuo6650 I think maybe even TwoSet's video and Ray Chen's reaction may be scripted or discussed beforehand, maybe it's to get more engagement from KZbin communities.

[@ThomUnderStars]

Ray has so many qualities (playing, speaking, etc.), and it's doing great things for the music community. Keep going, Ray! We are in your side!

[@stewart5738]

In his side? He probably hopes not... lol!

[@SlapMyBass3825]

This is basically the same argument as wrestling where "fake" is the wrong word. "Scripted" is how you would classify these kinds of videos, whereas the performances are real.

[@bonner119]

agree

[@talisa222]

I think this is a good/the best comparison. I don't think it's a deception because most people who watch it are "in" on the premise, so they treat it as a show.

[@pkmnjss]

Well actually for decades, the wrestlers and promotions would maintain that all the matches, rivalries and relationships were real. There would be fans literally ready to murder the heels because of what they did in the ring. But Vince McMahon broke kayfabe in 1989, and confirmed the matches were predetermined and they employ story writers. Most fans get angry at the producers, writers and executives if their favourite wrestler doesn't win instead.

[@letao12]

Sure, but then don't sell it as a spontaneous thing that randomly happened and surprised everyone. It isn't. Call it what it is, a public performance.

[@stephc5781]

​@@letao12Totally agree with your point. I'm all for promoting classical music and appealing to more people to appreciate classical music. But spending hours on set-up, re-filming takes, editing, etc and then calling it spontaneous is an insult to everyone involved, and in particular the musicians themselves. You wouldn't call the sculpture of David a spontaneous piece of art. It also sets up completely unrealistic expectations about musicians, that they can collaborate and sound amazing together without rehearsal on a whim.

[@Anastasiaviolinistparis]

I already wrote my comment under the twoset video. That such videos are very important for the promotion of classical music, the video in the room does not give promotion. Ordinary people are not interested in them. Why I don’t shoot a lot of classics is because people are not interested in them. Why don't clients ask me to play pop music, because classical music is not known. I am very grateful to the pianists and Ray for making such content; it is very important. Orchestras do not have a budget; from the entire Conservatory class, only 2-3 work on music. We need to popularize classical music for ordinary people. This will give musicians the opportunity to have more work and people will go to concerts more, not only the older generation, but also the younger generation, and this is important. And if Ray Chen can make popular video with classical music only use some iPhones and this all this su genius 👏👏👏

[@Msmcarlos]

those people are so lucky to see a free performance of world class musicians. I love how level headed Ray is… a true professional

[@mozartsrosin8577]

Twoset may have been the ones who inspired me to pick up and learn the violin, but Ray is the one who keeps the passion aflame. So humble and encouraging. I love that you're making classical music fun in a soft and kind way that makes a lot of people comfortable.

[@zorabw8948]

You just won an new subscriber from Germany. I am very impressed. Until last night I had this prejudice that classical music is boring. Then Then I saw a video of this piano player who made music with you at the airport, and today I bought a concert ticket to see you in Munich in 2025. I am excited that I will be sitting in the first row. Thanks for showing a new world to me.

[@obito-i8l]

Welcome to the world of Classical Music!

[@shoppingreviews7755]

I also got my interest in classical music from those train station/airport videos. Now I am learning violin (self-teaching) at age 28.

[@obito-i8l]

@@shoppingreviews7755 Come on! I am learning the piano!

[@RobLandes]

Great points, Ray. This is a fantastic format to bring music to more people, especially classical music, so it's crazy to me to see TwoSet try to stop it. Don't let them! :D

[@dvides89]

Hi Rob, firstly Hi ( love your videos)… I think the issue (and there seems to be many comments on this same video to say the same thing) is that the acting part is really a downer for an otherwise wonderful collaboration….. I see for example your funny videos where people spontaneously react to your violin playing, it would very less encouraging to know they are acting …… You would still be playing awesomely but a viewer definitely wouldn’t like to be fooled…. And I think Twoset in their crude honesty have expressed an opinion many other people shared, they do it through humor but there’s truth in there. And as Ray said it, which we totally believe, they got many things wrong but not due to them being intentionally disingenuous but because of lack of context.

[@agent1149]

Hey Rob. I love your videos and keep up the good work! However that being said, Twoset was not trying to stop people from making this kind of content but rather just shedding light on the fact that it is staged and not genuine. Twoset’s whole thing is pointing out when people are being cringe or fake which is how they got this popular in the first place. They don’t sugarcoat it which is why I love them. They just say it as it is and that’s totally fine. I think we need both kinds of content creators. One that takes part in the show and one that calls out what needs to be called out. At the end of the day the content creators are clearly trying to portray it as “this is a random musician and totally genuine and not rehearsed at all” which is extremely cringe because everyone already knows it’s not real, so why are you trying to act like it is? Anyways what I’m trying to say is Twoset’s opinion is valid because all they did was give awareness to us(the audience).

[@pikavickychuu]

Such a humble response! You are such an inspiration and after watching a lot of your videos, I fell back in love with classical music.

[@sabrinai]

Thank you so much Ray to explaining and shedding light to these videos! Love how positive you are and how clear you lay out things! And true! At the end of the day it's about sharing the art and joy of (classical) music or art or anything beautiful!

[@alicesmith4249]

I love these “impromptu” videos because my non-musical family members get such a kick out of them. They would never go to the orchestra with me or learn to play themselves, but they will always stop to watch these videos and enjoy the music. You’re right. It’s a fantastic way to spread the joy of classical music. It’s a good thing to remind people that professional musicians are passionate, hot blooded people who can bust a jam, and don’t live just in the halls of a symphony.

[@SuzyQ-bm4we]

100 percent agree.. it's done in the same spirit as what twoset do with humour... making classical music more relevant and accessible to new listeners. I was a bit surprised that they didn't see it in that light. Thanks for reacting.

[@TheAsianTree]

But twoset has never blatantly lied to their viewers for clicks. Ray says it himself that they rehearse and set repertoire.

[@SuzyQ-bm4we]

April fools?

[@WISH-Art-s6o]

@@TheAsianTree they lied a lot

[@TheAsianTree]

@@WISH-Art-s6o ik, but I mentioned specifically for clicks.

[@KG-rc3hu]

I have no issue with that. The problem is when the video creators try to portray the moment as unplanned, unrehearsed, genuine improvisation. Some even go as far as posting comments on their video like « I was just playing while this random guy pulled out his violin » There is a way for us to enjoy this kind of content without it feeling disingenuous.

[@SharonMitchell-r3j]

Any world renowned musician at Ray's level who generously shares his talent is giving a gift to all who are fortunate enough to hear him.

[@christaherwig0404]

It's definitely not easy sometimes to face everything. But Ray, very honest, very natural, explains his performances to us. I would like to be there to experience that someday. His performance is always great🎻thanks Ray Chen 🎶😍

[@VicJang]

Respect! I love your response. The is the perfect follow up for TwoSet’s video. Great mindset and excellent player!!

[@ascphil]

Hi, Ray! Thanks for responding to TwoSet's reaction about the videos of musicians playing in public spaces to requested songs. They're actually how I discovered you on IG and made me find out who you are, causing me to follow you on your KZbin channel! You're doing a great job promoting classical music with your prowess on the violin. You're an exemplary musician and awesome educator!

[@323chukaman]

睇到兩個俊男一個鋼琴一個提小提琴 真的賞心悅目 我也是從emo影片認識Ray Chen，一睇就上癮了 其實有實力 唔怕比人抺黑 真的假的都不再重要 觀眾有腦自行思考 但諷刺人也應該裝備好自己先有說服力

[@kamui_harusame]

我還在小紅書上了解到twoset是怎麼對待員工的，還克扣了editor san的工資😂我已經脫粉他們倆了😂

[@323chukaman]

@@kamui_harusame 兩個跟本無賣點 低低能能咁

[@shizhixv5856]

@@kamui_harusame 确实，看这的评论，似乎大家都不记得这些事了...其实我觉得2set很多言论真的挺debatable

[@teawithtams6596]

Love this response video, no beef, just kindness and joy.

[@guillermoramirez8444]

I’m glad you responded. They never recovered from your response. That’s why they are gone. 😂😜

[@lotusifght]

因為看了Ray和Emilio.paino合作的影片，才讓我重拾了對古典樂的喜愛。因為身邊的人大部份喜歡的是流行樂，也不想讓周圍的人覺得我很假掰，畢竟我又不會彈任何樂器，就絕口不提其實我蠻喜歡聽古典樂。 古典樂總給人一種高大尚的距離感，好像是某些特定人才能有的興趣愛好。 但仔細聽有些廣告、電影、動漫配樂裡都有古典樂在裡面，其實並沒有距離我們那麼遙遠。 雖然我不會演奏，但我一樣可以欣賞這些亙古流傳的旋律，透過不同的音樂家感受他們想要傳達的訊息和故事。 KZbin和短影片是一個很棒的傳播媒介，感謝Ray和所有音樂家的努力，讓這份美好傳承下去，讓更多人知道。 我想不管是看影片的觀眾，或是在場的聽眾都能感受到那份感動和inspiration是真的

[@theiaselene]

並沒有人批評他們把音樂帶給公眾，問題在於有欺騙成份，明明可以大方表演，為什麼要裝偶遇？看一兩次還叫有趣，看十次八次就覺得智商都被侮辱了，哪來的那麼多偶遇，從沒練習過又怎會這樣合拍這樣完美？我相信不帶欺騙的音樂演出和影片都可以達到一樣的效果，公眾也一樣可以感受音樂帶來的快樂

[@Y3llow_Submarin3]

@@theiaselene 對，真是沒排練過的 反而 讓大家知道 演奏家 其實 也不是那麽完美的。好啦 至少Ray 沒逃避 也坦誠 也夠誠意了

[@Y3llow_Submarin3]

正是因爲 古典給人高大尚的感覺 所以 廣告電影 都愛用。

[@lotusifght]

@@theiaselene 對我來說是一個驚喜! 快閃表演也要訂時間、地點、表演內容；真人秀節目其實也有劇本。我反倒會好希望能偶遇這樣的安排，然後內心裡大笑三聲：再演啊~你們兩個😆😆😆認真就輸了(茶) 不管有沒有排練，他是一個職業的演奏家，如果他随隨便便就把一個不夠好的表演帶給觀眾，那這也太不專業。即使只是拍一個短視頻，我相信他都會盡力做到最好。 以上只是我個人的想法。

[@emilyho3028]

偶遇是他們表演的一部分，不是只有音樂是表演，還有其他的戲劇張力也是他的表演內容

[@thenameisseanhong]

I truly hope Ling Ling insurance isn't failing Brett & Eddy lol.

[@harmonyrose7344]

I hope it does lol I like them, but they can be very unkind sometimes. I think they need a check on themselves.

[@sunghyeonmoon2506]

I get what you mean, but they're just stating facts and you can't really hate facts 😬

[@thenameisseanhong]

@@harmonyrose7344 Please tell me, in what way are Brett and Eddy being unkind? I'm genuinely not aware of any instances where they might've been actually "unkind" in public platform because as far as I can see, they still maintain their TwoSet brand (generally harsh but valid criticism [not every criticism has to be constructive]) pretty well. I don't enjoy their more recent content as much as their older ones (mainly due to the editing choices), but I still see them as the same ol slightly jaded "tough love" Asian violinist duo.

[@thenameisseanhong]

@@sunghyeonmoon2506 I echo your sentiment. I just don't want Brett & Eddy to be a victim of the cancellation mob who will vilify anyone with dissident opinion, or anyone who refuses to use the mob's preferred "coddling" language in everything ("emotional safety", anti harsh criticism warrior, if you know what I mean).

[@harmonyrose7344]

@thenameisseanhong I posted this in another comment. Pasting here now: How often are they genuinely kind to someone vs all the times they’ve dissed someone: Ray, Ben Lee, Vov Dylan, Lindsay Sterling, Andre Rieu, viola players, recorder players, Chloe Chua (in their 1st ever video reacting to her they said that people like Christian better and pointed out her going cross eyed..she was like 11), Alma Deutscher, I could go on and on. I believe Alma was hurt because I read that she tried to justify why she said “interesting” during the video and seemed embarrassed by becoming a meme. Way to go, 2 grown a$$ men, making fun of a little girl and humiliating her. I do like Brett and Eddy’s content, but I think they are not kind people in general. - I don’t think they’ll get cancelled, nor do I want that. I just wish they would consider other people’s feelings sometimes. Especially when it came to the two little girls, Chloe & Alma. Luckily for Chloe TwoSet simps over her now, but or Alma had tshirts made to poke fun at her and a video made at her expense all for clicks. Sorry for spelling/grammar mistakes. Typing from my phone.

[@beatricec-v9l]

Cheer up Ray! We will continue to support you and classical music!

[@ViolinHobby]

Go Ray!!! You're the best classical violin KZbinr on this planet!!!

[@WISH-Art-s6o]

Ray! It was exactly those videos made by you and Emilio that drew me into classical music. Plz keep doing so! Your videos always fuel me up. Scripts are not a big deal, even Twoset has scripted before they did that reaction.

[@ragweedmakesmesneeze]

I appreciate Ray's response to the critique. If bringing more people to classical music is ultimately the point, I guess the question then becomes, "do these scripted "two take" performances bring in more of an audience than if Ray and his fellow musicians simply set up in a public space and performed without the premise that this encounter was a random meeting inspired by the request of a random person passing by?" I suppose it's like WWE wrestling...who cares, just enjoy the show.

[@tiberiurus1289]

Now Twoset needs to react to your reaction! Also, i feel like what they're talking about, is when the musicians literally pretend like they stumble upon each other and just started playing, and i honestly get that, altough it doesn't actually harm anyone, but why even pretend like that, other than for likes on youtube or other platforms. But what Ray is taliking about, makes me think more of flash mobs. Anyway all 3 are great, with amazing taste and skill in music, so who cares about anything else

[@hopeful2012a]

Ray, you've my full support. You're a real gentleman.

[@markchan7344]

I think Ray Chen is phenomenal and I love his content. That being said, what I don't think is addressed here is the fact that these kinds of videos are set up with the "supposed organic nature" of two musicians randomly meeting and playing brilliantly together. From the screenshots, to the captions and the click bait titles, to the zoomed-in reactions of bystanders (some/most which I have no doubt are real)...I never doubt the music, I'm in awe of all musicians who play to a great standard and are excellent performers. However, I just can't stand the way these videos are shot by pretending to be organic when it's all pre-meditated. It takes away from the authenticity of music because the music isn't the real focus; the fact that two musicians RANDOMLY start jamming together in a public place in perfect harmony is. If your focus was to bring music to the masses, why the need for the false pretenses? We live in a weird world.

[@WeilunP]

Ray explains everything gently like a big brother!! I hope to hear Ray play in public one day lol It will be one of the best days in my life!!

[@WISH-Art-s6o]

He is soooo nice

[@xandraxandra1437]

It is nice hearing him explain so calmly and honestly how it works

[@sonicheros3461]

Thank you for your videos. I have a granddaughter who wss adopted from Tai Pei. She is now turning 23 and attending de Paul completing year 1 of her master degree. She is a violinist who has been playing dince 5 yrs old.. When she plays I find great joy! I don't get to see her often. When I listen to you play different classical music I learn more about her passion. She wants to be in an orchestra and teach violin to children. She has been teaching young children for a few years. Thank you for making this grandmother love classical music! And I told her about watching your videos. She knew all about you. Small world. 😄

[@mindsetfromfertilitytomoth7378]

“‘Is this bringing positive impact to people?’ - that’s the way I measure success!” GOLD! Beautiful! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@taimingchan9967]

You are so kind so polite to say this, I like this series, I don’t know what’s the matter in this and I would love to watch this kind of performance in life. Thank you, you are a real musician.

[@realshaoran4514]

I really believe, that the people at the airport/train station/cafe/etc are going to have a great time, even if they meeting is scripted. Hearing a live performance by professional musicians is not something that everybody has experienced ever so I agree, those people are having the a great time and will have a very memorable afternoon. However, my beef is with the youtube videos and how they are presented and the feeling they are trying to sell, because in my opinion they are really cringey specially with those captions. I watched a few and then I have been ignoring them. Even if I don't like the videos themselves, I still think it's a really nice from Ray to do this collabs with other musicians, for them and for the audience that didn't expect such a class act.

[@timothykandel169]

I can't miss each episode! Your approach is delightfully captivating. When I was a student studying keyboard and voice (operatic) I lived to practice and refine my ability on every piece...never felt obliged to practice, just loved it! Thank you for your analysis on pieces and performers. During the fall of communism in East Germany I played a concert for Bach's birthday I was arrested for inciting an overthrow and condemned to death by firing squad they crushed my hands and I took 3 bullets, the underground pulled me from a mass grave...but my hands never healed but my heart lives in music. Thank you for your talent and sharing your love of music!❤

[@karengaray5114]

I have no problem with the idea that these performances are partly planned. As Ray says, it's about the enjoyment of music. My musical skills are nowhere near that level, but I use my knitting in a similar way. I knit in public to create interest in knitting, and to build connections. And I often give away what I knit, to pass on the enjoyment. Anything we can do to make the world a happier place is a good thing, whether it's planned or not. Also, why would anyone think this kind of performance "shouldn't be allowed"? That makes no sense to me.

[@eshleynn7142]

Nice, proper and clear response, clearly states what a musician should do, spread joyful music and being considerate, instead of just making fun of other musicians

[@ssatjapot]

Seriously...this was posted 4 hrs ago and there are 200+ comments... but Ray is so professional and incredibly courteous about this response. I also love Ray's subtle flex that he "can play vivaldi any time". Legit talent, Twoset!!

[@ssatjapot]

Also....I found Ray Chen through Emilio's IG post. I am super grateful for this cuz Ray is now one of my heroes and go-to inspirations on dark days.

[@pkmnjss]

Twoset never said Ray wasn't talented. Ray was one of the violinists Brett studied to prepare for his Mendelssohn. The Four Seasons are considered grade-level pieces for music exams by programs such as RCM, ABRSM, LCM, etc. They aren't among the pieces that'd be played for diploma-level evaluations. So Ray saying he can play them anytime... I'd really hope so.

[@jshum02]

It doesn't matter if it's planned or not. I think random acts of music are great.

[@elinamakela8435]

If Ray’s violin teacher used to wake him up in the middle of the night and make him play flawlessly, I’m sure the improvised airport/cafe/whatever during daytime is a piece of cake 😂

[@legendpossible7159]

Hey Ray, I support what you do and I love that you are passionate in sharing music with people regardless of circumstances. I will support you as always, wish you all the best!!! ❤

[@BaggerVance]

Love your approach. Thanks Ray ❤️

[@MikStorer]

The videos are great. The music is great. Why not just frame it as "hey ... I'm in the mall" ... "I'm going to meet someone" - make it a mystery ... but the various performers setting up meetings and pretending it is spontaneous is not telling the truth and totally unnecessary. Twoset is right here. Their flash mob is perfect. And you can see the joy in that one too. Let's just frame it as "Hey nice to meet you in reality after chatting on Viber. Let's play together and see how it goes." And let it happen. Honest - but still a nice back story. Same joy. But real story. The real story is just as nice. We are lucky - great music from Ray in Public And a great public Flash Mob from Twoset which wouldn't have happened without Ray's piece. Double the joy. But even more important - more attention for classical music.

[@chaotic_violist]

thanks for sharing your perspective on this! i think it’s important to have both twoset’s views and yours

[@marjamerryflower]

❤ Thank you, Ray, for answering the questions. Your friendship with Twoset is strong. Brett owes you so much for studying together with him for the Singapore concert. We haven't forgotten that! We are truly grateful to you. Thank you for bringing classical music outside the concert halls to expose everyone and anyone to the beauty of it. We do appreciate you as a person and as the fabulous musician you are❤❤❤❤❤

[@beatricedubois7377]

So classy… the positive impact you’re making in the world, not just in spreading classical music. Love your work in your online platforms especially the impact you have on the younger generations!

[@izabelablawat6107]

Ray Chen You are an amazing musician and violinist, that is way it’s sounds so amazing live. ❤

[@patriciasanchezwebb]

To me, Ray is very much an artist "of the people". Thanks for making beautiful music accessible to the masses.

[@sabrinai]

Petition for Ray to show us that video where they got called out by security 😂

[@oxoelfoxo]

BTS for sure!

[@anathardayaldar]

Security probably told them please don't record it. And though they had no legal right to comply, the performers need security on their good side for future performances. Again, they may have the legal right to perform there in the future, but its always good to leave positive memories with security, secretaries and janitors.

[@LittleDreamer1412]

I like how you just calmly explained this. I am a fan of both you, Ray, and Brett and Eddy and I owe it to you all that I started taking violin lessons as an adult. I love how you share the love of classical music nowadays and share it with people online. I hope there is no bad blood between you three from now on cause I love how much joy you bring to people and see you together 😊

[@elenagerenova8458]

Ok, I feel like I need to say something here, even though I usually feel very uncomfortable posting comments on the Internet. First, I have to say I'm a fan of both Ray and TwoSet, and I have been incredibly lucky to attend their concerts-Ray's in my country (greetings from Bulgaria :) ) and TwoSet's recent show this March in Munich, Germany. Both have been incredible experiences, although I must admit, TwoSet's show has a really special place in my heart just because it's so different from anything I have seen before. Now, to the topic-I think people on the Internet these days are incredibly touchy and see problems where there aren't any. I don't think there is anything inherently insulting in TwoSet's video, but it's good for Ray to explain a bit of the process behind these performances. I agree that sharing a positive emotion and presenting classical music in a funny way is crucial for bringing more audience to it; however, I have a few issues with this concept of "spontaneous" staged videos: - The captions are really annoying-something that was a main point in TwoSet's video. - We all (I hope) can tell that these videos are staged, so the whole "You wouldn't believe what is gonna happen" act is very cringey. - If there were 5-10 videos like this, I could give them a pass. But I feel like there are thousands of this type of content, so, at least for me, the whole idea became annoying very quickly. And it's kind of sad that some of these pianists get more views from these videos rather than their concerts or more "formal" performances. - Lastly, Ray, I'm sorry, but I have a hard time believing that so many people from the audience could be brave enough to make song requests in public IN FRONT OF A CAMERA. The mere fact that you should encourage them to do that proves that the whole thing is staged. Again, nothing wrong with that, but the way it's packaged could be...let's say, improved. Maybe I'm biased because in my country you can barely make a critical comment without being labeled a "hater," but I feel you can still be genuine and positive without that amount of staging. But hey, that's just me-maybe I'm just old for this era of the Internet (I'm 35 now). At the end of the day, Ray is a brilliant, famous musician, these videos get millions of views, and I'm literally nobody. Lastly, I want to make a point regarding several comments that I read here about TwoSet being lazy, not practicing, and generally implying they are not good musicians. Trust me, they are extremely good musicians. They may joke about being failures or not good enough to become soloists, but after having seen them live, I can testify with great happiness that they sound great. It's not easy to play Paganini's 24th Caprice as a second encore after an hour and a half show :) Peace and love, everybody :)

[@Secant25]

I don't think anyone would say public performances are not positive and impactful. Busking has a long, proud history. Love and appreciate the music, the musicians and the joy these type of videos bring. What is lame and cringe are the fake "spontaneous duet performance " videos. The true spontaneous performances are rare and special, and these videos are busking pretending to be more than they are.

[@today.2759]

I started to enjoy and sort of understand classical music because of TwoSet and I was also introduce to Ray Chen, this big and famous violinist, because of them.

[@eshleynn7142]

Ray shows his qualities and class

[@simonhellumhentze6569]

Its amazing to bring Music out to the public, but the thing I think most musicians find troubling, is the format of flashy titles and clickbaityness. It sounds so great by itself, it shouldn’t have to be carried by flashy remarks.

[@kaygau85]

Ray, you have a beautiful spirit! Please keep inspiring people.

[@elisejoy4968]

😊🌹 I love your playing for a number of reasons (can’t go into them here). We will be watching you live in Taiwan. 😊 Thank you for putting passionate and wonderful music in the world that touches young people too, who may never otherwise have taken notice of violin / classical music (like my nieces and nephew). ❤️🌹 With beautiful music you can transcend and nearly grace the divine, just for an imperceptible moment. But that might just be enough, you’ll need no more. It is that powerful and beautiful.

[@ascphil]

When and where will Ray perform in Taiwan?

[@elisejoy4968]

@@ascphil You can check his website for upcoming performances.

[@karthikkamathp]

Hope this turns about to be just some light hearted banter!

[@Riyoe]

always is, twoset never beefs except against kpop stans

[@sarahC19]

​@@Riyoehaha yes! 😂

[@blauespony1013]

Twoset and Ray are friends, why would it escalate?

[@yuyinwang6036]

Humble and positive! You are not only a wonderful musician but also a wonderful human being! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@HoferEric]

The impact is really nice! But the lie, not so much. In this video Ray is quite clear about what is planned and what isn't. Problem is the clickbait "UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER OMG!!!" while the situation was 100% expected from both sides. Coincidences are awesome, but same can be said about 2 good musicians having a good time with a crowd, no need to lie about it.

[@Claushanga]

this! I was looking for this comment. I really hate clickbait -_- and that is precisely the reason I don't watch those videos anymore, I don't like to be lied in the face, specially if I already know it is a lie...

[@NorthCascadeshiker]

True, but again it's all about reaching ppl right? Both live and online. Whatever it takes (within reason) to draw a crowd/views to classical music. Gotta sell it!! ❤ Clickbait? Maybe but the goods are there, regardless how they "met up". 😍

[@Claushanga]

@@NorthCascadeshiker so you are telling musicians can't reach people without being completely honest? That's just sad...

[@nuenokaedew8462]

@@Claushanga scripted doesn't mean lying, fake playing is a lie but scripted no, you can say that you don't like scripted content but that's not a lie

[@anathardayaldar]

@@Claushanga When is lying ok?

[@HeatherAckroyd]

I think the main issue is that the videos try to pass these events off as completely spontaneous, when obviously they aren't. I love seeing these collabs in public places, but a little honesty in the videos would be nice. "Hey, we set up a meeting to make some magic in public. Here's the result." It still gets the music out there, it's still awesome, you'll still have a crowd in the moment - but you won't be trying to pass it off as random strangers who just happened to bump into each other with their instruments.

[@nancyjfs]

Really, why do you care?

[@HeatherAckroyd]

@@nancyjfs Because it's disingenuous. There's enough fakery in the world today without adding to it.

[@thenameisseanhong]

@@nancyjfs We care because clickbait has been and continues to be an annoying "cancer" in any social media niche (not just classical music and KZbin) for years and years. I care about criticising clickbaits used in the classical music social media sphere as much as clickbaits used in the business & economics sphere, for instance. Clickbaits cheapen people's perception of what social media content is, and this is bad because it spits all over the face of many other creators who dedicate hours upon hours creating honest, substantive content and trying to elevate outsider's perception of what a social media content can be. Compare an hour long MBA-calibre study case of the American diner industry to a _"Top 10 7-Figure Business Ideas You Can Start From Home with No Prior Experience and No Capital"_ video. The former is clearly more educational, but the useless, clickbaity latter one has come to represent Business KZbin, which is bad. People now see Business KZbin as a mere marketplace for creators to shill their courses or affiliate links, not as a useful platform where you can actually learn about the numbers side of any particular industry. If left unchecked, I'm afraid the same thing happens to classical music KZbin/Tik Tok/etc.

[@lindyk6366]

Honestly, it's just a show, so it's natural to treat it as such. I think most people can figure out that it's scripted without it being spelled out for them. Imagine if all action movies had a disclaimer before the first scene that said, "Everything portrayed in this film is fictional."

[@nancyjfs]

@@thenameisseanhong The gift is real. The talent is real. The joy is real. Lighten up or quit watching.

[@leslieleong5522]

for that brief moment, those audience had a good time... and is good enough.... well done! do more... : )

[@rachelzitomer5081]

I love Ray's final point -try everything. At times I find myself being put off a bit by videos that I see from these classical channels that strike me as cheesy or pandering but in those moments I should perhaps be seeing a positive-if every video they made appealed to my taste they would be missing a huge potential audience that responds to something different. I love seeing comments from people here that these types of videos got them interested in classical music, or kids who started playing an instrument because they love twoset's content.

[@CopShowGuy]

I'm all for flash mob style performances. The difference between that and this type of video format is that they don't pretend that the flash mob was spontaneously assembled in the moment. It's deceptive to tell people that these are impromptu and uncoordinated performances by passing musicians. The content of these videos could nearly be unchanged but instead of saying "This world famous violinist randomly joined me." say "I collabed with this world famous violinist to surprise the crowd."

[@joyatodd]

There is nothing like seeing a couple of musician connect through playing together. I can't think of a better way of introducing people to classical.

[@michelleohara9981]

It would be better without the lying.

[@joyatodd]

@@michelleohara9981 I think anything the has a degree of editing contains potential lies, intentional or unintentional. Only listening to live music is true. This doesn't mean that editing work is without art, it's just a different type of art. It is not in the moment as live music is. And that is the space that a sense of connection or sharing communication occurs. It would be interesting to put a bunch of AI together to see if they could play together as a chamber group of somesuch.

[@dearflight]

The flash mob performance is awesome and it really brings the joy to the people. I just think that's great and do not need the " pretending part " such as pretending the performance is not scripted after watching so many flash mob performances that went same way in the opening. Without that kind of opening, the performance is still awesome.

[@masterpys2693]

I don't get tired of 'surprising collab of musicians on the street' type of videos. They always make me happy to see how people just can play together regardless of where. Please make more of these spontaneous performces. One of these videos (a while ago so it's not from yours) has inspired me to write stories. Along the way, I began to be interested in trying out an instrument again. So no harm.

[@ratthachat]

I support Ray rational, and hope the haters understand the positive side one day.

[@lucienazario2786]

Way to go, Ray!!! You are truly a gentleman.... taking things positively. Thank you for sharing your thoughts to the public.

[@dubhlinn2]

I appreciate that he just decided to be transparent and not insult Brett and Eddy. It’s not clear to me that TwoSet’s video was in good fun but I hope it was? Like with Davie504.

[@lykaclairebriones6561]

I think one the best potential is that it could inspire the next generation for loving the music. Its that right? What we dream when we are children, when are so small are the things that inspired us in the future. There are lot of children in the vid

[@rmatson]

Dude!! First, thanks for making this explainer about this performance practice. Second, personally, I strongly agree with the idea of bringing performance to people, in whatever form feels right. The classic idea of concert hall performances, with all the vintage trappings, as the only legit space for "classical" is being overtaken by new ideas about what makes for a performance space -- a living room, a street corner, KZbin, TTok, a park, whatever -- as well as new ideas for stagings. RayC (and 2Set) are doing inspiring work in this area. I am seeing, around us, a cohort of world class musical artists who are opening the doors to artistic ideas that bring fresh air into a room that had started to feel stale. Besides RayC, I'm also thinking here of HH, the Metropolitan Opera, the NYCBallet, and several others of varying degrees of fame. Thanks to the work of these artists, and fun and nutty ideas like semi-impromptu public performances for YT or TT, this has become an exciting time to be a musician.

[@igrowwearyofthisworld7369]

Ray, real talk: You say you do this to bring joy to people. I argue that you can do that without cringe scripted clickbait. Busk, be authentic, take requests and play pieces that make people happy. Also, no need to record that since it's about making the bystanders happy with an authentic performance and not about fishing for online clicks by riding a fake trend wave. Hope that didn't come across as hateful cause I enjoy your other videos. It's because of that that I want to see you be better than that.

[@michaelchou8527]

I actually agree with Twoset on this one. There’s nothing wrong with playing music in public and bringing classical music to the masses. That’s awesome actually. But pretending everything is spontaneous and unscripted, when in fact it is, is cringeworthy. What’s wrong with the old “flash mob” style “play instrument in public” video? At least the audience knows from the get go that everything is well rehearsed and well prepared. Are the TikTok generation only entertained by miracle and coincidence, but no longer appreciate hard work and organization? I think Ray did not respond to the heart of Twoset’s critique, that is such video (not the actual performance in public itself) risks turning classical music into some sort of gimmicky. It’s along the lines of Twoset consistently critiques talent shows using classical music as a gimmicky. A typical trope is that a seemingly mundane, boring contestant, suddenly takes out a violin and nails the bumblebee. The implied message is that “classical music by itself is boring. It needs to be dramatized to be exciting.” Because if that was not the assumption, the contestant could have simply performed the bumblebee. Ray (or his collaborator) may have a very good response to this critique. He may have a good reason why short clips, captions, actors and narratives are a good way to promote classical music in this era. And that would be an interesting discussion. But just half answering “I did play my violin!” is not a real response.

[@mercuryli3872]

There's nothing wrong with the motivation behind making those videos. I think what some people have an issue with is, like some have commented, that the videos are marketed on a kind of disingenuous premise. The surprise/impromptu performance is a more effective selling point than an excellent classical music performance. It's the surprise and unrehearsed nature of those videos that get the clicks more than the talent. This is my opinion. Emio is obviously an excellent pianist. And Ray is a world class violinist. Nobody is questioning the talent. It's to "sell" something that is untrue that feels a bit weird.

[@CchaoYang]

我认为这与销售根本不同，你并没有真的付出什么，或者失去什么，这些网路影片应该当成电视节目看待，以这么严格的标准去看待这件事，本身就是很奇怪的事.....

[@mercuryli3872]

@@CchaoYang Then Twoset just did whatever they've always done--roasting staged performances. I may be too old to take the jaded view and see most of all videos on social media as mere entertainment or accept "all videos are staged anyway" as a premise...I also disagree that by clicking the videos the viewers didn't pay anything. Viewers paid their attention, which IS the commodity on social media. Just because their attention is not monetized now doesn't mean it won't be.

[@CchaoYang]

​​@@mercuryli3872我的妈妈年纪也很大了，她很喜欢观看这类影片，她不认识影片中的任何一个人，但她相信这些影片的真实性，相信人与人真的可以透过音乐做为连结。我不认为我有必要去告诉她「不，这不是真的，这一切都是假的，这个世界其实并没有这么友好」。因为我觉得，她的快乐是真实的，而你其实只付出了点阅率这微不足道的「成本」。甚至我也是透过这些影片认识了ray认识了2set，所以我看他们在反对这些影片时，我觉得很荒谬。 我认为诚实当然很重要，但我不会去要求网路影片一定要做到这点，它有存在的价值，提供娱乐。何况继续观看或退出，你拥有完全的决定权，说成欺骗也太沉重了。

[@ver_fluffy]

I'm very happy Ray takes TwoSet called up on him really well 😂 I myself also one of person who like to know what makes Ray want to do this kind of performance, i know it was staged but it is kind of interesting to hear from professional why they want to do that, because some of musician that appear on that "staged meeting" video are also well known people in classical music that we never did hear why they want to do that kind of collaboration

[@Fieryfox-m6b]

We love you Ray! Did so good answering to TwoSetViolin’s criticism.

[@liuzhixin1]

Initially I thought it would be smart for Ray to not reply. But now I think it is smarter for Ray to reply in this way

[@rae_halvi6392]

I love how Twoset go on these videos but after making friends with the musicians they reacted to. Music really does bring everyone together.

[@bazingaShelly]

Hey, Ray! You have such a lovely personality. It's awesome to see we still have people like You on this planet. Your response is high-class. As much as I love listening to people playing music and I'd be on cloud nine if I unexpectedly heard/saw a world-class violinist like you at an airport, to be honest, I never watch those "randon surpirse piano" videos on KZbin, because of all the cringy lies like: "we didn't expect this violinist to appear out of thin air!" It reeks of being fake, and now you confirmed that the meet is planned. I mean, it does feel like those pianists are trying to make idiots of people. That's painful to see. One thing I would love you to clarify: why do they do that, instead of calling it what it really is: a flash mob! There's nothing wrong with a flash mob! It would be more credible and would gather as many views and likes as the charade they're putting up saying: "Oh, I didn't know he was a professional musician." Like, he didn't pick up on that during the first rehearsal? Honestly, I didn't enjoy those videos to the point that I asked yt to stop recommending me that channel. Phew... All that aside, my daughter and I admire you as a musician. My daughter loves using your app to practice playing the violin every day! It is amazing. Thank you for your positive impact on young musicians. 💖

[@theiaselene]

Many of the comments don't get the point. I'm NOT against the music, NOT against flash mob and bringing people joy, it is just not necessary to pretend it was a chance encounter and totally not rehearsed. As I watch more of these vids, after the initial enjoyment, I just felt being lied at blatantly over and over and I was fed up. I played public piano many times, only once I got a guy at the airport telling me the music was beautiful, many other times I encountered people who sat on the piano chair scrolling on their phone unwilling to leave and let me play, let alone asking me to play something 😅 Well, even if they asked it would be out of my repertoire

[@dvides89]

Ray I enjoy the performances but if I could give a little feedback, if you can just cut out acting that it’s not a planned performance it will feel genuine without diminishing anything. What is a little annoying is the actual acting, because it actually makes the viewer feel being lied to…. Just a thought, I’ve seen a lot of your videos were you say “we’re going to perform this live” and they are stupendous, there’s no need to make them look as if you randomly find the guy on the street.. That way if something like that really happens ever, it will be real.

[@nancyjfs]

Have you ever heard of a little white lie? In the service of fun!

[@pablov1323]

You took it like a good sport Ray. But sorry I still think these videos are cringe but this is just an opinión. If you enjoy them keep doing them😊

[@samhue4194]

brother if people don’t recognise that it’s pre arranged then I genuinely doubt their intellect. I mean it’s so blatantly obvious that the videos are scripted. I don’t know why people are trying to paint it as something malicious. I guess Twoset and their audience hasn’t matured since the last time I watched them

[@NgocAnhNguyen-1501]

You know what, even if everything in the Twoset’s video is true and you didn’t make this video, I still believe in you and your music. Because music is the greatest instrument, it tells us everything about the heart of people who is playing it. And everything you’ve done for music for the 35 years of your life until now has shown us how your heart is and how much you want to inspire other musicians. So, don’t be worried, just be Ray. ❤

[@elfin1218]

Ray Chen is not only a classical musician he is also a CLASS Act! TwoSet criticizing Ray's Video was not only petty but it is a double standard. They pre-plan their video content so they dont have room to talk.

[@neko-senpai4121]

Respect for both ray and twoset, I love the spirit!

[@rufusdrumknottvgc]

I think that people have an inherently negative reaction to stuff that is seen as 'disingenuous' because it makes them feel like they are being tricked or that people they care about are being tricked. There's no denying that music being played in public is a wonderful thing but at least one of the people you collabed with framed it as a spontaneous thing where they didn't know who you were prior to you appearing and it feels kinda icky that some creators feel that they have to go 'Woah look at this totally unexpected thing that happened' to get a reaction when it would be equally as fun for them to say 'Look at this awesome thing I planned with this famous musician!' I appreciate the points being brought up in this video but it feels like you kinda skirted around the topic a bit 😅 It's definitely good to know that the audio is real and simply enhanced, that's awesome! But you admitted that it's highly scripted (or at best prompted in the case of asking strangers if they want to make a request) which is the main issue that Twoset brought up. I definitely agree that it's awesome to bring classical music to the public in fun and accessible ways. I just wish that the musicians who do this felt able to do so in a more honest way. I do really love the La Campanella video though because your playing in it is so good haha wish it *was* a studio recording so I could listen to it in high quality!

[@eshleynn7142]

The point is Twoset doesn’t go after Emilio’s channel but brought all accusions to Ray in their video. Twoset found the tricks to make good money after turn themselves a KZbinr by those video contents, and STOP them charged their student fan US$140 for their suburb comedy music show ticket!

[@cheaperthanapenny]

I like the fact that the videos bring great classical music to the public. I hate the videos for their fraudulent claims/insinuation that they are spontaneous musical gatherings. No one should be surprised when people are not happy about being lied to. No matter what the intention of the content creators are.

[@winfriedtheis5767]

Thanks, Ray! I think it doesn’t matter that parts of it is staged, it is the joy that the musicians bring to people with these short videos is just so great. They pulled me out of some gloomy moments! So please continue to do them! As much as I love TwoSet, but suggesting this has to stop goes a bridge too far. - They do have a point though with the captions…