WFIMC Café: Junyan Chen

What did it, and what does it mean to you?

I have not really done a lot of piano competitions, and I never really saw myself going into competitions. But with the Leeds, there is a lot of repertoire. You have to be very well prepared for the whole process, and it has a span of quite a long time- almost a whole year, which made me feel like, okay, this is enough time to see what I can do rather than what I can get from this competition. It provides me with a platform to actually play in front of really great musicians, and in front of my peers, my colleagues. It was great that I could play all rounds of the competition, I felt like I was being true to myself, and I am very proud that I came all the way to the end.

We were there for almost 20 days. You have to do literally four hours of repertoire, and you won´t know what you are going to play next until you have made it to the next round. It´s a very intense time, and it doesn’t allow you to reflect, or think how stressed out you are. All you can think of is: I need to practice! You have to force yourself to be very clear and focused, and you don´t have even one second to worry about anything that is not in your control.

This year´s Leeds had a lot of special features and activities, like the Piano Trail….

There were a lot of recycled pianos around the city, it was marvelous. It really shows how diverse this competition can be. But for us, the competitors, we were locking ourselves in a practice room, so we didn´t have much time or energy to go around and enjoy. Still, I keep hearing from people that they really like this project and enjoy all the different pianos on the road and on sidewalks. They are really fun to see!

Also, since they were renovating Leeds´ Town Hall, the competition took place in Bradford, where the hall is a bit more intimate. It felt really good, and the orchestra was fantastic, they were trying hard to be accommodating, to make you feel welcome, and to make music together.

After winning Second Prize, will the Leeds get you more concerts?

Yes, I’ve been fortunate to have several opportunities, which I’m really grateful for, especially considering that I graduated just two months ago. Graduation made me a little more aware of what might come next, and there was a bit of anxiety in realizing I’d have to navigate everything on my own. But then, Leeds happened, and it felt lovely to know that I could focus on what matters most to me: my music. Now, I have this incredible platform where people can get to know me, and it’s very rewarding.

This year´s Leeds was trying to make a difference and achieve a better gender balance throughout the competition, but some reactions in the press and on social media were controversial and rather negative. Were you concerned about this at all as a competitor?

I can´t speak for other people, but for myself, of course it affected me. On the day before the finals, there were several articles online, and for some reason I saw them. They didn´t make me angry, but I felt a bit uncertain about how I should deal with this issue. I was preparing for one of the biggest opportunities of my life, and at the same time I saw my picture in the news with some comments that were not positive… But the only thing I could do in this situation was to tell myself: I cannot change who I am. I cannot change what´s happening around me, and I cannot change the way people look at me. I can only be myself.

“I am not really worried that people may think I am only on this stage because I´m female. If we actually talk about music, if we listen to music, I have nothing to hide. I know I´ve put in a lot of work. I have worked extremely hard to play how I play today.”      

That said, I think it is a great thing that Leeds is doing, and that it is bringing these issues on the table.

Was there a different reaction on this in China?

I am not sure, but I think it was more or less justtranslations of what was going on in the media here. I didn´t spend much time reading this, but I think people´s reaction was the same. It doesn´t matter who we are or where we are from, what matters is the music we play. And if people listen to me and think “okay, she´s a good musician”, this is what is most important.

With all this pressure surrounding you, what´s your recipe in preparing for a performance? What do you do right before you go on stage?

Right before the concert, I have a banana, and I have tea- maybe three or four hours before the concert. But right before the concert, I don´t play. I try to give myself some space. I stay by myself, stay quiet, and not really talk to anyone. If I feel a little nervous, I know I am not 100% prepared, but when I am calm and focused, then I know exactly what I´m doing and everything is quite straightforward. I just go out and play; I try to make music like I always do.

It was really intense and stressful. But then again, you just force yourself to be calm and not think about stress. When you are eating or when you are sleeping, you are not really eating or sleeping- you are only thinking about music. I remember starting to practice at 7 in the morning, and the next time I checked the time, it was seven or eight hours later. This doesn’t really happen very often…

Is it not really stressful when you walk off the stage and there is someone waiting with a microphone, asking “how was it”?

For me, it was actually rather relaxing. It was really nice to talk a bit and let the adrenaline come down a little. After the Rachmaninov (in the Finals) I was actually crying a little when I came back from the stage. The whole thing had been so stressful, and I had not yet processed the fact that it was all over. Emotions still had to settle down, so it was nice to talk.

Rachmaninov IV- why did you choose this piece?

I love that piece. I also love the other concertos, they are great pieces, but Four speaks to me even more. I remember the first time listening to it- it was confusing, it showed a lot of different textures, and it showed a very different side of Rachmaninov. But the more I played it, the more time I spent with it, the more intimate and personal it became. I love all the colors and emotions in the work, and I am glad that it gave me the opportunity to perform something different, which is always a good thing.

©WFIMC 2024/FR