We thought underwear throwing was reserved for wild rock concerts. But classical music concerts also have their brash fans. This is what the Australian-Taiwanese violinist Ray Chen discovered when he bowed out in front of the Munich public on January 17.
Instead of a traditional bouquet of flowers, a black bra adorned with a treble clef flew from the upper galleries to end up in the violin section. General burst of laughter in the orchestra. Ultimately, it was Ray Chen, the evening concert performer, who was chosen as the lucky recipient of the astonishing gift. The 34-year-old musician had just completed his performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto accompanied by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the baton of Thomas Søndergård.
Surprised but amused, Ray Chen told ClassicFM that his first thoughts were: “No way, is this really what I think it is?” “The orchestra found it hilarious,” he continues. “Everyone was very enthusiastic. It was a bit like a rock concert.”
The same evening, he posted a photo of the unusual trophy on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote: “Thrown bra and broken rope. The tour with the RSNO has been very lively so far.”
Because Ray Chen, very active on social networks, already enjoyed a little notoriety after creating a buzz on social networks in November 2021. While he performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the E string abruptly broke. In a few seconds, without interrupting the orchestra, Chen exchanged his instrument with a neighboring musician, to the great amusement of the audience who laughed heartily before warmly applauding the happy reflex and the imperturbable calm of the soloist.
