 |
 |
National Symphony Orchestra 20th Anniversary Concerts:
Opera Legend--the complete work of Der Ring des Nibelungen (國家交響樂團20週年巨獻:歌劇神話--尼貝龍指環)
will be performed at the National Concert Hall over four nights including four epic operas -- Das Rheingold
(萊茵黃金) tonight, Die Walkure (女武神) tomorrow,
Siegfried (齊格飛) on Sept. 22, and Gotterdammerung (諸神黃昏)
on Sept. 24. Der Ring des Nibelungen, a 16-hour masterpiece that took 26 years to complete, is one
of Richard Wagner's greatest works. The story, which is based loosely on northern European folk tales, follows the struggles
of gods and humans over a magic ring that grants its owner dominion over the world. In this masterwork, Wagner describes his
views on the relationship between gods and people, good and evil, and legend and reality. Also, noted as orchestral magician,
Wagner uses many leading motifs representing certain concepts such as the curse, power of love, hero and Nothung Sward. These
various motifs enable orchestra to act as a narrator and display a fantastic enchanting world. For this debut in Taiwan, staging
director Li Huan-hsiung (黎煥雄), staging visual director Wang Jun-jieh (王俊傑), vocal
coach and musical consultant Reinhard Linden, and chorus director Du Hei (杜黑) will team up with music director
Chien Wen-pin (簡文彬) and more than 200 outstanding musicians to bring Wagner's unrivalled masterpiece
to the stage. Principal cast includes bass James Morris, one of the greatest interpreters of the role of Wotan in the 20th
century, soprano Linda Watson, bass Hans-Peter Konig, and Endrik Wottrich from the Bayreuth Festival as well as sixteen local
singers.
*At the National Concert Hall, Taipei *For the concerts tonight,
Sept. 22, and Sept. 24, all NT$400 tickets are sold out, but seats are available from NT$600 to NT$2,000. For the concert
tomorrow, NT$400, Nt$900, and Nt$2,000 tickets are sold out, but NT$600, NT$1,200, and NT$1,600 seats are still available
through NTCH ticketing. *Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 5pm, Sept. 22 at 6pm, and Sept. 24 at 3pm
Fan Chiang-yi
Piano Recital (漢諾威鋼琴旅人范姜毅鋼琴獨奏會)
will be held at the Performing Arts Hall of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taoyuan County Government (桃園縣政府文化局演藝廳)
tonight and the the Ilan Performing Arts Center of the Ilan County Cultural Affairs Bureau (宜蘭縣文化局演藝廳)
on Sunday. Fan, 25, is a Taiwanese piano prodigy and currently the youngest doctoral student at Hannover University for Music
and Theater in Germany. He was recognized as a Young Star in 2004 in Taiwan. Fan studied piano under the guidance of M. Dorrle
and was selected to compete in the Sviatoslav Richter International Piano Competition lat year. The recital will include a
program including Mozart's Piano Sonata in E-Flat Major, K282, Busoni's Sonatina Seconda, Rachmaninov's Prelude No.2, Op.23,
Scriabin's Prelude and Nocturne for the Left hand, Op.9, Tchaikovsky's Nocturne in F Major No.1, Op.10 and Meditation in D
Major, No.5, Op.72, and Feinberg's Scherzo from Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique." *At the Performing Arts Hall
of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taoyuan County Government, 21 Hsianfu Rd, Taoyuan County (桃園市縣府路21號)
tonight and at the the Ilan Performing Arts Center of the Ilan County Cultural Affairs Bureau, 482 Chungshan Rd, Sec 2, Ilan
City (宜蘭市中山路二段482號) on Sunday *Tickets range from NT$200
to NT$300 and are available through ERA ticketing. *Tonight and Sunday at 7:30pm
National Chinese Orchestra (NCO) Elite Series
-- The Feast of Wind Music (國家國樂團精緻系列--笑傲江湖)
will be held at the National Recital Hall tomorrow. Following two full house concerts whose themes were strings and percussions
respectively, NCO will present this third concert of its Elite Series and bring you music full of poetry, fanfares from war
songs and triumph marches, and music describing the restless feeling of wayfarers. "Swordsman" subverts the common human reactions
and combines the ideologies of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, producing an interesting piece to listen to. The audience
will be treated with the kaleidoscope of wind music well arranged by NCO. *At the National Recital Hall, Taipei *Tickets
are from NT$300 to NT$500 and are available through NTCH ticketing. *Saturday at 7:30pm
Turandot (杜蘭朵公主)
will be staged at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館) in Taipei and at the Chih-De Hall,
National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center (高雄中正文化中心至德堂)
in Kaohsiung over 11 consecutive nights starting Sept. 20. Bulgaria's Sofia National Opera was founded in 1890 in the Western
European and Russian opera theater traditions following the collapse of Ottoman domination. As the company evolved under the
ensemble system and style, the permanent troupe of soloists, choir, orchestra, ballet, technical and production teams produced
up to 10 opera and ballet premieres a year, in addition to concert programs. The troupe is now one of the most renowned opera
companies in Europe. Starting next Wednesday, the troupe will make its long-awaited debut in Taiwan with Giacomo Puccini's
three-act chinoise opera Turandot, which is set in legendary times and tells the story of a cold-hearted Chinese princess
and a prince-in-hiding named Calaf. The audience will be treated with the best line-up of singers, such as Ilka Popova, Todor
Masarov, and Nicolai Ghiaourov. This opera work will bring together 160 outstanding musicians on stage. *At the Sun Yat-sen
Memorial Hall, 2F, 505, Renai Rd, Sec 4, Taipei (台北市仁愛路四段505號2樓)
and at the Chih-De Hall, National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center, 67, Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號)
*For Taipei performance, tickets range from NT$1,200 to NT$4,800;
for Kaohsiung performance, tickets range from NT$800 to Nt$3,600
*Sept. 20 through Sept. 30 at 7:30pm, Sept. 23, 24, and 30 at
2:30pm
Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (莫札特雙鋼琴協奏曲)
will feature German pianist Rolf-Peter Wille and his wife as well as Taiwanese pianist Linda Yeh (葉綠娜)
at the National Concert Hall on Sunday matinee. This concert is the second of a series of 10 concerts of Taipei Symphony Orchestra's
(TSO) Mozart's instrumental and opera works to mark Taiwan's celebration of the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth. The first
of this Mozart series was Don Giovanni presented in August and it well-received. Wille is an artist of diverse talents
and unique international experience. Having received his education in Europe and the US, Wille has chosen Asia as his professional
home, and his preeminence as Taiwan’s most accomplished foreign artist came into sharp focus in 1990 when he received
the National Cultural Award in recognition of his achievements in the performing arts. Wille has performed all over the world
both as soloist as well as in a piano duo with his wife, Linda Yeh. This relatively early Mozart <Concerto for Two Pianos
and Orchestra in E-flat Major, K.365> is certainly one of Mozart's most engaging and exciting works since it revels in
the virtuosity of the soloists, giving them cadenzas and coordinated passagework requiring the utmost in technical facility.
Also, TSO will give its superb ensemble playing. With visual reinforcement, the audience will be able to separate the solo
parts since there are too many notes to be played by a single instrument. This Mozart's large work for four perfectly coordinated
hands and two full-size keyboards will be significant in his output as standing among the first works of his maturity following
his return to Salzburg and the death of his mother. In addition, the program will include Mozart's <Symphony No.35 in D
Major, K.385 "Haffner"> and Beethoven's <Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op.36>. Note: Janos Furst, scheduled to conduct
this concert, suddenly fell ill and Neal Stulberg has been called upon to substitute for him. *At the National Concert
Hall, Taipei *Tickets range from NT$200 to NT$1,000 and are available through NTCH ticketing. *Sunday at 2:30pm
Hotshot
Cello Choir (名加大提琴合奏團創團音樂會)
is set to make its debut concert at the the Kaohsiung City Music Hall (高雄市音樂館) on
Sept. 20. Founded by cellist and National Sun Yat-sen University professor Lin Min-yuan (林敏媛), this 12-cellist
ensemble is composed of teachers and graduate students in music and is established for the purpose of improving Taiwan's music
education environment. This concert will feature cellists including Lin, Hsieh I-shuan (謝宜璇), who received
her Ph.D. from University of Cincinnati, Lin Tsae-pey (林采霈), who received her graduate degree from University
of Cincinnati and is currently a professor at National Chiayi University, and Tsai Chia-wen (蔡佳紋), who
has long been dedicated in music eduction in central Taiwan, and others. The theme of this concert will be "Dance with Cellos"
and the program will include a diverse range of works arranged for cello in the forms of quartet and quintet.
*At the Kaohsiung City Music Hall (高雄市音樂館),
99, Hexi Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市河西路99 號) *Tickets are NT$200 and are available
through ERA ticketing. *Wednesday at 7:30pm
|