The sound of a classic invasion

Saxophonist Yan Ching-shyan will perform in a spring concert tonight by the Taipei Sirens Winds Concert Band. PHOTO COURTESY OF TAIPEI SIRENS WINDS CONCERT BAND

Shortly after the 1968 Soviet invasion of Prague, in the former Czechoslovakia, composer Karel Husa felt so enraged by the assault that he wrote Music for Prague 1968 while residing in the US.

A powerful composition, Husa completed the piece in less than two months and dedicated it to the people of Prague. Originally banned by the Communist government, Music for Prague went unheard in its namesake city until the 1989 election of a non-Communist government.

Now one of the most popular pieces in Husa's repertoire, Music for Prague has been performed numerous times around the world and will be presented this evening by The Taipei Sirens Winds Concert Band (台北幻響管樂團) under the direction of Zhang Ying-zhong (張穎中).

Tonight's performance is the spring offering of the Sirens quarterly concert series (based on the four seasons). While this is not the first time they have performed Husa's famous piece, it is a first under the direction of Zhang, who having studied the Czech composer's work for some time, believes it to be a monumental work for wind music.

Conductor Zhang Ying-zhong directs the Taipei Sirens Winds Concert Band in a performance of Karel Husa's Music for Prague 1968.

"It is a challenging piece of technical music. As a 20th century composition it is not written in traditional tonal music and demands a great deal of its musicians," Zhang said. Correspondingly it conveys a great deal of emotion to its listeners by using music to recreate the atmosphere of fear during the Soviet invasion.

While Husa's is not the only piece of music being performed tonight, it is the evening's main attraction. Zhang also promises a diverse collection of music that includes selections from celebrated works such as Bill Whelan's Riverdance, Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow and Ghosts by Stephen McNeff, which tells the life-stories of seven ghosts notorious throughout European history. As a special appearance the Sirens have also invited Yan Ching-shyan (顏慶賢)to perform Saxophone Concerto by Pierre-Max Dubois.

"We are aiming for diversity so we chose a range of pieces and hope to present an alternative program to a regular band concert," Zhang said.

Performance notes:
What: Taipei Sirens Winds Concert Band will perform Music for Prague 1968 tonight at 7:30pm at the National Concert Hall (°ê®a­µ¼ÖÆU).

Where: The National Concert Hall is located at 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei (¥x¥_¥«¤¤¤s«n¸ô21-1¸¹).

How much: Tickets range in price from NT$200 to NT$700 and can be booked through the box office at (02) 2343 1364.