Theater
In Somnolence (失眠等於睡著), by the Performance Workshop Experimental Theater (外表坊時驗團)) at the art space of the Eslite Bookstore on Dunhua South Road (誠品台北敦南店). The play examines night-owl lifestyles. At the B2 Artspace located at 245 Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市敦化南路一段245號B2藝文空間). Tickets are NT$400 and are available through NTCH ticketing.
* Tonight and tomorrow at 9pm and 11:30pm, Sunday at 3pm and 9pm
The Way Passed Away (去過的過去) a story about the mystery and misunderstandings that exist within families by the Jufei Xinong Theater (絕非戲弄), at the Crown Theater (皇冠藝文中心小劇場) located at 50, Ln 120, Dunhua N Rd, Taipei (北市敦化北路120巷50號). Tickets are NT$400 and are available through TRTC ticketing.
* Tonight until Aug. 8 (Performances prior to Aug. 1 sold out.)
Events
The Taipei International Arts Festival (台北兒童藝術節) will stage a series of performances this weekend including Fairy Milk Spring (仙奶泉) by the 123 Troupe (壹貳參戲劇團) and Who is the Winner (誰是第一名) by the High Sun Taiwanese Opera (海山戲館), at the Zhongshan Hall, Taipei (中山堂). Also The Gruffalo by the Tall Stories Theater Company from the UK, The Big Wild Cat and The Little Seagull by the Teatro de las Maravillas from Spain and Gulliver by the MOKI Children Theater from Austria, at the Taipei Cultural Center, Wenshan Branch (社教館文山分館), B2 Children's Theater 32 Jingwen St, Taipei (北市文山區景文街32號). Tickets are NT$150 to NT$200 and are available through NTCH ticketing. For detailed program information visit kids.culture.gov.tw/ec/en_index.htm.
* Until August 12.
Classical
Chen Yen-yu Piano Recital (陳延瑜鋼琴獨奏會) will be presented at the Performing Arts Hall of Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taoyuan County Government (桃園縣政府文化局演藝廳) tomorrow and at the National Recital Hall on Aug. 5. Chen is only 12 years old, but has an exceptionally fluent technique. Chen was accepted on full scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 10. The piano recital will include Bach's C Major Prelude and Fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier Book, BWV870, a complete Beethoven's Sonata in A Major, No.2, Op.2, Schumann's Abegg variations, Op.1, Ravel's Jeux Deau, and Chopin's Preludes No.1-24, Op. 28.
* At the Performing Arts Hall of Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taoyuan County Government, 21 Xianfu Rd, Taoyuan County (桃園縣縣府路21號), and the National Recital Hall, Taipei
* Free admission for the Taoyuan concert. The Taipei concert is sold out
* Tomorrow and Thursday at 7:30pm
Shuan Yin Arts Concert Series I — Violin Duet Concert(玄音之夜音樂會 一 絕代雙提小提琴二重奏) will be presented at the Taipei City Family Theater (台北市親子劇場) on Monday. Violinist Tseng Keng-yuan (曾耿元) will lead young violinist Teng Hao-tun (鄧皓敦) and young pianist Chung Hsiao-ching (鍾曉青) to present a well-rounded program of violin duets, including Sarasate's Navara (Spanish Dane), Op.33, Leclair's Sonata in E Minor, No.5, Op.5, Wieniawski's Etude-Caprices, No.1, 2, and 4, Op.18, and Moszkowvski's Suite in G Minor, Op.71.
* At the Taipei City Family Theater, 2F, 1 Shifu Rd, Taipei (台北市市府路1號)
* Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,000 and are available through ERA ticketing
* Monday at 7:45pm
Shuan Yin Arts Concert Series II — An Evening with Russian Cellist Star (玄音之夜音樂會二 一 俄羅斯大提琴巨星之夜) will be held at the Taipei City Family Theater (台北市親子劇場) on Aug. 1. World renowned Russian cellist Suren Bagratuni will be accompanied by Pianist Boris Slusky to present a program of works, including Bach's Suite in D Major, BWV 1012, No.6 and Schubert's Sonata in A Minor “Arpeggione”.
* At the Taipei City Family Theater (台北市親子劇場), 2F, 1 Shifu Rd, Taipei (台北市市府路1號)
* Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,000 and are available through ERA ticketing
* Tuesday at 7:45pm
Florence Tu (杜翠煙) Charity Piano Recital (公益鋼琴獨奏會 一 忘記憂鬱) will be held at the National Recital Hall on Sunday entitled “Forgetting Depression.” A portion of the ticket sales will be donated to the National Taiwan University Hospital and other depression self-help groups. The concert will present a program of piano works, including Schumann's Theme Sur Le Nom ABEGG,Op.1, Bach's French Suites 5 in G Major, Ravel's Le Tombeau De Couperin, Mozart's 12 Variation ueber “Ah, vous dirai-je, Mamma,” Brahms's Intermezzi, Op.117, Corea's three solo pieces, and Barber's Excursions No.3, Op.20.
* At the National Recital Hall, Taipei
* Tickets cost from NT$300 to NT$1,000 and are available through NTCH ticketing.
* Sunday at 7:30pm
The 2006 Formosa International Guitar Festival (2006 福爾摩沙國際吉他藝術節) will take place at the National Recital Hall on Wednesday and Thursday, at Taichung's Shinmin Senior High School (新民中學藝術中心) on Aug. 4 and Aug. 6, at the National Cheng Kung University's (NCKU) Cheng Kung Hall in Tainan (台南成功大學成功廳) on Aug. 5, and at Taipei's Novel Hall (新舞台) on Aug. 8. The event is sponsored by the Taipei Genesis Guitar Chamber Orchestra (台北創世紀室內暨吉他樂團) and Les Cordes Vivantes Musique Ensemble (舞弦樂集) and is organized by France-based Guitarist Louis Tsou (鄒世烈), who will also give concerts on Aug. 3, Aug. 4, and 8. The festival will feature five guitarists, including Shin-Ichi Fukuda from Japan, Tania Chagnot from France, Pablo Marquez from Argentina, and Taiwan-native Tsou and Liu Shih-yu (劉士堉). Each concert will feature two guitarists.
Shin-Ichi Fukuda and Tania Chagnot Guitar Recital (福田進一與塔妮雅.夏紐吉他獨奏會) will open the festival at the National Recital Hall. She will play the first half of the program, including Praetorius's 4 Danses du Terpsichore, Mertz's Elegie, Brouwer's Tres Apuntes, Kleynjans's L'Aube du Dernier Jour, and Dyens's Saudade No.3. Fukuda will play the second half of the program, including Giuliani's Rossiniane No.1, Op.119, Takemitsu's Wainscot Pond from In the Woods and Taiwan's premiere of Cuban Composer Leo Brouwer's El Arpa y La Sombra.
Pablo Marquez and Louis Tsou Guitar Recital (帕布羅.馬奎斯與鄒世烈) will also be held at the National recital hall as the second concert in six-concert series. In the first part of the concert, Tsou will present Dang Don's (董運昌) L'Apres-midi au Ann-Pin, Domeniconi's Koyunbaba, D'Angelo's Due Canzoni Lidie, and Piazzolla's Poema Valseado and La Muerte del Angel “Tango”. In the second part of the concert, Marquez will play works by Kantor, Falu, Uriburu, Sutti, Cabeza, Espinosa, Leguizamon, Saluzzi, and Ginastera.
* At the National Recital Hall
* Tickets are NT$400 to NT$700 and are available through NTCH ticketing.
* Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm
Contemporary
The Cube presents a gig by MC HotDog and Hip Hop Honey.
* Entry for tonight's concert is NT$500 for men and NT$400 for ladies. The flyer says “gals in hot pants with low waist” get in for free.
* 31 Haibian Rd, Kaohsiung (高雄市海邊路31號). Call (02) 269-1720
The Living Room (小客廳) features the Pan Africana Cultural Troupe (非洲震撼狂歡夜) tonight, The Scooters, an all-male, all-Western Acapella do-wop group, tomorrow, Piful Monster and Space Cake on Tuesday and jazz performer James Cowan on Wednesday.
* Tonight at 10pm, tomorrow at 9:30pm, Tuesday at 8:30pm and Wednesday at 9pm
* The entrance fee for tonight is NT$500, tomorrow is NT$450, Tuesday NT$400 and Wednesday is NT$400
* 3F, 8 Nanjing E Rd Sec 5, Taipei (台北市南京東路五段8號3樓). Call (02) 8787-4154 or visit www.livingroomtaipei.com .
Exhibitions
Oh! My Deer! Feast of Mind, Buffet of Art XVIII (Oh! My Deer!富邦藝術小餐車18檔) presenting a symbiosis of human-beings and technology by five local and international artists that aims to show people's inherent affinity with nature. Invited artists include Patricia Paccinini, who brings to Taipei two new wall sculptures, Dutch artist Faiyaz Jafri who uses his cartoon-like Mobile Fawn to represent the human paradox of defying and embracing nature.
* Art works displayed at various Fubon buildings in Taipei. For venue information visit the exhibition's Web site at www.fubonart.org.tw
* Until July 31
Hermosa: Maritime Taiwan and Spain (艾爾摩莎:大航海時代的臺灣與西班牙特展). To mark the 380-year anniversary of the arrival of the Spanish in Taiwan, this special exhibition aims to present a comprehensive view on the history of Taiwan and its relations with other world powers in the 17th century. Featuring 200 original items and 140 documents on loan from museums and archives in Spain, Mexico, Netherlands, US and Taiwan, the large-scale exhibition displays artifacts from the era of Spain's colonial rule from 1626 to 1642.
* National Taiwan Museum (國立台灣博物館), 2 Xiangyang Rd, Taipei (台北市襄陽路2號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Call (02) 2382-2699.
* Until Dec. 17
The Vagina – Chou Wen-wei Photo Exhibition (陰道 – 周文偉攝影展), in which the artist invites people of different nationalities and social backgrounds to express their life experiences, ideas and feelings toward the female sexual organ. By documenting the participants' improvised performances with a huge vagina hanging on the wall, Chou attempts to explore the diverse meanings and interpretations of the vagina in sociopolitical and cultural contexts.
* Taiwan International Visual Arts Center (台灣國際視覺藝術中心), 29, Ln 45, Liaoning St, Taipei (台北市遼寧街45巷29號). Open Tuesday to Friday from 11am to 7pm; Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. Call (02) 2773-3347.
* Until Aug. 16
New Tableware Generation — Taiwan Delicacies and Creative Tableware (新食器時代 – 2006台灣小吃與創意餐具的對話). The museum invited 28 ceramic artists to create tableware sets that are not only original in shape and concept but also practical in use. By presenting local snacks with these unique creations, the organizer attempts to bring out the utilitarian possibility of contemporary ceramic art.
* Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum (台北縣鶯歌陶瓷搏物館), 200 Wenhua Rd, Yingge Township, Taipei County (台北縣鶯歌鎮文化路200號). Open Tuesday to Friday from 9:30am to 5pm Tuesday to Friday; Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 to 6pm. Call (02) 8677-2727.
* Until Sept. 24
Altered States (疆界), featuring video, sound and installation pieces by 10 local and international artists to examine boundaries formed by different social mechanisms. The exhibition seeks to reflect on the collective consciousness of time and memory through individual inner exploration
* Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館), 181 Changshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 5:30pm. Call (02) 2595-7656.
* Until Sept. 3
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