Theater
The Seagull (海鷗), a classic play by the modern master of theater, Anton Chekhov, will be staged at the Nook Cafe by Tellus theater. The story follows the lives of four characters caught up in romantic and artistic struggles. The characters all identify with the seagull, which is used as a symbol of freedom from constraint.
*At Nook Cafe Theater (角落咖啡劇場), B1, 7-1, Lane 123 Songjiang Rd, Taipei (台北市松江路123巷7-1號B1). Tickets are NT$350 and can be reserved in advance by calling 0938-872-083
*Tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
Give It Up! Kafka! (算了吧!卡夫卡) by Adam Ende is based on the short stories by Franz Kafka. The play is a collaboration between the leaders of the American theater company Jawbone Puppet Theater and Taiwan’s Party Group Theater. The play combines traditional European puppetry with innovative new styles and a little black humor thrown in for good measure. The atmosphere is made surreal by accordion accompaniment.
*At the Guling St Theater (牯嶺街小劇場), 2, Ln 5, Guling St, Taipei (台北市牯嶺街5巷2號). Tickets are NT$350 and are available from www.artsticket.com.tw. Call (02) 3393-9888
*Today, tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
Classical music
Chou Chun-shiang Double Bass Recital — Baroque Music for Double Bass and Harpsichord (周春祥低音提琴獨奏會--巴洛克時代作品之夜) will be presented at the National Recital Hall. Chou is currently a double bassist of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) and has frequently been invited by the State Conservatory of Music in Munich to perform at the Double Bass Music Festival in Munich. Chou is noted for his brilliant performance techniques. Chou has invited Lin Yu-ling (林育伶) to play harpsichord. Chou’s double bass was made by Rocco Muratori in 1705, during the Baroque era. The program will include Giovannino del Violone’s Sonata in F Major, Handel’s Konzert in G Minor, Bach’s Sonata No. 2 in D Major, BWV1028, Pergolesi’s Sonata in G Major, and Eccles’ Sonata in G Minor.
*At the National Recital Hall, Taipei
*Tickets are NT$400 and are available through ERA ticketing.
*Tonight at 7:30pm
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 tonight and on Sunday as the last two of the four dramatic works Siegfried (齊格飛) and Gotterdammerung (諸神黃昏). Last weekend, the first two operas — Das Rheingold (萊茵黃金) and Die Walkure (女武神) — were well-received. The Ring cycle, 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. Wagner uses many orchestral motifs to represent certain concepts such as the power of love. These various motifs enable the orchestra to act as a narrator. For this debut in Taiwan, staging director Li Huan-hsiung (黎煥雄), staging visual director Wang Jun-jieh (王俊傑), voice coach and musical consultant Reinhard Linden, and chorus director Du Hei (杜黑) have teamed up with musical director Chien Wen-pin (簡文彬) and more than 200 outstanding musicians. Principal cast members include 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 tonight’s concert, all NT$400 and NT$600 tickets are sold out, but seats are available from NT$900 to NT$2,000; for the concert on Sunday, only NT$1,200 and NT$1,600 seats are available through NTCH ticketing.
*Tonight at 6pm and Sunday at 3pm
Philharmonia Moment Musical (PMM) — The Other Side of Amadeus (樂興之時—江靖波和黃海倫的莫札特) will be presented at the National Concert Hall tomorrow featuring conductor Chiang Ching-po (江靖波) and pianist Helen Huang (黃海倫). In celebration of the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, PMM will perform all of Mozart’s works. Conductor Chiang, pianist Huang, and four local vocal soloists will be accompanied by PMM and three choral groups to present the composer’s Piano Concerto No.20 in D Minor, K.466, Zauberfloete Overture, and Requiem Mass. K.466 is the only Mozart piano concerto in a minor key. This work, crowned by the “catharsis” theme in D minor, was composed in 1785, and marked an important turning point in Mozart’s attitude toward his work. It is symphonic in conception and gives a powerful and impassioned role to the orchestra. The 24-year-old phenomenal pianist Helen Huang, a protege of Kurt Masur, is now renowned worldwide and performs regularly with the New York Philharmonic Series, Washington’s National Symphony Series and the Gewandhaus Symphony.
*At the National Concert Hall, Taipei
*Tickets are from NT$400 to NT$1,500 and are available through NTCH ticketing
*Tomorrow at 7:30pm
Composer Portrait Series II — Mozart’s Vocal Music (大師系列—莫札特聲樂篇) will be held at the Hsinchu Municipal Auditorium (新竹市立演藝廳) on Sunday and at the Novel Hall (新舞臺) on Monday to mark Taiwan’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. Conductor Miriam Burns and soprano Lo Ming-fang (羅明芳) will present a program of works by Mozart and Chen Mei-chun (陳玫君).
*At the Hsinchu Municipal Auditorium, 17 Tungta Rd Sec 2, Hsinchu City (新竹市東大路二段17號) on Sunday and at the Novel Hall, 3-1 Sungshou Rd, Taipei (台北市松壽路3-1號) on Monday
*For the Hsinchu concert, tickets are from NT$100 to NT$300 and for the Taipei concert, as of press time, NT$500 and NT$800 tickets are sold out, but NT$300, NT$1,000, and NT$1,200 seats are available through ERA ticketing.
*Sept. 24 and Sept. 25 at 7:30pm
Wagner Opera Highlights (華格納歌劇選粹) will be staged at the National Concert Hall on Thursday as part of the National Symphony Orchestra Opera (NSO) Legend Series. Wagner is one of the most influential figures in the history of music. He altered the development of opera with his establishment of the “total art work” concept. Wagner believed that music should be the combination of all things — psychology, feelings, politics and race — and that there was nothing it couldn’t express. He called this type of art the “music drama.” He was also quite a talented poet. He wrote his own scripts, finding inspiration in old myths and folk tales. The high degree of integration between literature and art in Wagner’s operas make them extremely dramatic, and it is this strong dramatic tension that some people find most fascinating about the composer. In this concert, outstanding local and international vocalists team up with Taiwan’s NSO to bring you excerpt from this exceptional musician’s greatest works. A pre-concert lecture will be presided over by Hsing Tzu-ching (邢子菁) and held in the lobby of the National Concert Hall 30 minutes prior to the concert.
*At the National Concert Hall, Taipei
*As of press time, NT$400 and NT$600 tickets are sold out, but seats are available from NT$900 to NT$2,000 through NTCH ticketing
*Thursday at 7:30pm
Contemporary
Campo is an art carnival that takes place on every second and last Saturday each month. The event was postponed earlier this month then canceled because of inclement weather. Campo features alternative music, films and a flea market, from 2pm to 8:30pm at Taipei Cinema Park (台北市電影主題公園). Visit campolive.blogspot.com for information on upcoming events B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd, Sec 3, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1).
* Entrance is free
* Campo starts proceedings at 2pm
* Taipei Cinema Park (台北市電影主題公園), 19 Kangding Rd, Taipei (台北市康定路19號)
Riverside Cafe presents Ajims Latin Jazz Quintet tonight, Cherry Boom and Relax One tomorrow, T-Funk on Sunday, Open Jam night on Monday, Milestone and Peppercats on Tuesday, Penny, Rkoom19Musik on Wednesday, and Flying Mouse and Sunny on Thursday.
* All shows begin at 9:30pm
* Entrance for tonight, tomorrow and Sunday’s shows is NT$350, Monday is NT$150 and on Tuesday it’s NT$300
* B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd, Sec 3, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1). Call Call (02) 2368 7310 or visit www.riverside.com.tw
Grooveyard presents Taiwanese rockers Pig, Dog, Cow tonight, Heavy Metal Night with Beyond Cure, Sideffect, Lazy Lady, 666 and Hardcase tomorrow, ‘Round Midnight featuring smooth interpretations of jazz standards on Wednesday and on Thursday it’s open mic and jam featuring new music, drama, poetry and more.
* Tonight’s show begins at 10pm, tomorrow’s at 7pm, Wednesday and Thursday's at 8pm
* Entrance for tonight is NT$200, NT$300 for tomorrow. Admission is free on Wednesday and Thursday
* 2F, 105 Hwamei W Rd, Taichung (台中市華美西街105號二樓). Visit www.grooveyardtaiwan.com
(Please note: Some of the listed bands do not have English names, in which case the ‘Taipei Times’ has included a translation or transliteration.)
Exhibitions
Looking for the Forgotten Country -- Liberia (尋找被遺忘的國度-賴比瑞亞). Joining the Medecins Sans Frontieres’ medical operation in Liberia, photographer Jui–hsiang (宋睿祥) used his camera to record his environment during his 10-months visit to the country.
* Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館), 505 Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市仁愛路四段505號2樓). Open daily from 9am to 7pm. Call (02) 2758-8008.
* Until Sunday
Cannot Be Beautiful: Pethany Larsen Gallery Photography Exhibition (是不能美的), a debut photography exhibition by emerging video artist Tseng Yu-chin (曾御欽), the show presents Tseng’s direct yet exquisite universe in which the image of children is highly symbolic.
* Pethany Larsen Gallery (Pethany Larsen藝坊), 2F, 30, Ln 45, Liaoning St, Taipei (台北市遼寧街45巷30號2樓). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 7pm. Call (02) 8772-5005.
* Until Oct. 28
Two Ends of a Springboard -- Face to Face (跳板的兩端-面對面), featuring oil paintings, photography and other work by several local artists, the exhibition aims to bring the viewers closer to artists’ creative processes and imaginations. By stressing the face-to-face confrontation between art as an object and the viewer’s perception of the piece, curator Wang Xi-an (王璽安) hopes highlight diverging points of view.
* AKI Gallery (也趣), 4, Ln 140, Sec 7, Zhongshan N Rd, Taipei (台北市中山北路七段140巷4號). Open Tuesday to Thursday from 1pm to 9pm; Friday to Sunday from 11am to 10:30pm. Call (02) 2872-5296.
* Until Oct. 1
Special Exhibition on Taiwan Opera Creative Art Festival (華人歌仔戲創作藝術節特展). In conjunction with the Taipei Culture Center’s Taiwanese opera festival, the exhibition walks viewers through the history of Taiwanese opera.
* Taipei Culture Center (台北市立社會教育館), 25 Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市八德路三段25號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Call (02) 2577-5931.
* Until Oct. 12
Toys From Spain (西班牙玩具特展), showcases more than 300 toys and games mostly on loan from the Toy Museum of Catalonia in Figueres. Dating from the early years of the 20th century up until present day, the toys on display have been selected from the personal collection of the museum's director Josep Maria Joan Rosa to reflect different cultures, technological advancements and fashions. One of the highlights is a replica of the teddy bear that once belonged to Salvador Dali.
* National Museum of History (國立歷史博物館), 49 Nanhai Rd, Taipei (台北市南海路49號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Call (02) 2361-0270.
* Until Sunday
Sept.16 to Sept. 22 The “anti-communist train” with then-president Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) face plastered on the engine puffed along the “sugar railway” (糖業鐵路) in May 1955, drawing enthusiastic crowds at 103 stops covering nearly 1,200km. An estimated 1.58 million spectators were treated to propaganda films, plays and received free sugar products. By this time, the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corporation (台糖, Taisugar) had managed to connect the previously separate east-west lines established by Japanese-era sugar factories, allowing the anti-communist train to travel easily from Taichung to Pingtung’s Donggang Township (東港). Last Sunday’s feature (Taiwan in Time: The sugar express) covered the inauguration of the
The corruption cases surrounding former Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) head Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) are just one item in the endless cycle of noise and fuss obscuring Taiwan’s deep and urgent structural and social problems. Even the case itself, as James Baron observed in an excellent piece at the Diplomat last week, is only one manifestation of the greater problem of deep-rooted corruption in land development. Last week the government announced a program to permit 25,000 foreign university students, primarily from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, to work in Taiwan after graduation for 2-4 years. That number is a
This year’s Michelin Gourmand Bib sported 16 new entries in the 126-strong Taiwan directory. The fight for the best braised pork rice and the crispiest scallion pancake painstakingly continued, but what stood out in the lineup this year? Pang Taqueria (胖塔可利亞); Taiwan’s first Michelin-recommended Mexican restaurant. Chef Charles Chen (陳治宇) is a self-confessed Americophile, earning his chef whites at a fine-dining Latin-American fusion restaurant. But what makes this Xinyi (信義) spot stand head and shoulders above Taipei’s existing Mexican offerings? The authenticity. The produce. The care. AUTHENTIC EATS In my time on the island, I have caved too many times to
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