"But what would you want them to wear?" ask the traditionalists. Perhaps one of the main attractions of abandoning this convention would be that you would never know what to expect. Artists are artists, after all — let them apply their creativity to their apparel. Mozart was excited to wear a new red jacket when playing his piano concertos in public. Let soloists today do the same. They won't have to go to the extremes of Nigel Kennedy, though they can if they like.
As for the performances themselves, The Magic Flute was everywhere satisfactory, and in places enjoyable. Most notably, the Taipei Symphony Orchestra under Andras Ligeti played with great refinement. With a band reduced to just 40 instrumentalists, plus a glockenspiel rendered on an electronic keyboard, this approached the pre-Romantic Era sound that Mozart himself might have heard.
The Wagner Highlights evening, though also enjoyable, proved once again that Wagner without scenery and stage action is only half the deal. Even so, it was wonderful to hear again Jessica Chen Hsing-an (陳興安) and Chong-Boon Liau (廖聰文) as the soloists. The former is a major talent currently bestowing her strengths on Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, whereas she should be taking major roles in Europe and the US. Maybe this development will soon come to pass.
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