Events & Entertainment

Anything is possible when anarchist indie rockers LTK (濁水溪公社) take to the stage. At Spring Scream two years ago they launched fireworks into the roof of the onstage tent and invited fans to mutilate a mannequin. They then released their first album in four years, Ten Yai Chi Tou Lang (aka LTK Commune IV, 天涯棄逃人), arguably the best in their 16-year history. Before that, LTK were known more for their biting political satire and onstage antics than for their musical ability. Now they have three new members and have mastered an impressive range of new styles, including power pop, lounge and acid jazz, to go along with their old repertoire of punk and nakashi. They perform tomorrow night at Underworld with Children Sucker (表兒). Get there early or you might end up standing in the back. * Underworld opens at 8pm. Bands take to the stage at 9pm. * Entrance is NT$300. * 45 Shida Rd, Taipei (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.underworld-taipei.blogspot.com for more information

Theater
Cheng Yuan-ho and Lee Ya-hsien (鄭元和李亞仙) is a story of love between a prostitute and a young scholar who is preparing for his examination being held in Beijing. The work is performed by the Ming Hsia Taiwanese Opera group (明霞歌劇團) and directed by Hsiao Ming-ming (小明明) who adapted the performance from The Story of Li Wa (李娃傳).
* National Taiwan Arts Education Institute (國立台灣藝術教育館), 47 Nanhai Rd, Taipei (台北市南海路47號)
* Tomorrow at 7:30pm
* Admission is free

Drink Culture (一爵一代之飲酒作樂) is the latest production by Contemporary Jazz Dance Theater (爵代舞蹈劇場). Known for lifting up the spirit of audiences with its playful dance productions, the group's latest offering takes a Dionysian look at the similarities between dance and drink.
* Experimental Theater (國家戲劇院實驗劇場) 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei (台北市中山南路21-1號)
* Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
* Tickets are NT$500 and are available from www.artsticket.com.tw

Wind Shadow (風影) is an inter-disciplinary collaboration between renowned choreographer Lin Hwai-min (林懷民) and visual artist Cai Guo-quing (蔡國強) who create a new kind of dance theater that incorporates installation art and performance theater. It will be staged by Cloud Gate Theater (雲門舞集).
* Chiayi Performing Arts Center (嘉義縣表演藝術中心演藝廳) 265 Jiankuo Rd Sec 2, Minhsiung Township, Chiayi County (民雄鄉建國路二段265號)
* Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm
* Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,500 and are available through www.artsticket.com.tw

What Man? (水滸傳) is the latest play by Hong Kong director Edward Lam (林奕華) and is based on the Chinese classic The Water Margin. The work is an investigation of man's so-called heroic nature with themes of masculinity being explored using an audition for a play as the plot. A somewhat unflattering look at men's egos, the nine male characters reveal much about themselves through their desire to win various roles in the production.
* National Theater (國家戲劇院) 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei (台北市中山南路21-1號)
* Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
* Tickets are NT$300 to NT$2,000 and are available through NTCH ticketing

Classical Music

Xue Xue Weekend Music Concert's Brass Quintet Musical Feast — Jinying Brass Quintet (學學週末音樂會銅管藝術饗宴—菁英銅管五重奏). The quintet was founded in New York in 1995 and comprises five brass instrumentalists: Hsu Jung-fu (許榮富) and Chou Sheng-chun (周勝駿) on trumpet; Li Hsin-hui (李欣卉) on French horn; Tsai Yi-wen (蔡怡文) on Trombone; and Liang Kuo-lin (梁國霖) on tuba. The quintet has performed extensively in Taiwan, the US, and China. The quintet will present a program of that ranges from Baroque to contemporary, including an anonymous work Sonata from Die Bankelsangerlieder, Gabrieli's Canzona per Sonare No.4, Bach's Contrapunctus IX from "Art of Fugue", Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in G Major, K.525 and Concerto Rondo, Brahms' Three Chorale Preludes for Brass Quintet, Anderson's Bugler's Holiday, Fillmore's Lassus Trombone, Saint Saen's Elephant from Carnival of the Animals, Sondheim's Comedy Tonight, Gershwin's Summertime and I Got Plenty O'Nuttin, Rossini's William Tell Overture, and more.
* At the Xue Xue Institute (學學文創志業), 207 Tiding Blvd Sec 2, Neihu District, Taipei (台北市內湖區堤頂大道二段207號)
* Tickets are NT$500 and are available through NTCH ticketing or call 0800-068-089
* Tonight at 7:30pm

2006 Su Shien-ta Violin Recital (2006蘇顯達自法國返國20年小提琴獨奏會). France-based Taiwanese violinist Su will present the last two concerts of his tour in Taiwan in Ilan tonight and in Taipei tomorrow. The program of works will include Delius' Sonata for Violin and Piano No.2, Gordon Shi-wen Chin's Phantasy for Violin and Piano, Richard Strauss' Sonata for Violin and Piano in E-flat Major, Op. 13, Falla's Suite Populaire Espagnole, Faure's Romance in B-flat Major, Op.28, and Sibelius' Five Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op.81, Poulenc's Sonata for Violin and Piano.
* Tonight at the Ilan Performing Arts Center of the Ilan County Cultural Affairs Bureau (宜蘭縣文化局演藝廳), 482 Chungshan Rd Sec 2, Ilan City (宜蘭市中山路二段482號), and tomorrow at the National Concert Hall, Taipei.
Tickets the Ilan concert cost from NT$400 to NT$500; NT$300 to NT$800 for Taipei concert, through NTCH ticketing
* Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm

New Year's Eve with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) — Die Iustige Witwe (NSO跨年輕歌劇—風流寡婦). Hungarian composer Franz Lehar wrote nearly 40 operettas, and the best known is Die lustige Witwe, often translated as "The Merry Widow." This operetta was first staged in Vienna on Dec. 30, 1905 and quickly became popular throughout the world. The title character of Hannah Glawari will be played by Taichung-born Eleonora Wen (文以莊), who has won international acclaim for both her voice and her acting skills and is a resident singer at Hamburg State Opera. Also, Count Danilo Danilovitsch will be played by Lee Chia-wei (李佳蔚), a replacement of Wu Bei Yu-hsi (巫白玉璽), who recently suffered from a vocal cord injury. A pre-concert talk will be held in the lobby of the National Concert Hall in Taipei 30 minutes prior to the concerts.
* At the National Concert Hall, Taipei
* As of press time, NT$400 and NT$600 tickets are sold out for the 2007 Countdown Concert on New Year's Eve, but seats are available from NT$900 to NT$2,000. For the New Year's Day concert, seats are available from NT$600 to NT$2,000 through NTCH ticketing
* Sunday at 9pm and Monday at 7pm

Taipei Symphony Orchestra (TSO) — Mozart Finale (台北市立交響樂團—莫札特Finale). Featuring conductor and pianist Hsu Chung (許忠), the TSO will present an all-Mozart program, including Overture "Don Giovanni", Piano Concerto No.26 in D Major, K.537 "Coronation," Piano Concerto No.9 in E-flat Major, K.271, and Piano Concerto No.21 in C Major, K.467.
* At the Taipei Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei (台北市延平南路98號)
* As of press time, NT$400 to NT$800 tickets are sold out, but NT$200 and NT$1,000 tickets are still available through NTCH ticketing
* Sunday at 2:30pm

Fou Ts'ong Piano Recital (傅聰鋼琴獨奏會). Fou Ts'ong was born in 1934. His father was Fou Lei (傅雷), a famous scholar and an unyielding opponent of injustice in China. The 1960s witnessed tumultuous events in China, touching Fou Ts'ong's most deeply with the tragic loss of his parents. TIME magazine called him the greatest Chinese musician alive today and Hermann Hesse called him the only true performer of Chopin. He will come to Taiwan to present a program of works, including Handel's Chaconne in G Major, Hayden's Sonata in C Minor, Chopin's Mazurka in A Minor, No.1, Op.59 and Mazurka in A-flat Major, No.2, Op.59, Debussy's Berceuse Heroique, and Shubert's Piano Sonata in B-flat Major.
* At the National Concert Hall, Taipei
* As of press time, NT$400 and NT$1,300 tickets are sold out, but NT$600, NT$800, NT$1,000, NT$1,600, NT$2,000, and NT$2,500 seats are still available through NTCH ticketing
* Tuesday at 7:30pm

Contemporary

Tonight Underworld (地下社會) it's Kou Chou-ching (拷秋勤), who mixes traditional Taiwanse music styles like nakashi and temple music with scratch and rap, the rap-based rock of Joe (張睿銓), and DJ Point. Tomorrow it's political punksters LTK (濁水溪公社), with Children Sucker (表兒). New Year's Eve features Digihai, Bitter and The Riot.
* The bar opens at 8pm and bands take to the stage at 9pm
* Entrance tonight and tomorrow is NT$300. Sunday is NT$500
* 45 Shida Rd, Taipei (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.underworld-taipei.blogspot.com for more information

The Wall (這牆) presents funk/nu-metal crossovers Coach (教練), followed by a Trance Party with DJs Jimi, Q and Jackie and featuring instrumentals by Japan's Yo and Waka, who play the sitar and talba, respectively. Tomorrow it's Varo, Smol and Nylas. Sunday's "Say Goodbye to 2006" features Full House and Texas twins JD and JT Long's country music/garage rock band the Deadly Vibes. Wednesday it's Joker, The Leaf and Mayonaise (美乃滋). Nu-metal and hardcore acts Kia, Respect and Blackout playing Thursday.
* Entrance for the Coach show tonight is NT$400. The trance party is NT$300. All other shows are NT$400
* Coach plays at 8pm tonight, followed by the DJs at 11:30pm. Sunday through Thursday's shows start at 8pm
* B1, 200 Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or visit www.the-wall.com.tw
Tonight Living Room (小客廳) presents Black Sheep (黑羊藍調), billed as "Texas-style guitar with a twangy Taiwan twist." Tomorrow hypnotists Brian David Phillips and Martin Chen take the stage for a family-friendly, bilingual comedy hypnosis show.
* Tonight's and tomorrow's performances begin at 10pm
* Entrance is NT$300 for both nights
* 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

Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) presents G.J.O. Big Band: Groovin' Jazz Orchestra (搖擺爵士大樂團), which plays everything from swing and jazz standards to Latin, funk and rock sounds, tonight. Sunday it's a New Year's Eve party with the Riverside All-Star Band, featuring Geddy Lin (林正如) on guitar, bassist Kinya Ikeda, drummer Toshi Fuji, along with other musicians.
* Both shows begin at 9:30pm
* Entrance for tonight is NT$430 and NT$500 for Sunday
* B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd, Sec 3, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1). Call (02) 2368-7310 or visit www.riverside.com.tw

Velvet Underground (地下絲絨), which by day serves American food, presents alt-rock bands Merry Go Round (瑪莉格朗) the Blue Velvets (藍絲絨) and Last Checkout (陶土飛靶) tonight.
* Bands take to the stage at 8pm
* Entrance is NT$300 or NT$200 for students
* B1, 50 Zhongxiao W Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市忠孝西路一段50號B1). Call (02) 2314-1868 or visit www.velvet-underground.com.tw

Witch House (女巫店) presents singer Hsiao Mei (小美) tonight and Miss Silk Stockings (絲襪小姐) tomorrow.
* Entrance is NT$300
* Tonight at 9:30pm
* 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei (新生南路三段56巷7號). Call (02) 2362-5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org

Grooveyard presents three-piece girl punk band BB Bomb tonight and hard rock cover band Roach tomorrow. Sunday it's a New Year's Eve party with Chungli roots rock revivalists The Anglers. Wednesday is jazz night. Thursday it's "Taiwan Exposed Open-Mic Night," for everyone from amateur poets to established musicians.
* Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday's shows begin at 9:30pm. Wednesday's jazz and Thursday's jam session start at 9pm
* Entrance for tonight is NT$100 with a happy hour from 8pm to 10pm, for tomorrow and Sunday it's NT$100 before 10pm and NT$200 after. There's no cover on Wednesday and Thursday
* 2F, 105 Huamei W Rd, Taichung (台中市華美西街105號二樓). Visit www.grooveyardtaiwan.com

Exhibitions

Naked Life (赤裸人). Featuring works by 22 artists from 16 countries, the exhibition represents a bio-political spectrum under the operation of state sovereignty and global capital through images of human being's bare lives stripped off political rights and legal protection. The works are selected for their analyses on different aspects of everyday life, ranging from the war on terror, post-colonial conditions, racism, surveillance, labor and immigration to the impacts of these phenomena on the formation of identity, the culture of fear and personal history.
* Museum of Contemporary Art (台北當代藝術館), 39 Changan W Rd, Taipei (台北市長安西路39號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Call (02) 2552-3721
* Until Feb. 4

2006 Taipei Art Awards (2006台北美術獎). Providing an important platform for contemporary artists in Taiwan, the annual exhibition competition attracted 331 applicants this year. The exhibition displays the work of the 22 artists selected as representative of the vibrancy of Taiwan's contemporary art.
* 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 March 4

Ba Hao Lan Gi Lan's Solo Exhibition — Forgotten Spiritual Field (遺忘的靈域—巴豪嵐吉嵐藝術個展). A self-taught Paiwan artist, Ba Hao Lan Gi Lan is known for his paintings and sculptures depicting Aboriginal mythologies and traditional customs filtered through the artist's unique sensibility. Centering on the theme of respect and love for nature, the exhibition is divided into two realms, one human, the other spiritual.
* Ketagalan Culture Center (凱達格蘭文化館), 3-1 Zhongshan Rd, Taipei (台北市中山路3-1號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Call (02) 2898-6500
* Until Sunday

Artistic Development and Social Transition in Taiwan II: Formosa Mambo (台灣美術與社會脈動2：寶島曼波). After its Artistic Development and Social Transition in Taiwan exhibition in 2000, the museum once again takes a deep look at Taiwan's art development flourishing against the complicated political and diverse cultural background. Featuring 60 art works by nine local artists, the exhibition sees the path of local art development much akin to the mambo dance with wild and fascinating rhythms, fast, energetic and following no calculable route.
* Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (高雄市立美術館), 20 Meishuguan Rd, Gushan District, Kaohsiung. (高雄市鼓山區美術館路20號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Call (07) 555-0331
* Until April 15

Special Exhibition on Chrysanthemum (清心品菊—菊花特展). As winter progresses, now is the best time of the year to appreciate the beauty of chrysanthemums. The exhibition shows off over 60 rare species of the plant including five native strains of chrysanthemum that are unique to the island.
* National Museum of Natural Science (國立自然科學博物館), 1 Kuanchien Rd, Taichung (台中市館前路1號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Call (04) 2322-6940
* Until Jan. 7

Events

The Taipei City Government is welcoming the New Year with a party and a US$1 million firework display on the world's tallest building.
The government said some 400,000 people are expected to attend the party at the foot of the 508m-tall Taipei 101. There will be a concert, dances and a quiz, the winner of which will drive home in a new car.
* Sunday, with a parade at 2pm. The party begins at 5pm
* Admission is free