Many internationally-acclaimed soloists and orchestras visited this year, several in connection with the 20th anniversary of the opening of Taipei's National Theater and National Concert Hall. Mischa Maisky, Lang Lang (郎朗), James Galway, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Baroque Soloists and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra were among the most celebrated.
But one particularly memorable event was the concert of the Russian National Orchestra under Mikhail Pletnev (apparently unwell at the time, but taking the rostrum nonetheless). Their performance of Shostakovich's supposedly celebratory, but actually ironic, Symphony No. 5 will have achieved a lot if it helped familiarize Taiwanese music-lovers with the work of a composer Asian audiences sometimes take to with difficulty. The six marvelous Symphonic Poems of Liszt they also included on their tour will hopefully have served the same function.
This year, in other words, has been a rich year for classical music lovers in Taiwan. But it hasn't always been the most famous composers, or indeed artists, who have given the greatest pleasure. - Bradley Winterton
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