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Aboriginal folk singer Panai, who plays at Witch House tonight, is often praised for her deep voice and soulful performances. PHOTO: COURTESY OF TAIWAN COLORS MUSIC | Aboriginal folk singer Panai (巴奈) makes an appearance tonight at Witch House in a solo acoustic performance. Of Puyuma and Amis ancestry, the Taitung native is often called the “Tracy Chapman of Taiwan” for her deep voice and soulful performances. The 41-year-old singer-songwriter is among the new wave of singers of the last decade that have brought Aboriginal folk into Taiwan’s indie mainstream with original compositions and fresh interpretations of traditional songs. Panai’s debut album from 2000, Na-Wa-Wa, earned high critical praise. Her songs were inspired by a childhood of traveling from cities to the countryside as her parents searched for employment. The singer is working on a new studio album, according to her label’s Web site. ▲ Panai solo acoustic performance at Witch House, 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Road Sec 3, Taipei City (女巫店台北市新生南路三段56巷7號) ▲ Tonight at 9:30pm; call (02) 2362-5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org ▲ Admission is NT$300 at the door |
The man behind the mask: Christian Rizzo. PHOTO: COURTESY OF DANCE FORUM | French choreographer/designer/musician Christian Rizzo is a multi-talented man, so it should come as no surprise that he finds inspiration everywhere, or that he doesn’t like to be pinned down and labeled. He also doesn’t want to have to explain too much about his newest work, How to say “Here”? — his eagerly awaited collaboration with Taipei’s own Dance Forum — because he feels the interpretation of the work is up to the viewer. “I believe in the imagination of the audience,” Rizzo said yesterday at the Experimental Theater. Part installation artwork, part dance theater, How to say “Here”?, should be viewed as the sum of its parts — the video projections, the lighting, the music and the dancing are all connected and all equally important.
▲ National Experimental Theater (實驗劇場), Taipei City ▲ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm; tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm ▲ All shows are sold out |
Theater
The Scholar and the Executioner (秀才與劊子手) is a black comedy about feudalism, China’s imperial examination system, the lives of a scholar and an executioner, and the changing society at the end of the Qing Dynasty. As the country abolishes both the national examination system and death sentence, the scholar and executioner are forced to find new jobs. The play’s comic flavor is enhanced by hand-carved wooden masks, which are inspired by the nuo (儺) masks of Sichuan Opera and Italian commedia.
▲ National Theater, Taipei City
▲ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
▲ NT$500 to NT$3,000, available through NTCH ticketing
Originally performed as part of the Taiwan Women Theater Festival, My Angel Friends (我的天使朋友), by playwright Zhang Chia-rong (張嘉容), uses the musings of four characters to examine the nature of depression.
▲ Eslite Bookstore, Tainan City (台南誠品書店), B2, 181, Changrung St Sec 1, Tainan City (台南市長榮路一段181號 B2)
▲ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow at 2:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$350, available through NTCH ticketing
Classical music
Master and NSO Series: Lu and Hough (名家與NSO的對話 — 呂紹嘉與史帝芬．賀夫) will feature the National Symphony Orchestra performing under acclaimed conductor Lu Shao-chia (呂紹嘉) and featuring piano soloist Steven Hough. The program will include Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major. This is the Taiwan premiere of the latter work, which was composed in 1894. A preconcert lecture hosted by Hsing Tze-ching (邢子青) will be held at 7pm in the lobby of the National Concert Hall.
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