As the pop music glitterati preen and prep for the glamorous 19th Golden Melody Awards (金曲獎) ceremony in a fortnight’s time, gongs in the Awards’ artistic and traditional music categories were quietly handed out yesterday at the Taipei County Government building (台北縣政府) in Banciao (板橋) without so much as a red carpet.
Young oboe player Hsieh Wan-chen (謝宛臻) was the biggest surprise winner of the evening, beating multiple Golden Melody Award-winner Ouyang Ling-yi (歐陽伶宜), the internationally acclaimed Taipei Male Choir (拉縴人男聲合唱團) and pianist Yen Chun-chieh (嚴俊傑) to walk home with the Best Classical Music Album Award.
The artistic and traditional music categories were first separated from the popular music section last year and held a month apart. This year’s ceremony attracted little media attention and some 50 percent of the auditorium’s seats remained empty. The crowd’s cheering suggested the audience was composed of nominees’ friends and relatives.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
Celebrated poet and member of the literati Cheng Chou-yu (鄭愁予) picked up the Best Lyricist Award for his work on the album Travel in Dream (旅夢), a musical rendition of his poems.
“This award comes naturally after years of writing,” the 75-year-old poet said backstage. “It is an affirmation of the union of music and poetry … I think poetry comes from how poets sense and feel about sounds. To me, poetry is music.”
Taipei Male Choir beat strong contenders including nanguan (南管) artist Wang Xinxin (王心心) and Formosa Singers (福爾摩沙合唱團) in the Best Vocalist category. The 10-year-old chorus was ranked the number one male-voice choir in the world by the Interkultur Foundation in its latest list and has become a sought-after choir around the globe.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
Yen Chun-chieh won the top honor of Best Music Performer. The prolific pianist won third prize at the third Tchaikovsky International Music Competition in St Petersburg, Russia, at the age of 13, after which Yen, now 25, studied under the great maestro Vladimir Krainev and honed an international reputation.
The Lifetime Contribution Award went to folk legend Chu Ting-chun (朱丁順), a Hengchun (恆春) native who has dedicated his life to teaching and preserving the peninsula’s folk music traditions.
The evening’s high point came when the 80-year-old Chu and his accomplished pupil, iconic folk singer Chen Ming-chang (陳明章), performed traditional Hengchun folk songs on the yueqin (月琴), or moon guitar.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
“Whether it rains or blows strong winds, I would teach folk music. Kids who learn folk music could never turn out bad, you see,” said the white-haired master referring to Chen, who has studied the yueqin under Chu for six years.
A music fair was held outside the hall prior to the ceremony for indie record companies to promote the nominated musicians and groups. The well-intended plan to expose members of general public to the musicians missed the mark, however, as the media virtually neglected the event.
The event will be broadcast on Azio television channel (東風電視台) on June 28 from 5pm to 7pm.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
The 19th Golden Melody Awards
Best Traditional Music Album
■Quest for the Garden Saunter and the Interrupted Dream (尋找遊園驚夢)
■Cheng Rom-shing Music Album (鄭榮興音樂專輯)
■Sepiuma’s Songs (Sepiuma, 唱情歌)
■Tu Ju-sung Bamboo Flute Solo Album (杜如松笛聲吹向雲水間—笛簫獨奏專輯)
The Ultimate of Peking Opera — Wei Hai-min Performance Mei Lanfang School (芳華現—魏海敏梅派經典唱段選輯)
Best Classical Music Album
■Capriccio Pine Breeze — Hsieh Wan-chen’s Oboe Album (越界嬉遊—謝宛臻oboe跨界演奏專輯)
■Ouyang Ling-yi’s J.S. Bach: Six Suites for Violoncello Solo (歐陽伶宜演譯巴赫無伴奏大提琴組曲全集)
■In Love with You (暗戀男聲)
Chun-Chieh Yen Debut Album
Best Children’s Music Album
■Learning Hakka (學客話)
■Traditional Children’s Music of Tsou Tribe (鄒族傳統童謠)
■Shine Like a Star (發光如星)
Best Religious Music Album
■Realizing the Self in Resonance (以音聲求)
■Dharma Flower (花香飄來時) Yangjin Lamu (央金拉姆)
■The Lord Is My Shepherd (耶和華是我牧者)
■Song of Praises III — Liu Chih-ming’s Sacred Music (禮頌III—劉志明聖樂作品集)
■Apocalypse, first volume — The Future That Amazes (啟示錄前卷—另人驚嘆的未來世界專輯)
Best Crossover Music Album
■Capriccio Pine Breeze Hsieh Wan-chen’s Oboe Album (越界嬉遊—謝宛臻oboe跨界演奏專輯)
■Soundtrack for Ciao Ci-chao (曹七巧)
■Wolf Totem (狼圖騰)
Best Songwriter
■Huang Yan-chung (黃燕忠) for Harvest Festival (豐年祭) in Harvest Festival of Music (音樂豐年祭)
■He Xuntien (何訓田) for Mili Pattern (秘厘圖) in Images in Sound (聲音圖案)
■Hsu Ya-min (許雅民) for Apocalypse, first volume — The Future That Amazes (啟示錄前卷—另人驚嘆的未來世界專輯) in (啟示錄前卷—另人驚嘆的未來世界專輯)
Best Lyricist
■Chen Wei-pin (陳維斌) for Tung Blossom Waltz (桐花圓舞曲) in Rainbow of Black and White (斷層的台語歌曲—黑白的彩虹)
■Cheng Chou-yu (鄭愁予) for A Plate of Poetry (一碟兒詩話) in Travel in Dream (旅夢)
Best Composer
■Yiu-Kwong Chung (鍾耀光) for Kao Yi-sheng’s Song (高一生歌曲) in Aboriginal Rhythm (原住民新韻)
■Chen Yi-hui (陳怡慧) for Spring Time (春暖時分) in Ciao Ci-chao (曹七巧) soundtrack
Best Producer
■Wang Chih-ping (王志萍) for Quest for the Garden Saunter and the Interrupted Dream (尋找遊園驚夢)
■Huang Jia-lung (黃家隆) for Ouyang Ling-yi’s J.S. Bach: Six Suites for Violoncello Solo (歐陽伶宜演譯巴赫無伴奏大提琴組曲全集)
■Wang Min-hung (王閔弘) for In Love With You (暗戀男聲)
■Liu Liang-yen (劉亮延) for Ciao Ci-chao (曹七巧) soundtrack
Best Traditional Music Interpretation
■Kung Aiping (孔愛萍) for Quest for the Garden Saunter and the Interrupted Dream (尋找遊園驚夢)
■Cheng Rom-shing (鄭榮興) for Cheng Rom-shing music album
■Sepiuma Group (和平部落歌團) for Sepiuma’s Songs (Sepiuma, 唱情歌)
■Tu Ju-sung (杜如松) for Tu Ju-sung Bamboo Flute Solo Album (杜如松笛聲吹向雲水間—笛簫獨奏專輯)
■Wei Hai-min (魏海敏) for The Ultimate of Peking Opera — Wei Hai-min Performance Mei Lanfang School (芳華現—魏海敏梅派經典唱段選輯)
Best Vocalist
■Wang Xinxin (王心心) for Realizing the Self in Resonance (以音聲求)
■Taipei Artist Choir (台北藝術家合唱團) for Because of Love (因為愛)
■Jeannie Voce (蔣啟真) for Summertime (夏日情懷)
■Taipei Male Choir (拉縴人男聲合唱團) for In Love With You (暗戀男聲)
■Formosa Singers (福爾摩沙合唱團) for Formosa Singers and Gary Graden (驚豔人聲—福爾摩沙合唱團 and Gary Graden)
Best Music Performer
■Magic Clarinet Quartet (魔笛單簧管四重奏) for The Dancing Clarinet (魔笛之舞)
■Ouyang Ling-yi (歐陽伶宜) for Ouyang Ling-yi’s J.S. Bach: Six Suites for Violoncello Solo (歐陽伶宜演譯巴赫無伴奏大提琴組曲全集)
■Yen Chun-chieh (嚴俊傑) for Chun-Chieh Yen Debut Album
Jury Special Mention
■Lin Yu-chih (林煜智)
Lifetime Contribution Award
■Chu Ting-shun (朱丁順)
Entry in blue indicates winner
SOURCE: GOLDEN MELODY AWARDS
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