The National Theater Concert Hall’s seventh annual Taiwan International Festival of Arts (TIFA) gets underway this weekend, but procrastinators are out of luck if they were waiting to the last minute to get tickets for The Red Piece — or many of the later productions.
While tickets for the Dutch-Belgian production by Dutch choreographer Ann Van Den Broek and her WArd/waRD ensemble did not move as fast as several of the other shows in the festival program, the last were sold two weeks ago.
TAN DUN & FRIENDS
Photo Courtesy of the National Theater Concert Hall
For next weekend’s line-up of Ryuzanji Company from Japan and their Rat Kid Jirokichi (義賊☆鼠小僧) in the Experimental, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch’s Palermo Palermo in the National Theater and the National Symphony Orchestra’s (國家交響樂團) collaboration with contemporary Chinese composer Tan Dun (譚盾) — NSO Tan Dun & Friends (譚盾與朋友們) — in the National Concert Hall, only Tan Dun’s show has tickets left and those are in the student ticket (NT$400) and nosebleed seats categories (NT$600).
The cheap seats are still worth it, given the show features two unusual concertos by Tan Dun, who is better known outside the classical music world as the composer of the score to Ang Lee’s (李安) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (臥虎藏龍).
The first concerto, The Wolf, which will be having its Asian premiere, centers on the double bass and was a co-commission by the NSO and the Liverpool Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. It will feature the NSO’s principal bass player Fu Yong-ho (傅永和). The second one, The Tears of Nature, focuses on percussion and will feature the Ju Percussion Group (朱宗慶打擊樂團).
Photo Courtesy of the National Theater Concert Hall
Tan Dun will conduct both concertos.
The following weekend’s festival line-up sees return appearances to Taipei by Belgian choreographer/filmmaker Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s company, Rosas, in the National Theater; Musikkonzept Wien and Theatre National de Luxembourg’s The Black Cat of Edgar Allen Poe in the Concert Hall; Peking Opera diva Pei Yan-ling (裴艷玲) with Arts of Traditional Chinese Opera (尋源問道) in the Recital Hall; and British troupe 1927 in the Experimental Theater with Golum (機器人科倫).
THE RETURN OF ROSAS
Photo Courtesy of the National Theater Concert Hall
While the shows in the latter two venues are sold out, there are a variety of ticket prices left for The Black Cat, as well as Rosas — a bit surprising because the troupe has not appeared in Taipei since making its debut here in 2006.
Rosas is bringing two productions, Rosas danst Rosas, which it will perform on March 12, and Drumming, which it will perform on March 14 and March 15.
Rosas danst Rosas, set on four women dancers, is the company’s signature production, featuring a blend of abstract expressionism, a percussive beat and a film by Thierry De Mey. It set the hallmarks for many of De Keersmaeker’s later works, including Drumming, which is set to a score by Steve Reich, a composer much loved by modern choreographers.
Photo Courtesy of the National Theater Concert Hall
The Black Cat of Edgar Allen Poe was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s short story.
Musician Martin Haselbock, director Frank Hoffmann and visual artist Virgil Widrich have created a multi-art, multi-media performance using the baroque music of JS Bach and contemporary English songwriter David Sylvian that blurs the boundaries between dance, acting and singing.
The festival ends in April with Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters’ (莎士比亞的妹妹們的劇團) retelling of one of William Shakespeare’s tragedies — R3 — The Life and Death of Richard III (理查三世), directed by Wang Chia-ming (王嘉明).
Wang’s version examines contemporary Taiwanese politics through the lens of the English monarchy’s Machiavellian struggles 400 years ago.
Performance Notes
What: NSO Tan Dun & Friends
When: March 5 at 7:30pm
Where: National Concert Hall (國家音樂廳), 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei City (台北市中山南路21-1號).
Admission: Only seats left are the NT$400 and NT$600, available at NTCH box offices, online at www.artsticket.com.tw or at convenience store ticketing kiosks
What: Rosas Company
When: Rosas danst Rosas on March 12 at 7:30pm Drumming on March 14 at 7:30pm and March 15 at 2:30pm
Where: National Theater (國家戲劇院), 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei City (台北市中山南路21-1號).
Admission: NT$500 to 2,500; available at NTCH box offices, online at www.artsticket.com.tw or at convenience store ticketing kiosks
What: The Black Cat of Edgar Allen Poe
When: March 13 at 7:30pm
Where: National Concert Hall (國家音樂廳), 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei City (台北市中山南路21-1號).
Admission: NT$1,600 to 3,000; available at NTCH box offices, online at www.artsticket.com.tw or at convenience store ticketing kiosks
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