Aspiring to artistic perfection, Trio Wanderer from France will visit Taiwan again as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations to present a concert titled “Born for Music — 25th Anniversary of Trio Wanderer” at the National Concert Hall in Taipei tomorrow evening. While staying true to the composers’ wishes, the three classically trained “wanderers” will fill the concert hall with their own musical language, telling the story of their explorations into chamber music, the pursuit of technical perfection, and their near-telepathic musical rapport over the past 25 years. The trio will play a program of piano trios by composers from the Classical, Romantic, and Modern periods, including Ludwig van Beethoven’s (1770-1827) Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97, aka the “Archduke” Trio, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (1840-1893) Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 and Dmitri Shostakovich’s (1906-1975) Piano Trio No.1 in C minor, Op. 8.
Founded in 1987, Trio Wanderer is composed of pianist Vincent Coq, violinist Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabedian, and cellist Raphael Pidoux, all of whom graduated from the National Music Conservatory of Paris. Inspired by Franz Schubert’s (1797-1828) art song Der Wanderer, D. 493 as well as German Romanticism, the three musicians have embarked on a musical journey seeking further enlightenment from a wide repertoire spanning almost all schools and periods. In a spirit of openness and curiosity and with its sensitive style, the trio has performed on the most prestigious of stages on all five continents. They have been praised by the French daily Le Monde for being “the best to be had today when it comes to trios.” Under the guidance of great masters such as Jean-Claude Pennetier, Jean Hubeau, and Menahem Pressler of the Beaux Arts Trio and the Amadeus Quartet, Trio Wanderer won the ARD International Music Competition in Munich in 1988 and the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition in the US in 1990. In 2009, Trio Wanderer was voted “Best Instrumental Ensemble of the Year” at the Victoires de la Musique for the third time.
Trio Wanderer said that although their ensemble took their name from a Schubert composition, they have a preference for Beethoven because his trios are the cornerstone of their repertory and it was he who finally found the perfect balance between the three instruments. The ensemble first performed all of Beethoven’s trios in 1990, but it was not until this year that they released an album of Beethoven’s complete piano trios. “These are works that can be explored infinitely, and it took us nearly 25 years to decide to record them,” said Trio Wanderer. In the concert tomorrow, the Wanderers will play Beethoven’s “Archduke” Trio, one of Beethoven’s favorites, which he often played in concert himself. The Daily Telegraph’s classical music critic Geoffrey Norris said in a review of Trio Wanderer’s latest CD of complete Beethoven piano trios that the ensemble interprets the “Archduke” Trio “with a radiant glow, a rapt serenity in the slow movement and sense of fun in the finale.”
Photo courtesy of Asia Music & Arts
照片由亞藝藝術提供
Speaking of Tchaikovsky, the first thing that comes to people’s mind is his natural affinity for beautiful melodies. Tchaikovsky’s only piano trio Piano Trio in A minor, Op.50 titled “In memory of a great artist” — his friend and pianist Nicholas Rubinstein — represents his finest effort in the trio genre, and it also signifies the 25-year-long friendship between the three Wanderer musicians, said the concert organizers.
Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No.1 in C minor, Op.8. was created as a student work when he was only 16 years old. It has only a single movement and contains a variety of tempos and musical characters. Shostakovich’s chamber music is regarded as a private language in search for meaning and expression and has enjoyed great prestige. The work in C minor, which has been associated with heroic struggle, begins with a chromatically longing motive, displaying Shostakovich’s unique compositional conception.
American composer Aaron Copland (1900-1990) once wrote, “Music can only be really alive when there are listeners who are really alive.” Trio Wanderer has chosen these three well-received pieces for their performance in Taiwan, and is inviting the public to go to the concert hall to appreciate the artistic value of these works. Violinist Phillips-Varjabedian plays a violin made by Petrus Guarnerius of Venice in 1748, while cellist Pidoux plays a cello made by Goffredo Cappa of Saluzzo in 1680. Surely, Trio Wanderer’s 25-year-long voyage will continue and the members have said that the time has come for them to pass on their experience to the next generation.
(Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times)
追求藝術上盡善盡美的法國「流浪者三重奏」,在創團二十五週年之際再度訪台,明晚將於台北國家音樂廳帶來「音樂而生—流浪者三重奏二十五週年音樂派對」音樂會。音樂院科班出身的三位「流浪者」,在忠於作曲家期待的前提下,以獨特的音樂語言,娓娓道出三人在這二十五年來,對室內樂的探索、技巧的精進,以及心照不宣的默契。他們將帶來橫跨古典、浪漫與現代時期作曲家的鋼琴三重奏,包括路德維希‧凡‧貝多芬(一七七○-一八二七)的《降B大調鋼琴三重奏「大公」,作品九十七》、彼得‧伊里奇‧柴科夫斯基(一八四○-一八九三)的《A小調鋼琴三重奏,作品五十》,以及迪米崔‧蕭斯塔科維奇(一九○六-一九七五)的《C小調第一號鋼琴三重奏,作品八》。
創立於一九八七年的「流浪者三重奏」,成員皆畢業於巴黎音樂院,他們是鋼琴家文森‧柯克、小提琴家尚馬克‧菲利浦斯-法雅貝迪安,以及大提琴家拉菲爾‧皮多。受到法蘭茲‧舒伯特(一七九七-一八二八)的藝術歌曲《流浪者,作品D. 493》,以及德國浪漫主義的啟發,「流浪者三重奏」的「流浪」旅程,從各式學派以及各時期的廣泛曲目中,尋求進一步啟迪,並且在世界五大洲最著名的舞台上獻藝。秉持開放態度與好奇心,演奏風格敏感而細膩的「流浪者三重奏」,被法國《世界報》讚譽為「當今三重奏樂團之翹楚」。在尚-克勞德‧龐納提耶、尚‧胡波,美藝三重奏與阿瑪迪斯弦樂四重奏的梅納漢‧普雷斯勒等大師的指導下,「流浪者三重奏」一九八八年在慕尼黑ARD國際音樂大賽中展露頭角,並贏得一九九○年美國Fischoff室內樂大賽首獎。該團也在二○○九年第三度獲得法國音樂獎項Victoires de la Musique「最佳器樂室內樂團」的殊榮。
「流浪者三重奏」團員表示,雖然團名靈感來自舒伯特,但他們偏愛貝多芬,畢竟貝多芬三重奏作品是他們演奏曲目的基石,也因為這位作曲家,讓這三件樂器始獲良好的平衡。該團在一九九○首度演出全本貝多芬三重奏作品,但直到今年才有他們全本貝多芬三重奏作品的錄音問世。「流浪者三重奏」表示:「這些作品可以被永無止盡地探索,而我們花了二十五個年頭才決定錄製這套作品。」明晚將帶來的貝多芬《「大公」三重奏》,是作曲家最喜愛也是其經常親自演奏的鋼琴三重奏之一。《每日電訊報》音樂評論家傑佛瑞‧諾瑞斯在「流浪者三重奏」新發行的全套貝多芬CD專輯的評鑑中寫道,該團以光彩洋溢之姿詮釋《「大公」三重奏》,在慢板樂章呈現迷人的寧靜,而終曲樂章則奏出趣味性。
提到柴科夫斯基,人們可能會聯想到其作品渾然天成且優美的旋律線條。明晚音樂會將可聽到柴科夫斯基唯一一首鋼琴三重奏《A小調鋼琴三重奏,作品五十》,標題為「紀念一位偉大的藝術家」,悼念故友鋼琴家尼古萊‧魯賓斯坦。這是柴氏在三重奏曲上,著墨至深之作。主辦單位表示,演奏這首作品,似乎象徵「流浪者三重奏」三位成員這二十五年來的友誼。
蕭斯塔科維奇《C小調第一號鋼琴三重奏,作品八》是作曲家十六歲於學生時期的創作。此單一樂章作品富含不同速度與音樂特色。蕭氏的室內樂作品被認為是其追尋意義與表達內心聲音的肺腑之聲,並且也獲得外界極高的評價。這部作品是C小調—一個具有英雄內心掙扎意味的調性—並以半音階的渴望動機為開端,展現蕭氏獨特的構思。
美國作曲家艾倫.柯普蘭(一九○○-一九九○)曾寫道:「只有當聽眾真正融入樂音,音樂才能真正被賦予生命。」「流浪者三重奏」精挑這三首好聽的作品獻給台灣觀眾,邀請大家一同親臨音樂廳感受作品的藝術價值。小提琴家菲利浦斯-法雅貝迪安將使用一七四八年於義大利威尼斯製作的瓜奈里小提琴,而大提琴家皮多則使用一六八○年於義大利薩盧佐製作的Goffredo Cappa大提琴。二十五歲的「流浪者三重奏」未來無疑地將繼續他們的旅程,並且也表達要將他們的經驗傳承給年輕音樂家。
(台北時報記者林亞蒂)
South Korea’s famous kimchi is falling victim to climate change, with scientists, farmers and manufacturers saying the quality and quantity of the napa cabbage that is pickled to make the ubiquitous dish is suffering due to rising temperatures. Napa cabbage thrives in cooler climates, and is usually planted in mountainous regions where temperatures during the key growing summer season once rarely rose above 25 degrees Celsius. Studies show that warmer weather brought about by climate change is now threatening these crops, so much so that South Korea might not be able to grow napa cabbage one day due to the intensifying heat. “We
It’s widely recognized that there are far more right-handed people than left-handed people in the world. Being right-handed simply means preferring to use one’s right hand for tasks that involve only one hand, such as writing and eating. But have you ever wondered about the possible reasons behind the global dominance of the right hand over the left? As with many complex biological questions, multiple factors appear to be at play. First, one reason seems to be genetics. __1__ Therefore, the global dominance of right-handedness is something that has been passed down through many generations of humans. Next,
A: What’s even more horrible is that the five suspects who purposely supplied ketamine to actor Matthew Perry were all his “friends.” B: Who exactly are the five suspects? A: They include Matthew’s two doctors, a broker, a drug dealer, and even his live-in assistant. B: Those scumbags should go to jail. A: Yeah, one of the doctors may be sentenced to up to 120 years in prison. A: 更可怕的是,提供男星馬修派瑞「K他命」的5人全是他的「朋友」。 B: 嫌犯是誰啊? A: 其中包括他的2位醫生、1位仲介、1位毒販、甚至他的同居助理! B: 那些人渣真該去坐牢。 A: 對啊,其中1位醫生可能面臨120年徒刑。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Finally, cultural influence also plays a role in which hand people prefer. Historically, items that require physical manipulation have been designed for right-handed use. For example, tools like scissors and musical instruments are often constructed with right-handers in mind, making it difficult for left-handers to use them. __4__ While these factors offer some explanation, they remain speculative. The precise reasons for the global prevalence of right-handed people continue to be debated. Nevertheless, left-handedness will remain a phenomenon of great curiosity among scientists and researchers for many years to come. 最後,文化影響也在人們偏好哪一隻手上扮演一角。歷史上,需要用到肢體操作的物品都被設計來供右手使用。舉例來說,像是剪刀、樂器等工具常常就是考慮到右撇子而打造的,造成左撇子難以使用這些工具。因此,許多天生就是左撇子的人可能就必須透過學習使用右手來適應。 雖然這些因素都提供了一些解釋,但它們仍是推測而已。全球右撇子如此普及,確切的原因仍持續被爭論著。不過,在未來的許多年裡,左撇子依然會是科學家和研究人員相當好奇的一個現象。 What Did You Learn? (A) Specifically, different areas of