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)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too