The most talked-about topic among Taipei’s choral enthusiasts recently must have been English composer William Walton’s (1902-1983) powerful and grand-scale choral symphony work Belshazzar’s Feast. The Taipei Philharmonic Chorus is set to make history by putting on its upcoming concert titled “Thanksgiving and Celebration — Belshazzar’s Feast” on Saturday, featuring Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast as well as Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s (1643-1704) Te Deum, both of which are Taiwan premieres.
Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, composed in 1931 and generally regarded as the composer’s compositional highlight, tells the biblical story of the collapse of the ancient Babylonian empire. The work is unprecedentedly massive in its scoring, including a baritone soloist, double mixed chorus, a semi-chorus, a full orchestra, an organ, and two brass bands. In other words, it features a fiercely magnificent sound effect, rich harmonies, and technically demanding musical tension and expression. The work is rarely performed even in Europe.
Walton expert Michael Kennedy once wrote, “Walton calls Belshazzar’s Feast neither cantata nor oratorio, and in his later years encouraged the view that it was a choral symphony.” In 1947 Herbert von Karajan called Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, “the best choral music that has been written in the last 50 years.” The work is characterized by its fierce and rich orchestration and ever-shifting and sophisticated rhythms, which later indirectly inspired Carl Orff’s (1895-1982) famous work Carmina Burana.
Photo courtesy of The Wikimedia Commons
照片由維基共享資源提供
The motet Te Deum, presented in the first half of the concert, was originally composed to celebrate the victory of the Battle of Steinkirk in 1692. Given the work’s baroque aural splendor, which echoes the concert’s theme of thanksgiving and celebration, it has been used for the introduction of the Olympics as well as the theme music preceding the broadcasts of the European Broadcasting Union.
Hungarian conductor Gabor Hollerung and Hungarian baritone Peter Kalman were invited to present the concert. Accompanied by the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra, the concert with its diverse program will open with German composer Richard Wagner’s (1813-1883) instrumental piece Prelude from Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, then Te Deum, and then end with the exciting masterpiece Belshazzar’s Feast. Hollerung said that it would be a significant and special musical event.
(Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times)
Photo courtesy of Taipei Philharmonic Foundation
照片由台北愛樂文教基金會提供
台北合唱界近來最夯的話題,應該就是英國作曲家威廉‧華爾頓(1902-1983)氣勢磅礡的大型合唱交響作品《伯沙撒王的盛宴》。台北愛樂合唱團本週六將於國家音樂廳帶來《感恩與歡慶—伯沙撒王的盛宴》音樂會,曲目包括兩部台灣首演作品:華爾頓的《伯沙撒王的盛宴》與法國作曲馬克─安端‧夏邦提耶(1643-1704)的《感恩頌歌》。這場演出,不僅將為台灣合唱歷史寫下新的一頁,也為台北愛樂歡慶創團四十週年的系列音樂會,掀起另一波高潮。
華爾頓一九三一年寫的曠世巨作《伯沙撒王的盛宴》,講述古代巴比倫帝國的興亡衰敗。此作品編制極大,包含一位男中音獨唱、雙混聲合唱團、小合唱團、管弦樂團、管風琴,另添兩個銅管樂團,整體呈現開闊壯麗的激烈音響、豐厚的和聲,以及高難度的音樂張力與表現,連歐洲也鮮少演出。
對華爾頓鑽研至深的學者麥可‧甘迺迪曾寫道:「華爾頓認為《伯沙撒王的盛宴》非清唱劇,亦非神劇,並且在他晚年時,他傾向將它視為一部合唱交響作品。」赫伯特‧馮‧卡拉揚於一九四七年讚譽此作為「近五十年來最佳的合唱音樂」。這部作品狂烈飽和的音樂語彙、多變複雜的節奏,甚至間接催生德國音樂家卡爾‧奧福(1895-1982)的名作《布蘭詩歌》。
Photo courtesy of Taipei Philharmonic Foundation
照片由台北愛樂文教基金會提供
上半場的經文歌《感恩頌歌》原是為慶祝一六九二年史坦克爾克戰役獲勝而作,其巴洛克華麗聲響,後來更成為奧運會的開場信號曲及歐洲廣播聯盟的主題曲。
這次音樂會邀請到匈牙利指揮嘉保‧豪勒隆,以及匈牙利籍男中音彼得‧卡爾曼擔任獨唱。在長榮交響樂團的演奏下,音樂會曲目安排多樣,從理查‧華格納(1813-1883)《紐倫堡名歌手》器樂序曲開場,接著《感恩頌歌》,並以撼動人心的《伯沙撒王的盛宴》畫下句點。豪勒隆表示,這將是一場別具意義的音樂會。
(台北時報記者林亞蒂)
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
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
On Tuesday last week, the flame for this summer’s Paris Olympics was lit at the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games in southern Greece in a meticulously choreographed ceremony. It will then be carried through Greece for more than 5,000km before being handed over to French organizers at the Athens venue used for the first modern Olympics in 1896. The pageantry at Olympia has been an essential part of every Olympics for nearly 90 years since the Games in Berlin. It’s meant to provide an ineluctable link between the modern event and the ancient Greek original on which it was initially modelled. Once
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