To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Tyzen Hsiao’s famous work Taiwan the Green and the composer’s 75th birthday, which falls on New Year’s Day, the Tyzen Hsiao Culture and Education Foundation will hold a birthday concert on Jan. 1. Unfortunately, Hsiao is rumored to have cancer, and Hsiao’s family confirmed this news last Monday, saying his condition is serious. He has been hospitalized and is currently receiving radiation therapy. Chen Hsiu-li, president of the Tyzen Hsiao Culture and Education Foundation, said the concert will hopefully help raise donations for Hsiao, who devoted the first half of his life to Taiwanese music, to cover his medical bills.
The lyrical poem Taiwan the Green, written by Pastor John Jyigiokk Tin, a professor in the Tainan Theological College and Seminary, is based on Taiwanese-independence thinking. Hsiao wrote a choral score in 1993, a year after the poem was written. In 1994, he incorporated the piece into his symphonic poem 1947 Overture, said the foundation.
The pinnacle of Hsiao’s career was during his life in the US. Among the works composed during that period, the three major concerti (Violin Concerto, Cello Concerto and Piano Concerto), the 1947 Overture and the Formosa Symphony are internationally known. Most importantly, it has been said that Hsiao’s music tells Taiwan’s history and the hardships of the Taiwanese people, and that it has instilled a courageous spirit in the Taiwanese. His compositions have given greater recognition and appreciation to Taiwanese folk songs on the international music scene, and overseas Taiwanese find solace and pride in his music.
Photo: Wang Jung-hsiang, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者王榮祥
The birthday concert will be held from 2pm to 4pm at Liberty Square Convention Center on Jan. 1. The address is 2F, 399 Ruiguang Rd, Neihu, Taipei. For more information, please see the foundation’s Web site at http://flyingv.cc/project/183 or call 02-25111069.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Lin Ya-ti)
為慶賀蕭泰然名曲《台灣翠青》創作二十週年,及蕭泰然於後天元旦當日的七十五歲生日,蕭泰然文教基金會將於二○一三年元旦下午舉辦「蕭泰然七十五台灣翠青二十生日快樂」音樂會,但卻驚傳蕭泰然罹癌的消息;其家人週一證實,蕭泰然罹患嚴重的癌症,目前正住院進行放療積極治療中。蕭泰然文教基金會董事長陳秀麗表示,也希望藉此音樂會募得愛心善款,捐獻給前半生一直為台灣音樂藝術奉獻的蕭泰然博士做為醫藥費用。
蕭泰然文教基金會表示,《台灣翠青》是台南神學院教授鄭兒玉牧師所創作具台灣獨立運動思想的詩歌詞,詩初作於一九九二年,一九九三年由蕭泰然譜為合唱曲,並在一九九四年將此曲編在交響詩《一九四七序曲》中。
蕭泰然於旅美期間音樂創作達於顛峰,尤以小提琴、大提琴、鋼琴三大協奏曲及《一九四七序曲》、《福爾摩沙交響曲》等馳名國際樂壇。最重要的是,「蕭泰然的音樂,曲曲皆念玆在玆於宣敘台灣的歷史、台灣人歷經滄桑而奮發鼓舞的精神。國際樂壇經由他的音樂認識台灣並聆賞台灣民謠,海外台灣人更在他的音樂中得到慰藉與驕傲。」
「蕭泰然七十五台灣翠青二十生日快樂」音樂會,時間為二○一三年元旦下午兩至四時,地點在台北市內湖區瑞光路三九九號二樓「自由廣場國際演藝廳」。購票及捐助可上基金會網址http://flyingv.cc/project/183,或逕洽:02-25111069。
(自由時報記者凌美雪)
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
Drive-through (or drive-thru) restaurants provide people with the immense convenience of being able to purchase and pick up meals without needing to leave their vehicles. These restaurants have been around for decades, and their success has spawned a number of equally handy services. The drive-through concept originated with the drive-in restaurant, the first of which was established in the US in 1921. Patrons would order and eat the food that was delivered to their cars by workers called “carhops.” Ten years later, a drive-through service was introduced, but it was not until 1947 that the first exclusively drive-through restaurant opened its