A violin flashmob has recently been appearing in train cars at Jhutian Train Station in Pingtung County. Internet users called it “mystery train 3174,” and people have been posting and sharing it like crazy. Some passengers get so enthralled that they forget to get off the train, and even the ticket inspectors give it the thumbs-up. As it turns out, violinist Tseng Yen-hsueh has invited local children who are learning the violin to use their days off school to play Taiwanese folk songs in the train cars, nurturing the passengers’ spirits with their music.
Tseng says that modern people have many negative emotions that they cannot release, which has led to more and more tragedies. He thinks that music can heal the human heart and nurture one’s soul. Although the performers cannot stand up and perform on international stages, they can start out from small places, and Tseng believes that music can change the world.
Most of the tunes performed by the violin flashmob are familiar Taiwanese folk songs such as Red in Four Seasons and Craving for the Spring Wind. When passengers see a flashmob performance, some people excitedly reach for their mobile phones to take photos, while others hum or sing along.
Photo: Ashley Chiu, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者邱芷柔
Tseng says that one time an old man who heard the music in the train car kept shouting “encore.” He forgot that he was supposed to get off the train at Linluo Station and sat with them all the way to Pingtung Station. There was another passenger who told them, “The boredom of riding the train has vanished entirely!”
(Liberty Times, translated by Julian Clegg)
屏東縣竹田車站的台鐵車廂內,最近出現了小提琴快閃演奏,被網友稱為「神秘的三一七四列車」引起瘋傳,還有乘客聽得太陶醉忘記下車,連驗票員都豎起拇指讚賞。原來小提琴手曾彥學邀集在地學琴的孩子,利用假日於車廂內演奏台灣民謠,用音樂陶冶乘客的心靈。
曾彥學說,現代人有許多負面情緒沒辦法宣洩,導致越來越多悲劇發生;音樂可以療癒人心、陶冶人性。雖然他們沒辦法站上國際舞台演奏,但可以從小地方做起。他相信音樂可以改變世界。
小提琴快閃表演歌曲多是耳熟能詳的台灣民謠,像是四季紅、望春風等。乘客看見快閃演出,有人興奮地拿起手機拍攝,有人還會跟著哼唱。
曾彥學說,曾經有阿伯在車廂內聽到演奏,不斷喊安可,卻忘記自己要在麟洛車站下車,一路跟著他們坐到了屏東車站;也有乘客對他們說「坐火車的無聊心情都不見了!」
(自由時報記者邱芷柔)
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