Theater
Tale of the White Serpent and Unforgettable Moments of Cloud Gate (白蛇傳與雲門精華) is a sampling of Cloud Gate Theater's (雲門舞集) previous performances including White Serpent (1975) and the Cursive trilogy (2003).
* National Theater Taipei
* Today and tomorrow at 7:45pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:45pm
* Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,000 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Nanke Story (戀戀南柯) is a kunqu opera that will be performed by 1/2Q Theater (二分之一Q劇場). It tells the story a of discharged army officer who one day falls asleep and dreams of entering an ant hole and becomes a part of the ant world. This hilarious adaptation of a Chinese classic uses contemporary stage design to create a satisfying satire of political life during the Ming Dynasty.
* National Center for Traditional Arts (NCTA, 國立傳統藝術中心), 201 Wubin Rd Sec 2, Wuchieh Village, Ilan County (宜蘭縣五結鄉五濱路二段201號)
* Tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
* Admission is free
Classical Music
2006 Taiwan Connection Mozart Festival (莫札特音樂節—神童,神童). Under the direction of music director Hu Nai-yuan (胡乃元), the concert tour will feature violinist Hu, pianist Fou Tsong (傅聰), violist Rainer Moog, tenor Will Hartmann, the Academy of Taiwan Strings (台灣絃樂團), and other young Taiwanese instrumentalists. Taiwan Connection will give four performances in Taipei: two chamber orchestra concerts, one chamber music concert, and A Musical Joke concert. Joined by the Academy of Taiwan Strings, the first of the two chamber orchestra concerts tonight will highlight Mozart's Divertimento for String Orchestra in D Major, K.136, Violin Concerto No.4 in D Major, K.218, opera arias from The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro, and Sinfonia concertante in E-flat Major for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra, K.364. On Dec. 16, the other chamber orchestra concert will present Mozart's Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K.546, Piano Concerto in F Major, K.459, Piano Concerto in B-flat Major, K.595, and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K.525. Tomorrow, the Chamber Music Concert will present Mozart's String Quintet in E-flat Major, K.614, Sonata for Piano and Violin in C Major, K.296, Sonata for Piano and Violin in E Minor, K.304, Lieder, and String Quintet in C Major, K.515. On Wednesday, A Musical Joke Concert will give a program of works including Mozart's Duos for Two Horns, K.487, a Musical Joke for Strings and Two Horns, K.522, and Divertimento No.17 in D Major for Strings and Two Horns, K.334.
* On Wednesday, A Musical Joke at the Red Playhouse (紅樓劇場), 10 Chengdu Rd, Taipei (台北市成都路10號). The other three concerts scheduled for tonight and tomorrow, and Wednesday will be held at the Novel Hall (新舞臺) at 3-1 Sungshou Rd, Taipei (台北市松壽路3-1號)
* For Wednesday's concert, NT$500 and NT$2,500 tickets are sold out, but seats are still available from NT$800 to NT$2,000. For other concerts, most tickets are available through ERA ticketing. Also, buying tickets to all three concerts at Novel Hall will entitle you to a discount of 20 percent.
* All concerts tonight commence at 7:30pm
Gitarrissima — 2006 Guitar Quintet Concert (靚女郎吉他五重奏—2006巡迴音樂會). The ensemble is made up of octave guitarist Krisztina Dobo, classical acoustic guitarists Olga Dimitrova, Maria Benischek, and Reka Mihalovics and acoustic bass guitarist Caroline Auer. The group creates a refreshingly original sound that gives a new dimension to popular classical works as well as lesser-known compositions. The program will include Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Op.8, Shubert's Auf dem Wasser zu singen, Chopin's Waltz in C Sharp Minor, No.2, Op.64, Tchaikovsky's Nutcrackers Suite op.71a, Rosini's Overture for ll Barbiere di Siviglia, Falla's Danza Espangnola No.1, and Vittorio Monti's Csardas.
* Tonight at the Taipei Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei (台北市延平南路98號), and tomorrow at the National Taichung Library Chunghsing Concert Hall (台中中興堂), 219-3 Chingwu Rd, Taichung City (台中市精武路219之3號)
* Tickets range from NT$400 to NT$900 and are available through ERA ticketing
* Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm
National Symphony Orchestra's (NSO) Mega Cinema II — Chaplin and the Snowman (國家交響樂團發燒電影院二—卓別林與雪人) This will be a special family event as part of the NSO Mega Cinema series. Carl Davis is an Emmy award-winning American conductor and composer of music for feature films, television, silent films, ballets and musicals. Davis has been associated with silent cinema since 1976 and has composed 50 scores for "silent" films by Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harry Langdon. As guest conductor of the NSO for the first time, Davis will present his original score for Charlie Chaplin's silent film The Rink. Also included will be the theme for the British animation movie The Snowman, and excerpts from Tchaikovsky's famous Nutcracker Suite. The concert will feature solo singer Yuky Huang (黃暐).
Pre-concert talks will be held in the lobby of the National Concert Hall in Taipei 30 minutes prior to the concerts.
* At the Music Hall, Taipei
* Tickets cost from NT$300 to NT$1,500 and are available through NTCH ticketing
* Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow at 2:30pm
The Ukrainian Children's Choir of Odessa (烏克蘭兒童合唱團). The choir performed its first concert in Hsinchu yesterday and will tour Taiwan with stops in Chiayi, Kaohsiung, Changhua, Chungli, and Taipei County. Established in 1981 with children between 10 years old and 18 years old, the choir has been very popular throughout the former Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe. The choir's Taiwan tour will feature 30 singers and present a program that includes various Ukrainian folk songs, Orthodox Christian chants, Christmas carols and classical works.
* Tonight at The Music Hall of the Chiayi Municipal Cultural Center (嘉義市文化中心音樂廳), 275 Chunghsiao Rd, Chiayi City (嘉義市忠孝路275號), tomorrow at the Chih-te Hall, National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center, Kaohsiung City (高雄中正文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號), Tuesday at the National Concert Hall, Taipei, Wednesday at the Yuanlin Performance Hall, Changhua County (員林演藝廳), 99, Ln 2, Chungcheng Rd, Yuanlin Township, Changhua County (彰化縣員林鎮中正路二巷99號), Dec. 15 at the Jhongli Arts Center (中壢藝術館音樂廳), 16 Jhongmei Rd, Jhongli City (中壢市中美路16號), and Dec. 16 at the Taipei County Arts Center (台北縣藝文中心), 62 Jhuangjing Rd, Banciao City, Taipei County (台北縣板橋市莊敬路62號)
* Tickets range from NT$300 to NT$600 except for Kaohsiung which cost from NT$300 to NT$800 and the Taipei Music Hall concert tickets ranging from NT$400 to NT$1,200. Seats are available through NTCH ticketing
* All concerts begin at 7:30pm
A Memorial Concert for the 20th Anniversary of the Death of Robert Scholz (蕭滋作品演奏會). This is a concert in honor of Scholz organized by the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, co-organized by the Robert Scholz Musical Foundation, and sponsored by the Council for Cultural Affairs. Scholz, the late Austrian composer, pianist and conductor, made great contributions to music education in Taiwan. This concert, conducted by guest director Chen Cheng-hsiung (陳澄雄) will be presented by the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra featuring baritone Tseng Tau-hsiung (曾道雄) and pianists Liu Fu-mei (劉富美) and Eric Chen (陳冠宇). The program will include Scholz's Second Suite for Orchestra, Country Tunes for Woodwind, Nine Short Dances for Eight Wind Instruments, Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, Oriental Suite for Orchesrtra, and Symphony in E Major.
* Tomorrow at the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra Music Hall (國立台灣交響樂團演奏廳), 738-2 Chungcheng Rd, Wufeng Township, Taichung County (台中縣霧峰鄉中正路738之2 號) and Monday at the Novel Hall (新舞臺) at 3-1 Sungshou Rd, Taipei (台北市松壽路3-1號)
* Tickets for the Taichung concert are available from NT$200 to NT$400. As of press time, NT$300 and NT$400 tickets are sold out for the Taipei concert, but seats are still available at NT$200 through NTCH ticketing
* Tomorrow and Monday at 7:30pm
Contemporary
Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) presents Real Collective Jazz Quartet (爵士四重奏) tonight, and Back Quarter (四分衛) tomorrow. Monday it's open jam night. Soda Green (蘇打綠) play Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday it's They're Lisa (他們是力殺) and Japanese band Mondialito.
* All shows begin at 9:30pm
* Entrance for all shows is NT$350, except Monday's open-jam night, which has no cover but requires the purchase of one drink. Both Soda Green performances are sold-out
* B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1). Call (02) 2368-7310, or visit www.riverside.com.tw
Bazailiu (巴紮溜) plays tonight at Witch House (女巫店). Tomorrow Golden Melody award-winning protest singer Lin Sheng-xiang (林生祥), formerly of The Labor Exchange Band(交工樂隊), and Japanese guitarist Ken Ohtake perform music from their new album Planting Trees (種樹).
* Entrance for all shows is NT$300
* Tonight and tomorrow at 9:30pm
* 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei (新生南路三段56巷7號). Call (02) 2362-5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org
The Wall (這牆) presents heavy metal bands Monkey Insane (潑猴) and Triple Six (666) tonight, followed by "Friday Night at the Wall," featuring indie, Latin, funk and rock music with Johnny Faststacks opening for Sons of Pablo and Public Radio, followed by DJ Marcus Aurelius (see this week's Vinyl Word for more information). Tomorrow it's a Bob Dylan tribute concert with Easy, Si Xing Wan (四幸丸), Ah Pei (阿焙) and Guang Zhong (廣仲). Sunday it's metal core/emo pop punk act 831 (八三夭) and Casino (賭場肯尼). Thursday it's Black Faith with Sonic Pace, Big Egg Hell Dog (巨蛋地獄狗) and Digihai (低級海).
* Entrance is NT$400 for each of tonight's shows. Tomorrow's show is NT$400. Sunday's and Thursday's are NT$300
* Tonight's shows start at 8pm and 11:30pm. Tomorrow's, Sunday's and Thursday's shows start at 8pm
* B1, 200 Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or visit www.the-wall.com.tw
Velvet Underground (地下絲絨) presents Ten Quakes (十震) with Bike and Shanru (山如) tonight, Candy Box (糖果盒樂團) and Undo tomorrow, and Lao Yen Chiang (老煙槍) Tuesday.
* Shows begin at 9pm
* Entrance for all shows is NT$300, or NT$200 for students
* B1, 50 Zhongxiao W Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市忠孝西路一段50號B1). Call (02) 2314-1868 or visit www.velvet-underground.com.tw
Grooveyard presents different jazz combos each Wednesday night for jazz night. Thursday it's "Taiwan Exposed Open-Mic Night," a jam session for established and amateur musicians.
* Both shows start at 9pm
* Entrance for both nights its free
* 2F, 105 Huamei W Rd, Taichung (台中市華美西街105號二樓). Visit www.grooveyardtaiwan.com
Tonight the Living Room (小客廳) presents guitarist Lu Chia-hung (盧家宏) and Hsu Ching-yuan (徐清源). Tomorrow it's Texas Twins JT and JD Long of The Daymakers, with their country music/garage rock band The Deadly Vibes. It's Chit Chat Game Night on Tuesday with board games, and on Wednesday it's "The Buzz," (嘰哩呱啦美語聚樂會) a weekly language club for anyone who wants to practice and improve their English. Thursday it's Random and La Petite Nurse (小護士), followed by Question Mark Theater (小客廳劇場) with Nagano Masataka.
* Tonight and tomorrow's performances begin at 10pm, Tuesday's fun and games begin at 7pm. Wednesday's evening of entertainment starts at 7pm. Thursday's concert starts at 8pm, followed by theater at 10pm
* Entrance for tonight and tomorrow's shows is NT$300. There is no admission fee on Tuesday. On Wednesday entry for the language club is NT$100. Thursday night is NT$300 for the concert and NT$100 for the theater
* 3F, 8 Nanjing E Rd Sec 5, Taipei (台北市南京東路五段8號3樓).
* Call (02) 8787-4154 or visit www.livingroomtaipei.com
Exhibition
The Map. A personal creation by Chang Chien-chi (張乾琦) declines to fall into any convenient category. It can be seen as a direct experience of a traveler's wanderings, an on-the-road documentary, a log book or a diary. The artist captures images on contact sheets as he believes the medium connotes a transient state of being in process and epitomize his personal longings and bewilderments while passing through different times and spaces.
* Chi-Wen Gallery, 3F, 19, Ln 252, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市敦化南路一段252巷19號3樓). Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 7pm. Call (02) 8771-3372
* Until Dec. 30
Reading Blossoms (繁花閱讀), a series of paintings on flowers by Lu Hsueh-yao (呂學堯), who believes the artist, audience and art work communicate through direct perceptions.
* Grass Mountain Chateau (草山行館), 89 Huti Rd, Yangmingshan, Taipei (台北市陽明山湖底路89號).
* Open Monday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Call (02) 2862-1911.
* Until Jan. 1
Bringing Your Art Work to Go Travel — Taitung, Penghu, Vietnam, Kinmen, Chaiyi (帶著作品去旅行五部曲—台東、澎湖、越南、金門、嘉義). Organized by Taiwan Women's Art Association, the touring exhibition is a traveling art project, initiated last year, that invited artists to travel across the island and abroad to exchange creative ideas with local communities and women's groups.
* NTUE Nanhai Gallery (南海藝廊), 3, Ln 19, Chungching S Road Sec 2, Taipei (台北市重慶南路二段19巷3號). Open Wednesday to Sunday from 2pm to 9:30pm. Call (02) 2392-5080.
* Until Thursday
Juicer Plan (藝類混汁計畫). Calling on artists working in different fields from home and abroad, the exhibition provides an interdisciplinary milieu to blend art, fashion, design and animation into one big full-toned concoction and manifest once again the broken boundaries between art and commercialism.
* Hong Gan Museum (鳳甲美術館), 5F, 260 Daye Rd, Taipei (台北市大業路260號5樓). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30am to 5:30pm. Call (02) 2894-2272
* Until Jan. 14
Soft Bling Rap. Street artist DBSK1 teams up with jewelry designer PetShopGirl to probe the world of hip-hop and its association with "bling-bling" fashion. Introducing what they term "hip-hop pop" through styled installation art and jewelry, the pair deliver a critical view of the vanity and absurdity of the teenage subculture.
* AMPM Gallery, 4F, 24, Alley 55, Neijiang St, Taipei 台北市內江街55巷24號4樓). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 3pm to 9pm. Call (02) 2389-2896
* Until Dec. 24
In Taiwan’s politics the party chair is an extremely influential position. Typically this person is the presumed presidential candidate or serving president. In the last presidential election, two of the three candidates were also leaders of their party. Only one party chair race had been planned for this year, but with the Jan. 1 resignation by the currently indicted Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) two parties are now in play. If a challenger to acting Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) appears we will examine that race in more depth. Currently their election is set for Feb. 15. EXTREMELY
China’s military launched a record number of warplane incursions around Taiwan last year as it builds its ability to launch full-scale invasion, something a former chief of Taiwan’s armed forces said Beijing could be capable of within a decade. Analysts said China’s relentless harassment had taken a toll on Taiwan’s resources, but had failed to convince them to capitulate, largely because the threat of invasion was still an empty one, for now. Xi Jinping’s (習近平) determination to annex Taiwan under what the president terms “reunification” is no secret. He has publicly and stridently promised to bring it under Communist party (CCP) control,
Jan. 20 to Jan. 26 Taipei was in a jubilant, patriotic mood on the morning of Jan. 25, 1954. Flags hung outside shops and residences, people chanted anti-communist slogans and rousing music blared from loudspeakers. The occasion was the arrival of about 14,000 Chinese prisoners from the Korean War, who had elected to head to Taiwan instead of being repatriated to China. The majority landed in Keelung over three days and were paraded through the capital to great fanfare. Air Force planes dropped colorful flyers, one of which read, “You’re back, you’re finally back. You finally overcame the evil communist bandits and
They increasingly own everything from access to space to how we get news on Earth and now outgoing President Joe Biden warns America’s new breed of Donald Trump-allied oligarchs could gobble up US democracy itself. Biden used his farewell speech to the nation to deliver a shockingly dark message: that a nation which has always revered its entrepreneurs may now be at their mercy. “An oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms,” Biden said. He named no names, but his targets were clear: men like Elon Musk
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