Theater
Lost Shadows and Oculus by Cloud Gate Theater (雲門舞集) is a performance in two parts. The first part is the world premier of British choreographer Akram Khan's Lost Shadows, and the second part of the program will be Wu Kuo-chu's (伍國柱) Oculus, a masterpiece performed by Cloud Gate 2. The untimely death of Wu in 2006 at the age of 36 was a shock to the dance world and Cloud Gate Theater director and founder Lin Hwai-min (林懷民) wanted to put on Oculus to commemorate the life of the young choreographer.
* The National Theater, Taipei
* Today and tomorrow 7:45pm
* Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,000 and available through www.artsticket.com.tw
2007 — Taipei Traditional Arts Festival (2007年臺北市傳統藝術季) continues its celebration of Chinese and Taiwanese traditional culture with two percussion performances. Today's performance is The Reemergence of Zheng Houyi's Tomb Music (曾候乙地官音樂再現), which is inspired by the diverse imperial musical instruments that were unearthed from the tomb of Zeng Houyi in Hubei Province. On Saturday The Eight Percussion Virtuosos Presenting a New Flare (八大錘獻新風采) combine traditional percussion techniques with modern variations.
* Taipei Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei (台北市延平南路98號)
* Performances begin at 7:30pm
* Tickets are NT$200 to NT$800
The Half-Mile Great Wall (半里長城) by the Ping Fong Acting Troupe (屏風表演班) takes a humorous look at the building of the Great Wall.
* Novel Hall (新舞臺), 3-1 Sungshou S Rd, Taipei (台北市松壽路3-1號)
* Tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
* Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,500 and are available through NTCH ticketing (Note: NT$500 to NT$800 tickets are already sold out)
Classical Music
Wang Jui Viola Recital VII (王瑞中提琴獨奏會七—德奧樂派經典篇). Wang is a violist of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. Accompanied by pianist Chien Mei-ling (簡美玲), Wang will perform a program of works, including Bach's Suite in G Major, BWV 1007, Beethoven's Nocturno, Op.42, Mendelssohn's Sonata, and Hindemith's Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 11, No. 4.
* At the National Recital Hall, Taipei
* As of press time, NT$300 tickets are sold out, but NT$400 seats are still available through ERA ticketing
* Tonight at 7:30pm
National Symphony Orchestra Richard Strauss Cycle 7 — Also sprach Zarathustra (國家交響樂團發現理查•史特勞斯系列七—查拉圖斯特拉如是說). Also sprach Zarathustra is Struss' powerful tone poem completed in 1896 and inspired by Nietzsche's "prose-poem" of the same name. As a fervent disciple of Nietzsche's, the 28-year-old Strauss composed this tone poem to pay homage to the book. The opening of the piece, was most famously heard in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Guest conductor Felix Chen (陳秋盛), will be joined in this concert by violinist Viviane Hagner as the soloist for Beethoven's Violin Concerto, Op.61. Other than Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30 and Beethoven's Violin Concerto, Op.61, the NSO will present Mahler's frequently performed F major "Adagietto" from his best known Symphony No.5. There will be pre-concert talks by Liu Ma-li (劉馬利) at the Hsinchu Municipal Auditorium Exhibition Hall A for the Hsinchu concert at 6:30pm tonight and by Wang Shih-chiang (王世強) in the lobby of the National Concert Hall for the Taipei concert 30 minutes prior to the concert on Sunday afternoon.
* Tonight at the Hsinchu Municipal Auditorium (新竹市文化局演藝廳), 17 Tungta Rd Sec 2, Hsinchu City (新竹市東大路二段17號) and Sunday at the National Concert Hall, Taipei
* The Hsinchu concert is sold out, but NT$500 to NT$1,500 tickets are still available for the Taipei concert through NTCH ticketing
* Tonight at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
Lee Chao-hsiu Violin Recital (李肇修小提琴獨奏會). Lee, founder of the Music Department at Tainan National University of the Arts, will be joined by pianist Grace Chung, to present a program of works including Janacek's Sonata for Violin and Piano, Beethoven's Sonata for Violin and Piano No.6 in A Major, Ysaye's Sonata for Solo Violin No.6, Shostakovich's Four Preludes, Tchaikovsky's Meditation, and Wieniawski's Souvenir de Moscou.
* At the National Recital Hall, Taipei
* Tickets range from NT$250 to NT$500 and are available through NTCH ticketing
* Sunday at 7:30pm
Viva Baroque Concert V and the 6th Taipei International Symposium of Baroque Music (驚豔巴洛克音樂會V 暨第六屆巴洛克國際學術研習會). As part of the Hwakang Art Festival (華岡藝展) held by the Chinese Culture University, Hwakang Baroque Orchestra (華岡巴洛克樂團) will be joined by Baroque violinists Chen Lan-ku (陳藍谷) and Riccardo Minasi, Baroque cellist Viktor Topelmann, harpsichordists Kuo Chiao-pin (郭曉萍) and Su Jing-jing (蘇晶晶), and soprano Lo Hui-chu (駱惠珠) to present a program of all-Baroque works by Vivaldi, Schemelzer, Muffat, Veraccini, and other composers. The concert will be followed by an all-day symposium on harpsichord and Baroque violin on the next day of April 12 from 10:10am to 3pm at Da Jen Buildling on the Chinese Culture University campus (中國文化大學大仁館), 55 Huagang Rd, Yangmingshan, Taipei (陽明山華岡路55號). Pre-registration is required to get free admission and please RSVP by calling (02) 2861-8267 or sending an e-mail to crrmar@staff.pccu.edu.tw.
* The concert will be held at the Taipei Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), at 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei (台北市延平南路98號)
* Concert tickets cost NT$300 and are available through NTCH ticketing
* Wednesday at 7:30pm
2007 Pro Arte Piano Trio 10th Anniversary Concert Series (伯牙鋼琴三重奏「十年友誠」系列音樂會). Since its inception in 1997, Pro Arte Trio has placed a special emphasis on exquisite chamber music and presented innumerable concerts featuring nationally acclaimed performers and composers. The trio has since become one of Taiwan's most active and productive chamber music groups. Featuring pianist Huang Jen-ling (黃貞綾), cellist Liu Chu-chuan (劉姝嫥), and violinist and Pro Arte Trio Director Lee Chun-ying (李俊穎), the trio will present Beethoven's Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op.11, Paul Schoenfeld's Cafe Music, and Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio in A Minor, Op.50.
* April 11 at the Chungli Arts Center (中壢藝術館音樂廳), 16 Chungmei Rd, Chungli City (中壢市中美路16號), April 14 at the National Museum of Prehistory (國立台灣史前文化博物館), 1 Museum Rd, Taitung City (台東市博物館路1號), April 16 at the National Concert Hall, Taipei, May 6 at the Chih-Shan Hall, National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center, Kaohsiung City (高雄中正文化中心至善廳), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號), and May 16 at the Hsinchu Municipal Auditorium (新竹市立演藝廳), 17 Tungta Rd Sec 2, Hsinchu City (新竹市東大路二段17號)
* Free admission for the Chungli and Taitung concerts. Tickets cost from NT$300 to NT$1,200 for the Taipei concert, NT$200 to NT$300 for the Kaohsiung concert, NT$100 to NT$200 for the Hsinchu concert through NTCH ticketing
* April 11 and April 16 and May 6 and May 16 at 7:30pm; April 14 at 2pm
Upcoming
Coming to the The Wall (這牆) next Sunday is world-famous San Francisco punk band NOFX, whose music encompasses styles ranging from melodic hardcore to skate punk and ska. Opening acts are Taoyuan-based expat punk band Consider the Meek and Hong Kong hardcore punk band King Lychee (荔枝王). Tickets can be ordered at White Wabbit Records (小白兔唱片行), which is downstairs inside The Wall's shopping complex, or at www.the-wall.com.tw.
* Advance tickets are NT$700 or NT$800 at the door. Advance purchase of tickets is recommended because the concerts will probably be sold out before next weekend
* The concert starts next Sunday at 8pm. White Wabbit is open daily from 3pm to 11pm
* 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
Contemporary
The Wall (這牆) reopens Monday after Spring Scream for US singer-songwriter Ramona Cordova, whose indie sound is influenced by Latin and gypsy music, with Canadian experimental music and video collective Girl in the Machine and Brooklyn-based indie pop band One Ring Zero. Tuesday features Girl in the Machine and a second yet-to-be-determined act. On Wednesday, it's post rock band Random (隨性), experimental rock group Vanish and speed metal band K.I.A.. On Thursday, it's Spring Scream headliners Atash, whose fusion of jazz, rock and Middle Eastern music has put them at the forefront of the Austin, Texas World Music scene.
* Entrance Monday, Tuesday and Thursday is has yet to be announced. Wednesday is NT$300.
* Bands take the stage 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
Tonight Underworld (地下社會) features sitar trio See You (西尤) and Lyudou (綠逗). Tomorrow it's Kenny From Casino (賭場肯尼), who combine emo, punk, Brit pop, hip-hop, and garage elements in their music, and Overload. On Tuesday it's “a mysterious band from New York” and Magic Puppet Indie Rocket Ship (人間包偶戲院), a group of American and Mexican puppeteers who perform with a former member of indie punk band Chasing Sparrow (追麻雀). And on Wednesday pop-rock band Bone (骨頭) takes the stage, followed by garage rock four-piece Rabbit is Rich (兔子很有錢).
* The bar opens at 8pm and bands take the stage at 9pm
* Entrance is NT$300
* B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369 0103 or visit www.underworld-taipei.blogspot.com for more information
Tonight at The Living Room (小客廳), Martin Acoustic Jazz Trio will improvise within a range of Latin styles with a special guest, Spanish singer/percussionist Victor Garnier. Tomorrow, it's Broadway vocal and piano duo Balm in Gilead, followed by UTA (屋塔) and then Black Sheep, scorching hot Texas-style guitar with a Taiwan twist. On Tuesday, it's light, pop-oriented jazz with Pure Jazz (漂兒流行爵士), then tarot master Eiffel (塔羅老師艾菲爾), then pop-folk singer-songwriter
Hank. On Wednesday it's bluegrass band Soggy Bagel Boys. And on Thursday it's jazz with Kyle Lee Trio, followed by indie rock with Water Band (水樂團).
* The music starts at tonight at 10pm, and at 8pm tomorrow through Thursday. Each band has an hour to perform
* Entrance is NT$300 for each band
* 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
Tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言), it's RAY Band (雷樂隊), a 1980s-power-rock-oriented group formed by three of Taipei's most accomplished studio musicians. Tomorrow features “J-rock” oriented Crimson (緋紅) and pop-rock band Bone (骨頭). This Sunday, and the second Sunday of every month, is Genesis “a night of soul-stirring open-mic” for “artists of every medium and language,” from spoken word, poetry and rap to songs, acoustics, and comedy. West Indian/Caribbean food will be served courtesy of A Taste of the Caribbean. Monday night is open-jam night, when anyone with an instrument or song can take the stage. On Tuesday, it's Taoyuan expat punk trio Consider the Meek, who sing about social justice and animal rights, and folk rockers What Mulan (花木蘭). On Wednesday it's post-rock band Orange Grass (橙草) and pop/jazz combo Sunny 4. And on Thursday it's a Neon (霓虹) mini-concert.
* The music starts at 9:30pm each night
* Entrance tonight is NT$400, tomorrow is NT$350, Sunday is NT$300, on Monday there is a one-drink minimum, Tuesday and Wednesday is NT$300, and Thursday is NT$350
* 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
Exhibitions
Three Chinese Masters of Lingnan School — Gao Jian-fu,
Gao Ci-feng and Chen Shu-ren Chinese Painting Exhibition (嶺南畫派三傑：高劍父、高奇峰、陳樹人書畫大展). Featuring 101 paintings on loan from the Guangdong Art Museum, the large-scale exhibition introduces works by the three masters of Lingnan School to local audiences for the first time. The Lingnan school is regarded as playing a key role in the establishment of modern Chinese painting.
* Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館), 2F, 505 Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市仁愛路四段505號2樓). Open daily from 9am to 5pm. Call (02) 2758-8008
* Until April 28
Super Dirty Yoga — A Solo Exhibition by Hou I-ting (超高難度限制級瑜珈—侯怡亭個展). The main concept of Hou's works is the relation between abstract images and actual substance. The exhibition aims to highlight a new imagery of hybridity: the interchangeability between substance and fictitiousness.
* Taipei National University of the Arts — Guandu Arts Museum (台北藝術大學關渡美術館), 1 Hsuenyuan Rd, Beitou, Taipei (台北市北投區學園路1號).
* Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Call (02) 2893-8871
* Until Sunday
A Retrospective of Su Hsin-tien's Cyclical Space Paintings (蘇新田循環空間繪畫回顧展). Since 1970s, artist Su has studied the inter-relationship between the time and space of the universe based on philosophy, mathematics and physics. Featuring Su's multi-dimensional and multi-perspective paintings, the exhibition introduces viewers to his concept of "cyclical space."
* Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館), 181 Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 5:30pm. Call (02) 2595-7656
* Until June 24
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