Classical music
Hoshina Hiroshi’s World — 40th Anniversary of the Nagoya Symphonic Band (保科洋的世界 — 名古屋首席管樂團創團40周年紀念台灣公演) brings the highly regarded orchestra and its conductor, Japanese national treasure Hoshina Hiroshi, to perform in Taiwan once again after a 10-year break. The concert also features piano soloist Kaori. The program includes Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Hiroshi’s own Rise of the Firebird and a medley of Taiwanese songs.
■Today at 7:30pm
■Taipei City Government Family Theater (台北市政府親子劇場), 2F, Taipei City Hall, 1 Shifu Rd, Taipei City (台北市市府路1號2樓)
■Tickets are NT$800 to NT$1,800, available through ERA ticketing
Classical Fever: Lyrical Preludes (古典發燒夜 — 詩篇.序曲) is a concert by the Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra (高雄市交響樂團). The program includes Liszt’s Symphonic Poem No.3 “Les Preludes”, Hummel’s Introduction, Theme and Variations for Oboe and Orchestra , Op.10 and Brahms’ Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68.
■Today at 7:30pm
■Kaohsiung City Concert Hall (高雄市音樂館演奏廳), 99 Hesi Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市河西路99號)
■Tickets are NT$250, available through ERA ticketing
Concerto of TFGWB 50th Anniversary (北一女中樂隊五十週年紀念音樂會 ) has the orchestra of alumni from Taiwan’s most prestigious girl’s high school, the Taipei First Girls’ High School, performing Sibelius’ Finlandia, Guilmant’s Symphonic Piece and Wagner’s Overture to Tannhauser, among other works.
■Tuesday at 7:30pm
■Novel Hall (新舞台), 3-1 Songshou Rd, Taipei City (台北市松壽路3-1號)
■Tickets are NT$200 to NT$500, available through NTCH ticketing
Soloists of Taiwan — Clarinet Recital by Yeh Min-ho (獨奏家系列 — 葉明和單簧管獨奏會) sees the up-and-coming musician performing with piano and percussion accompaniment. The program includes Devienne’s Sonata No. 2 in E-flat Major for Clarinet and Pian, Norbert Goddaer Clarinet Unlimited for Clarinet Solo and Debussy’s Premiere Rhapsody.
■Sunday at 7:30pm
■National Recital Hall, Taipei City
Tickets are NT$600, available through NTCH ticketing
Theater
Chilean-based theater group Teatro Cinema blends the vocabulary of film with a traditional approach to the stage to mount a story of revenge called Sin Sangre (Without Blood) as part of the 10th Taipei Arts Festival. Based on the novel Senza Sangue by Italian novelist Alessandro Baricco, the play begins with the revenge killing of a man and his family. His youngest daughter survives after one of the murderers lets her go free. Decades later, she exacts her own revenge on the killers.
■Zhongshan Hall (中山堂), 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei City (台北市延平南路98號)
■Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,000, available through NTCH ticketing
King Lear by Contemporary Legend Theater (當代傳奇劇場) updates Shakespeare’s classic play and gives it a Beijing opera twist. Originally staged in 2000 and revised two years ago as part of Contemporary Theater Oriental Shakespeare, Wu Hsing-kuo’s (吳興國) interpretation presents all the characters in a one-man show.
■Tainan Municipal Cultural Center (台南市立文化中心), 332, Chunghua E Rd Sec 3, Tainan City (台南市中華東路三段332號)
■Tonight at 7:30pm
■Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,500, available through NTCH ticketing
Happiness Part 1 & 2 (浮浪貢開花 Part 1 & 2) is a light and carefree Taiwanese musical by Golden Bough Theater (金枝演社) that tells the story of a young bohemian searching for happiness and the interesting places where it is found.
■Chunghsing Concert Hall, Taichung (台中中興堂), 291-3 Chingwu Rd, Taichung City (台中市精武路291之3號)
■Part 1 plays tonight at 7:30pm; Part 2 plays tomorrow at 7:30pm
■Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,200, available through NTCH ticketing
New Wave Guling 2008 (2008第三屆新潮實驗室) continues its series of experimental performances held at the Guling Street Theater. Break Slow (誰�誰吃不是晚餐的早餐)s an environmental performance based on improvisation that replaces words with a variety of sounds. No Way to Know (林峻立ㄉ不知道) combines performance and video art with sound experiments and art installation.
■Guling Street Theater (牯嶺街小劇場), 3F, 2, Ln 5, Guling St, Taipei City (台北市牯嶺街5巷2號3樓)
■Break Slow: Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday at 8pm and tonight at 11:55pm; No Way To Know: Tomorrow at 10pm
■Tickets are NT$250, available through NTCH ticketing
An early Hakka and Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) musical, April Rain (四月望雨) returns to the stage tomorrow. The multilingual performance — Hoklo, Hakka, Mandarin and Japanese — is based on the life of Teng Yu-sian (鄧雨賢), a Japanese colonial-era composer who has been hailed as the father of Taiwanese folk music. Teng is portrayed as an artist caught between different cultures and torn between idealism and reality.
■Kaohsiung Cultural Center’s Chihteh Hall (高雄市立文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City, (高雄市五福一路67號)
■Tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■Tickets are NT$300 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing
Contemporary
Dafu Jazz Trio appears tonight at Sappho de Base, Taipei’s favorite late-night venue for impromptu jazz sessions. Appearing tomorrow night is the Paper Scissors Stone Band. On Tuesday night, the Grace Jazz Trio plays a set, with an open jam afterward. Wednesday features acoustic music from The Accidentals, and on Thursday it’s DJ Zulu, spinning what he calls “timeless and positive black sounds.”
■B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1). Call (02) 2700-5411 (after 9pm) or visit www.sappho102.biz for more information
■ Performances begin at 10:30pm
■No entrance fee
Appearing tonight at The Wall (這牆) is Hong Kong singer and actor Josie Ho (何超儀), who’s in town to promote her album Elastic Rock. Tomorrow night it’s first annual “Olympick” Games with Natural Q (自然捲), an ensemble whose sound includes vocals, acoustic guitar, violin and hand drums, and another acoustic duo, Lao Die (老爹).
■B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or log on at www.the-wall.com.tw for more information
■8pm tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday
■NT$450 tonight and tomorrow
Pop-rock band Music Plant (留聲機工廠) and Essential Trip hit the stage tonight at Underworld(地下社會). Tomorrow night, it’s emo act Hindsight (光景消逝), pop-punk outfit Fire Ex (滅火器) and grunge band Kook. [In last Friday’s edition, the incorrect concert schedule was published. The Taipei Times regrets the error.]
■B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.upsaid.com/underworld for more information
■Live shows go from 9:30pm to 11:30pm. The bar is open from 8pm daily, closed Mondays
■Entrance tonight and tomorrow is NT$300 and includes one drink; NT$100 on Wednesdays
Tonight Witch House (女巫店) presents folk band Smoke Ring (煙圈). Puyuma singer Leo Chen (陳永龍) and Amis singer Hsiao Mei (小美) return to the venue tomorrow night for an intimate set of traditional and original tunes. Post-rock band Orange Grass (橙草) takes to the stage on Thursday.
■7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號). For more information, call (02) 2362-5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org
■Performances start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar with queer/feminist bookstore and large collection of board games open 11am to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays; 11am to 1am Thursdays through Saturdays
■NT$300 entrance includes one drink
Tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) it’s the Timeless Fusion Project, a new jazz fusion band led by pianist Fred Lu (呂聖斐) and Tony Tung (董舜文). Indie-rock group Relax One (輕鬆玩樂團) plays an acoustic set tomorrow night, while alt-pop band 13 (拾參) appears on Sunday. On Tuesday night up-and-coming electro-rock band Salamander (沙羅曼蛇) hits the stage along with Kou Chou Ching (拷秋勤), a roots hip-hop band that samples traditional Taiwanese music and raps in Hoklo and Hakka.
■B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓). Call (02) 2368-7310 or visit www.riverside.com.tw for more information
■Shows start at 9:30pm
■NT$350 tonight and NT$400 tomorrow, NT$350 on Sunday and Tuesday. Admission includes one free drink. There is a one-drink minimum on Monday
Weekends at VU Live House feature two sets of shows. The first round of shows tomorrow night features alt-rock band KZ, jazz-fusion group Milestone (里程碑), hard rock group Giz (桔子樂團) and Slow Motion, a band that attempts a mix of hard rock and French disco thump a la Daft Punk. Later on, DJs take over with VU From the Darkside. Tomorrow night’s first set includes metal and glam bands Alavice, Chant the Dirge (蕊樂團), Naila (奈落), Living Force (存活勢力) and Men Sao Huo (悶騷貨). The second set features Pan Africana, a drum ensemble of African and Caribbean expats.
■B1, 77 Wuchang St, Taipei City (台北市武昌街二段77號B1). Call (02) 2314-1868
■Two sets of shows tonight and tomorrow, from 7pm to 10pm, and then 10pm till late
■NT$400 for tonight’s first set of bands, NT$300 for the second set; NT$300 for each set tomorrow. Wednesday night is ladies’ night, with free admission and one drink for women; cover for guys is NT$200 and includes one drink
Appearing tomorrow night at Center Stage (formerly the Living Room, now under new management) is post-rock group To a God Unknown. On Tuesday it’s jazz trio Tall Boy.
■3F, 8, Nanjing E Rd Sec 5, Taipei City (台北市南京東路五段8號3樓). Call (02) 8787-4154 or visit www.myspace.com/taipeicenterstage for more information
■Shows start at 10pm
■Entrance fee is NT$200 for music shows, but Tuesday’s show is free
Tonight at Tone 56 Live Bar, a new restaurant on the corner of Fuxing North and Minquan East roads, is the Rubber Band, who play rock, pop and dance music. The group plays every Friday. Tomorrow it’s house band Loaded, which plays everything from “rock classics to today’s hits.” Sundays see a regular rotation of bands, with the Revue Band playing blues, rock and reggae this week.
1F, 56, Minquan E Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市民權東路三段56號1樓), near the corner of Fuxing North Road (復興北路) and Minquan East Road (民權東路)
■Call (02) 2517-3869 for more information
■Music shows go from 9:30pm to 12:30pm tonight and tomorrow, and 7:30pm to 9:30pm on Sundays
■No entrance fee
Every Wednesday night at the Cosmopolitan Grill there’s a blues open mic, held by the Blues Society on Taiwan and hosted by Torch Pratt. All are welcome to bring their instruments and sit in on guitar, bass, or drums.
■1F, 218 Changchun Rd, Taipei City (台北市長春路218號1樓). Call (02) 2508-0304 or visit www.cosmo.com.tw for more information
■8pm to 11pm every Wednesday
■Free admission
Exhibition
Look Out! Korean Art Contemporary (Look Out!韓國當代新秀展). The exhibition features works by four South Korean contemporary artists. While Park Sung Tae contemplates the thesis of life and death through his sculptures/installations, Lee Jung Hee, Yoon Young Hye and Im Ju Ri dwell on the world through their feminine gazes.
■Mot Arts, 3F, 22 Fuxing S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市復興南路一段22號3樓). Open Mondays through Sundays from 11am to 9pm. Call (02) 2751-8088 for more information
■Until Sept. 8
Good Morning, Mr Click — Solo Exhibition by Lai Chiu-chen (早安克立克先生 — 賴九岑個展). The artist, Lai, once said, “when you put modern paintings and comics and animations together, the former will look like a joke.” Lai’s works are where the fine art and the anime worlds meet and wed, and hybrids are born out of imitation, copying and re-editing.
■Main Trend Gallery (大趨勢畫廊), 209-1, Chengde Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市承德路三段209-1號). Open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11am to 7pm. Call (02) 2587-3412 for more information
■From tomorrow through Sept. 20
Light Spa — Feeling the Temperature — At Paper Space (光的Spa — 手感溫度 — At Paper Space). The participating artists bring the element of paper into the green lifestyle by jointly designing a space for earth-friendly living.
■Suho Memorial Paper Museum (樹火紀念紙博物館), 68, Changan E Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市長安東路二段68號). Open Mondays through Saturdays from 9:30am to 4:30pm. Call (02) 2507-5539 for more information
■Until Aug. 30
Chihoi’s Solo Exhibition (智海個展). The exhibition features illustration works, comics, paintings and sketches by the young artist from Hong Kong. It should be appreciated as a display of personal whimsy.
■Have a Booday Shop, 18-1, Ln 25, Nanjing W Rd, Taipei City (台北市南京西路25巷18-1號). Open Mondays through Sundays from 12pm to 9pm. Call (02) 2552-5552 X 11 for more information
■Until August 31
Indelibly Marked: Woodblock Printing in Taiwan 1945 - 2005 (世紀刻痕 — 台灣木版畫展). Featuring 90 works of woodblock printing by local artists, the exhibition aims to examine the development of Taiwan’s woodblock printing over the past 60 years. The works on display are divided into seven themes that include humanitarian concerns and social criticism and the growth of abstract styles and contemporary issues.
■National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in Taichung (國立台灣美術館), 2 Wuchuan W Rd Sec 1, Taichung City (台中市五權西路一段2號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9am to 5pm. Call (04) 2372-3552 for more information
■Until Oct. 12
Japan is celebrated for its exceptional levels of customer service. But the behavior of a growing number of customers and clients leaves a lot to be desired. The rise of the abusive consumer has prompted authorities in Tokyo to introduce the country’s first ordinance — a locally approved regulation — to protect service industry staff from kasuhara — the Japanese abbreviated form of “customer harassment.” While the Tokyo ordinance, which will go into effect in April, does not carry penalties, experts hope the move will highlight a growing social problem and, perhaps, encourage people to think twice before taking out their frustrations
Oct. 14 to Oct. 20 After working above ground for two years, Chang Kui (張桂) entered the Yamamoto coal mine for the first time, age 16. It was 1943, and because many men had joined the war effort, an increasing number of women went underground to take over the physically grueling and dangerous work. “As soon as the carts arrived, I climbed on for the sake of earning money; I didn’t even feel scared,” Chang tells her granddaughter Tai Po-fen (戴伯芬) in The last female miner: The story of Chang Kui (末代女礦工: 張桂故事), which can be found on the Frontline
There is perhaps no better way to soak up the last of Taipei’s balmy evenings than dining al fresco at La Piada with a sundowner Aperol Spritz and a luxuriant plate of charcuterie. La Piada (義式薄餅) is the brainchild of Milano native William Di Nardo. Tucked into an unassuming apartment complex, fairy lights and wining diners lead the way to this charming slice of laid-back Mediterranean deli culture. Taipei is entirely saturated with Italian cuisine, but La Piada offers something otherwise unseen on the island. Piadina Romagnola: a northern Italian street food classic. These handheld flatbreads are stuffed with cold
In the tourism desert that is most of Changhua County, at least one place stands out as a remarkable exception: one of Taiwan’s earliest Han Chinese settlements, Lukang. Packed with temples and restored buildings showcasing different eras in Taiwan’s settlement history, the downtown area is best explored on foot. As you make your way through winding narrow alleys where even Taiwanese scooters seldom pass, you are sure to come across surprise after surprise. The old Taisugar railway station is a good jumping-off point for a walking tour of downtown Lukang. Though the interior is not open to the public, the exterior
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