It’s always nice to see former National Symphony Orchestra (國家交響樂團, NSO) music director Chien Wen-pin (簡文彬) back in Taiwan. This weekend he’s conducting two concerts with his old orchestra — tomorrow evening in Kaohsiung, and on Sunday afternoon in Taipei, both events with the same program.
But the star of these concerts will undoubtedly be the British cellist Steven Isserlis. His recording of Bach’s six Cello Suites (which he controversially believes follow the life of Jesus) won first place in the Instrumental section of the 2007 awards in Gramophone magazine. He’s played at the Salzburg Festival, the BBC Proms, the Aldeburgh Festival and many more, and performs on a Stradivarius cello dating from 1726. The work he’ll be playing in Taiwan will be Shostakovich’s first cello concerto, much the more frequently performed of this composer’s two concertos for the instrument. The NSO will then play Strauss’ magnificent tone poem Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life) after the interval.
Shostakovich’s concerto dates from 1959. It contains four movements rather than the usual three — the extra one is a cadenza inserted after the ruminative second movement. It was premiered by Rostropovich and since then has been performed by just about every cellist of note.
Photo courtesy of NSO
Strauss’ famous Ein Heldenleben was first performed in 1899 and depicts his own life. Strauss probably only considered himself a hero in his battle against hostile critics, cleverly depicted here, with their incomprehensible cackling, in the second of the works’ six interconnected sections. At this time, Strauss was essentially the enfant terrible of the classical scene, and though later in life he came to be seen by would-be progressives as the model of domestic self-satisfaction, even here he shows his quieter, devoted side in his depiction of the hero’s beloved (Strauss himself had recently married). But with its contrasting sections and final heartfelt apotheosis, Ein Heldenleben is one of the finest vehicles for orchestral versatility and color ever penned.
The composer Lee Tzyy-sheng (李子聲) has unfortunately not managed to finish his new composition, which was due to be premiered by the NSO this weekend, so in its place the orchestra will play Hsu Tsang-Houei’s (許常惠) popular 1964 ballet music The Moon Goddess Flees for the Moon (嫦娥奔月) as its opening item.
The National Symphony Orchestra performs under Chien Wen-pin tomorrow at Sun Yat-sen Hall, National Sun Yat-sen University (國立中山大學逸仙館), 70 Lianhai Rd, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市蓮海路70號), at 7:30pm, and in Taipei’s National Concert Hall on Sunday at 2:30pm. Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,000 in Kaohsiung and NT$400 to N$2,500 in Taipei, available from the NTCH box office, online at www.artsticket.com.tw and by calling (02) 3393-9888.
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