Created by the National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan (NCO, 臺灣國樂團) for its 30th anniversary, Muliyav! Where Are You? (Muliyav在哪裡?) is an unusual musical about a Paiwan Aboriginal village.
Each one of the musical’s five acts is unscripted. Each is also sung in the Paiwan language, without subtitles, by members of the Paiwan Aboriginal tribe.
The narrative will be outlined in program notes and should be clear through inflection and body language, says NCO director Wu Ting-che (吳定哲).
Photo Courtesy of National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan
“It’s been a big undertaking. We’ve been preparing for roughly a year, starting with field research and then moving on to working with the cast in Pingtung,” Wu said.
The cast includes Golden Melody Award-winning Taiwu Children’s Ancient Ballads Troupe, along with tribal elders and other members of the Paiwan Aboriginal tribe of Pingtung County.
Onstage, they tell of a Paiwan village’s search for an itinerant deity called Muliyav.
According to Paiwan elders, a visit from the deity brings good luck and a bountiful harvest to the host village, while a prolonged absence bodes disaster. In the wake of Typhoon Morakot, a devastated village embarks on a search for Moliyav as they rebuild their lives.
“It’s a true story,” Wu said. “Because of that it’s a hopeful story, since no matter what, the people seem to have this optimism about the future. That’s the feeling we want to channel.”
Muliyav! Where Are You? premieres this month at the National Concert Hall with instrumental accompaniment by the NCO. Through trial and error, the orchestra has scored its classical Chinese instruments to match the tone and musical register of Paiwan songs, Wu said.
30 Years of Nco: An Exhibition
Also as part of its anniversary program, the NCO has opened an exhibition of documentary footage, scores, uniforms and other memorabilia to chart the ensemble’s shifting fortunes from 1984 to today.
“It wasn’t easy reaching 30. Times change and society changes,” Wu said.
“In the early days, we were under the Ministry of Education and mainly played a promotional role for classical Chinese instruments. Over time we’ve had to really adapt and move toward a role that’s more diverse,” Wu said.
Since the lifting of martial law, the NCO has been able to expand the concept of “national music” (國樂), previously defined as a classical Chinese repertoire.
Meanwhile, their audience has grayed, bringing budget woes.
Photographs in the exhibition record the NCO’s growing pains and various experiments, including use of the double bass and other western classical instruments to pad the lower register.
“We scrapped that last year because some in the audience kept saying how bizarre it was,” he said.
Over the last 20 years, the NCO has redirected toward commissioning local composers, training young conductors and developing a repertoire based on Hakka folk songs, Aboriginal worship music and other under-performed musical traditions.
“Currently, one of our missions is to be an international-level orchestra,” Wu said. “It’s also to be a Taiwanese ensemble, something based on the cultures that are here.”
Performance Notes:
What: Muliyav! Where Are You?
When: Sept. 27 at 7:30pm
Where: National Concert Hall (國家音樂廳), Taipei City
Tickets: NT$300 to NT$2,000, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Exhibition Notes:
What: The National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan 30th Anniversary Exhibition
When: Until Sept. 27
Where: Cultural Gallery (文化藝廊) in the National Concert Hall (國家音樂廳), Taipei City
Admission: Free
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