featuring Karl-Heinz Schütz, flute; Tamás Gál, guest conductor Another Mahler 7! It’s my second so far, and is, at least to me, by far the weirdest of his symphonic output. This performance took place in the same city as Mahler 1, by the … Continue reading NTSO’s Mahler 7th Symphony
featuring Gábor Boldoczki, trumpet; Oleg Caetani, guest conductor or The Concert Formerly Known as ‘Who Is Afraid of Shostakovich?’ It’s a goal of some devoted (or just geeky) concertgoers to ‘collect them all’, to attend live performances of all symphonies from … Continue reading NSO’s From Schubert to Shostakovich
featuring Carl St. Clair, conductor; Albrecht Mayer, oboe Yes. It’s called that for the reason that you think it is. But we’ll get there. It’s been more than a month since I’ve been in the concert hall, and that’s a … Continue reading NSO’s Eroica
With the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra under 莊文貞 We have managed to get through three of Prokofiev’s five piano concertos here on the blog, the first a lighter, brief piece in contrast with the monstrously, heavy, immensely challenging second, and then … Continue reading Alexei Volodin and ESO: Prokofiev Piano Concertos
I was not prepared for such excellence. The last two years were big years for foreign ensembles coming to grace our concert hall. Truth be told, though, I’m sure there’s been a continuous string of five-star visitors, but it’s only been in … Continue reading Oslo Philharmonic in Taipei
featuring Ray Chen More Russian music. Another violin concerto. But this time, it’s goodbye to the NSO, temporarily anyway. They’re off to Europe this weekend, and before they go jet-setting, they gave us a preview of some of the pieces … Continue reading NSO’s Pre-tour Concert
featuring 劉宜欣 (Cindy Liu), horn; 王佩瑤, piano; 李宜錦, violin, all members of the NSO So it’s actually not the NSO, but it is three of their members, in a rare gem of a chamber concert, and seriously what timing! You’ll see what I mean soon, … Continue reading NSO’s A Mellow Walk in Time
Welcome back, everyone, to another round of concert reviews, with stuff I always forget to mention, people who don’t know how to behave themselves in public, stunning, stellar music, a later bedtime than I usually have, and the overwhelming feeling … Continue reading NSO: Blazing Masterpieces
This is the second concert lately to feature works from Russian composers (singular in this case), and there’s lots more Russian music in the next few weeks. First, I have to say that the cast (as it was sort of a cast) … Continue reading The Soldier’s Tale
Well, hello folks. It’s been quite sometime since we did any of this concert talk, something like six weeks, actually, and what an interesting six weeks it has been. It’s quite rare to go six weeks mid-season without a concert of any kind. … Continue reading NSO’s Russian Riches
It could hardly have been a more music-filled weekend, and it ended on a note of hope, of triumph, of absolute triumph and sublime beauty. In case you missed it, I also attended concerts on Friday and Saturday, the former … Continue reading TSO’s Beethoven 9
in a land far, far away… Because Mahler. In a burst of relative spontaneity, I went to this concert, and was sure to bring someone along for the ride, and we enjoyed a last-minute (ish) concert (as much as an … Continue reading NTSO’s Mahler First Symphony
Wow. A very interesting, very powerful evening this was, and one of the greatest moments the NSO has brought us in the years that I’ve been a patron, with wonderful programming. Brett Dean, Bartok, and Shostakovich. Please read. This was … Continue reading NSO’s Hero Reborn
… in which the audience voted for at least part of the program. The voting process for this evening’s program was announced last summer and began some months ago. Among the options included Bernstein’s overture to Candide, a Respighi piece, … Continue reading NSO’s New Year Concert
featuring 楊文信 (Wen-Sinn Yang), cello Welcome back, NSO! Our very own National Symphony Orchestra recently returned from their trip abroad, their first concert visit to America, as well as a concert in Vancouver. They got newspaper spots, filled Western concert … Continue reading NSO’s Cello & Symphony
We’re quite spoilt here in Taipei. I won’t go on again about having seen the world-famous ensembles from Berlin, Vienna, Chicago, and Munich come visit, along with the likes of the Concertgebouw and Philharmonia, and on and on, but we … Continue reading Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Taipei
featuring Hakan Güngör, Burcu Karadağ, and Aykut Köselerli under Howard Griffiths Dear TSO, I think you’ve found your calling. Tonight’s program was just remarkable. And I’ll explain what that is, but first I want to say that I’ve come to have … Continue reading TSO’s Istanbul Symphony
Old familiar tunes. There are some upcoming articles in which I soapbox a bit on just listening to new music. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on a crazy music collection with tons of albums and fancy equipment; just dabble in classical … Continue reading NSO’s Symphonie Fantastique
First, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta is a blissfully talented ensemble who gave us a stunning concert this evening, one of the best I’ve heard in a while. Secondly, I’d like to apologize to them on behalf of the audience tonight for … Continue reading Hong Kong Sinfonietta: Taiwan Debut
Featuring Pinchas Zuckerman and the Taipei Symphony under Gilbert Varga Some things never change. Strangely like the initials of some concerts. This evening was originally to be Frank Peter Zimmerman playing a Bartok concerto, and for various secretive reasons he was unable to … Continue reading TSO’s Violinsimo
Beethoven’s ninth. Everyone knows it. Or they think they do. ‘Ode to Joy’ has been used and reused in everything from church hymns to TV commercials, but do you know the whole thing, its ins and outs, and what it … Continue reading NSO: The Immortal 9th
Fugue for Thought 