There are no words. But I shall try. Maybe it’s just me, but for some of these really special concerts from visiting ensembles (and/or just amazing performances all around), there’s a strange sense of connection, of appreciation and gratitude, that … Continue reading Berlin Philharmonic in Taipei
Two things: Olesya Petrova is a phenomenal, breathtaking, delicate powerhouse. Simon Rattle sat (a few rows) behind me tonight (in the next section over). I’m not ashamed of the fact that I’m familiar with (very) little of Berlioz’s music aside … Continue reading NSO’s Berlioz Bash
led by the incredible Wayne Marshall Nights like tonight are a testament to the importance of an inspiring leader. It’s not terribly often one walks into a concert with a program of works all by one composer, but that is, as the … Continue reading TSO’s Gershwin, Relax!
A concert review. What a fantastic program. Also, I think I’m going to stop including “concert review” in the titles of my concert reviews. Isn’t it obvious? Should be. Just added that first line there. The titles get too long … Continue reading NSO’s Shostakovich: His Humor and Seriousness
All six of them. These pieces have been interjecting themselves into my life lately. When I started the String Quartet Series back in February, I decided to start with Bach because it’d been two and a half years on the blog and … Continue reading Concert Review: Alexander Rudin plays Bach
With Sergej Krylov and Roberto Abbado Speechless. Back at 中山堂 for another Taipei Symphony concert. While it’s a pretty venue, it’s not how a concert hall looks but how it sounds that matters, and in the latter regard, the Taipei Symphony more than deserves a … Continue reading Concert review: TSO’s Demons and Miracles
April has been and will continue to be a busy month for concerts, as will May. It is due in part to last-minute concerts I heard about and didn’t want to miss. Last weekend’s chamber concert of Spohr and Brahms was … Continue reading Concert Review: 張昊晨 Piano Recital
The nonet. And Louis Spohr. What do they have in common? They both seem to be rarely if ever heard these days. An older gentleman who I see at (literally) every concert I attend waved to me excitedly during the intermission, shuffling … Continue reading Concert Review: NSO’s The Principals
It was an ambitious program, one that convinced me to go see them. I’ve been to every one of their concerts over the past few years. They’ve played things like Rachmaninoff’s second symphony, Brahms’ second, Tchaikovsky’s second piano concerto, and … Continue reading Concert Review: 師大音樂學系交響樂團- Espansiva
I love the French horn. But it has to be one of the most difficult, unreliable, wobbly instruments in the ensemble. In most (rare-ish) cases of a missed entry or high note, a ‘whoops’ of loss of tone or control, the … Continue reading Concert Review: NSO’s Blast of Spring
Something political. I went to a concert last night with the recently elected president of Taiwan. Or we happened to be in the same building. I got to the concert hall (中山堂, not the National Concert Hall) later than I … Continue reading Concert Review: TSO’s Dadaocheng at Dawn
I’m not entirely sure what it was about these three pieces that tie them together under that title, even before hearing the first piece on the program. Some things, though, never change, and that’s so comforting. 19:30 pm, the chatter from … Continue reading Concert Review: NSO’s Musical Philosophy
He may be small, but he’s got something. my fellow concertgoer for the evening, watching the guitarist in a pre-concert lecture Sometimes (more often than not), I go to a concert because I see something on the program I like … Continue reading Concert Review: TSO’s ‘Light and Shadow from South America’
Schoenberg’s piece terrified me. And every Mahler symphony ever written is one of the greatest symphonies ever written. I died a little bit last night, in the most moving, inspiring way. This is a concert I’d been waiting to attend … Continue reading Concert Review: NSO’s Mahler 6
It’d been like, three weeks since I’d been in the concert hall. Things always slow down around Chinese New Year, with annual maintenance and whatever taking place. The whole country kind of stops what they’re doing for the week anyway, … Continue reading Concert Review: RSO-Wien
This will be a short one. Salient points as follows: Mozart in Mandarin and Min nan (instead of German recitative) No English (or even German) marquee (the former I understand why not) Local political issues infused into centuries old German opera … Continue reading ESO’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail
It was another one of those two-night concert specials, a foreign ensemble coming to Taipei, but this time one I should have had a much greater chance hearing in my home country: the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Riccardo Muti. The Chicago Symphony … Continue reading Concert Review: Chicago Symphony in Taipei
This is the final concert of the first half of the TSO’s season, and so nice to see them once again in our National Concert Hall. Word on the street is that there’s going to be a new hall for … Continue reading Concert Review: TSO’s Legendary Hungary
It’s been a very long time since I’ve been to the recital hall, and my friend and now semi-seasoned concertgoing friend had never been, so we took the opportunity to hear a pianist neither of us had ever heard of play music … Continue reading 黃新易 2016 Piano Recital
As with last year, I didn’t go on the actual New Year’s Eve night, but decided to go the day after, on 1/1. The New Year’s Eve showing starts at 10 pm, and as with last year, it’s a long piece, so … Continue reading Concert Review: NSO’s New Year Concert- A Midsummer Night’s Dream
No, that’s not a fraction. Well, it is. And so is 12/24, all halves. Intentional? Maybe! The program for the evening, poorly lit. Gunther Herbig was a student of the undeniably great Herbert von Karajan. German conductors. Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms. … Continue reading Concert Review: NSO’s Two Fourths
Fugue for Thought 