衛武營國家藝術文化中心 National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)

※Organ performer will now be replaced by Felix HELL due to Taiwanese quarantine policy. For more information, please contact +886- 7- 2626669.

The American Organist raved that he "sets standards that older and honored players would struggle to equal." Felix Hell is one of the most sought after concert organists in the world. The concert will open with Brazilian composer Heitor VILLA-LOBOS' famous string piece in the style of BACH. In addition, music fans should be no strangers to BACH's most famous keyboard concerto, Concerto No. 1 in d minor, be it the harpsichord or piano version. We greatly look forward to hearing Mr. HELL's pipe organ arrangement of this piece, which shall no doubt bring a new depth and vibrancy to this classical piece. Known for his symphonies which are in fact concertos in form, master organist Alexandre GUILMANT composed many extraordinary pieces for the pipe organ. Mr. HELL released the recording of this symphony with orchestra in 2014. César FRANCK was another skilled musician and composer for the pipe organ who had a great influence on the development of classical music. FRANCK's oratorio Rédemption is filled with profound religious undertones that take the listener on a soul-cleansing journey, the experience of which lingers on even after the final note. This concert will be conducted by CHIEN Wen-pin and is guaranteed to be a phenomenal performance that music fans will not want to miss.

  Pre-talk  

3/27 (Sat) 18:50-19:10 Concert Hall 3rd Floor

  Program (Original track unchanged)  

H. VILLA-LOBOS: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9, W. 449

J. S. BACH: Keyboard Concerto in d minor, BWV 1052

C. FRANCK: Rédemption - Morceau Symphonique, FWV 52

A. GUILMANT: Symphony No. 1 for Organ and Orchestra in d minor, Op. 42

  Artists introduction  

Conductor | CHIEN Wen-pin

CHIEN Wen-pin was born in 1967 in Taipei. He received an undergraduate degree from the National Taiwan Academy of Arts and a Master's degree from the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna. From 1998 to 2004, he was Resident Conductor at Japan's Pacific Music Festival, founded by Leonard BERNSTEIN, and he became Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan in 2001, where he remained until 2007. In 1996, he began his 22-year career as Kapellmeister of Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Düsseldorf Duisburg, Germany). From 2014 to 2016, CHIEN served as artistic advisor to the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. In 2014, he was honored with the National Award for Arts. Currently CHIEN is the Executive and Artistic Director of National Performing Arts Center - National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying).

Organist｜Felix HELL

A native of Germany, Felix Hell is one of the most sought after concert organists in the world. He has been featured as a recitalist and concerto soloist in more than 900 concerts throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The American Organist raved that he "sets standards that older and honored players would struggle to equal."

Felix Hell's discography includes 12 CDs. His most recent recording titled "Poetic Visions" features Romantic Organ Music by German Composers. His project "Music Across America" allows him to travel with his own Touring Organ, performing organ concertos and recitals in spaces that do not house pipe organs, liberating the instrument from its historic confines. Felix Hell is known for his diverse and innovative programming, drawing upon a repertoire encompassing five centuries. Furthermore, he has received global recognition for his marathon performances of the entire organ works of J.S. Bach, which encompass about 250 compositions and close to 20 hours of performance time. He has since performed the complete Bach cycle four times, most recently in 2013 in Seoul, Korea.

Mr. Hell is an avid supporter of new music for organ and frequently collaborates with composers. Felix Hell studied at the Juilliard School in New York, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia (BM), the Peabody Institute in Baltimore (AD, MM, DMA). In 2007, he received Johns Hopkins University's prestigious Outstanding Graduate Award.

Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1981, the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra（KSO）taking pride as the music ambassador of Kaohsiung City, has collaborated with a variety of renowned artists at home and abroad, including Josep CARRERAS, Hayley WESTENRA, Rudolf BUCHBINDER, Vadim REPIN, Shlomo MINTZ, Mischa MAISKY and Akiko SUWANAI, to name a few. KSO strives to pursue music excellence while establishing its branding image: in addition to performing classic concerts in concert halls, KSO expands its repertoire by visiting different venues and space, and producing non-traditional performing arts close the audiences, as well as building up an unexplored arts population. KSO is in particular known for its featured participation in the annual Kaohsiung Spring Art Festival, including the open-air Grassland Concerts, the Amadeus Baby Concerts and the full Opera productions. More in the recent 2018 season, KSO has appeared in various opening programs of National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts - Weiwuying, the largest performance venue in Taiwan; the performances all earned KSO great acclaim.

KSO has been widely invited to perform in different regions of the world, including the United States, Macau, Nanjing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Suzhou, Singapore, Beijing, Japan and Hong Kong, receiving internationally-acclaimed applause. Crossing national and continental borders, the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra continues to push forwards an international first-class orchestra.

  Partner  

Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival

  Sponsor