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

"KAVAKOS ranks among the greatest instrumentalists of our time."——Seattle Times

"KAVAKOS' violin playing has always been astoundingly virtuosic and blazingly insightful… I'm happy to admit KAVAKOS to the pantheon of musician-philosophers."——The Guardian

"Overstatement and exaggeration are not his style. What one does get is solid, deliberate, exceptionally well-honed performances that combine intense lyricism with power."——American Record Guide

"I prefer to suffer for my beliefs rather than kill for my beliefs." Although similar to BEETHOVEN's Fifth Symphony which opens in c minor and gradually shifts to C major, SHOSTAKOVICH's Eighth Symphony only portrays the havoc and devastation of war with no hint of the triumph. It is SHOSTAKOVICH's lament after he saw the rampant destruction of WWII, and the siege and famine of Leningrad, his hometown, forcing its residents to kill for food. He employed his versatile composing skill to manipulate all kinds of musical forms to build up this symphony. Five movements press onward with relentless momentum. They depict the agony of wartime and also convey his firsthand experiences. As another autobiographical piece, SHOSTAKOVICH's First Violin Concerto is a fierce eruption of energy. Transmuting geniality from bleakness, the astounding virtuosity is intertwined with profound musical ideas. Each listening experience is like seeing through Shostakovich's eyes. KAVAKOS, the contemporary virtuoso of string instruments, will collaborate with his colleague Shao-Chia LÜ for the second time in Taipei and Weiwuying. Witness how they navigate seeing the world from SHOSTAKOVICH's perspective, asking how we find the glory of humanity in the wasteland.

  Pre-talk  

2022/6/19(Sun)18:50-19:10 Concert Hall 3rd Floor

  Program  

D. SHOSTAKOVICH: Violin Concerto No. 1 in a minor, Op. 77

D. SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 8 in c minor, Op. 65

  Creative and Production Team  

Conductor｜Shao-Chia LÜ

Violin｜Leonidas KAVAKOS

National Symphony Orchestra

  Artists Introduction  

Shao-Chia LÜ

Taiwan-born conductor Shao-Chia LÜ studied music in Taipei, later at the Indiana University in Bloomington, USA, and also at Vienna's College of Music. His training resulted in important first prizes at three renowned international conductor competitions: Besancon (France), Pedrotti (Italy) and Kondrashin (the Netherlands).

Shao-Chia LÜ accepted positions as General Music Director of the Koblenz Theatre (1998-2001),the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie Koblenz (1998-2004), and the Staatsoper Hannover (2001- 2006). He has also been Chief Conductor of the South Denmark Philharmonic from 2014 to 2017.

Shao-Chia LÜ appears regularly as guest conductor at several world-renowned opera houses, including the Opera Australia in Sydney, Den Norske Opera in Oslo and more. Alongside his opera activities, LÜ is equally at home on concert podiums. LÜ has worked repeatedly with many leading European orchestras, such as the Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and more. In Asia, LÜ has worked with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, NHK, Seoul Philharmonic and more.

Shao-Chia LÜ has been Music Director of the Taiwan Philharmonic (the National Symphony Orchestra) since August 2010.

Leonidas KAVAKOS, Violin

Born into a musical family in Athens, Leonidas KAVAKOS is recognized around the world as an artist of rare quality, known for his virtuosity, superb musicianship and the integrity of his playing. By the age of 21, KAVAKOS had already won three major competitions: Sibelius (1985), Paganini, and Naumburg (both in 1988). These successes led to his recording of the original version of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, the first-ever of this work. This won him the Gramophone Concerto of the Year Award in 1991. In recent years KAVAKOS has also built a strong profile as a conductor, working with the London Symphony, Boston Symphony, Vienna Symphony, and Budapest Festival Orchestra, among many others. In the 2018/19 season, as Artist in Residence with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, KAVAKOS will appear as both soloist and conductor when he performs Beethoven Violin Concerto and Symphony No.7, and will also perform Shostakovich Violin Concerto with Mariss Jansons and Berg Violin Concerto with Daniel Harding.

National Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1986, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), also known as Taiwan Philharmonic, became the resident orchestra of the National Concert Hall, and an artistic affiliate of the National Performing Arts Center in April 2014. The orchestra has benefited from the leadership of many music directors and principal conductors, including Gerard Akoka, Urs Schneider, Tsang-Houei Hsu, Da-Shen Chang, Jahja Ling, Wen-Pin Chien and Güther Herbig. Since August 2010, Maestro Shao-Chia LÜ has been Music Director of NSO and will lead the NSO continually to further enrich its performances and carry out its mission as the flagship of classical ensemble in Taiwan. The NSO works regularly with internationally acclaimed musicians, including Lorin Maazel, K. Penderecki, Rudolf Barshai, Kek-Tjiang Lim, G. Schwarz, Uri Mayer, Joseph Silverstein, Leonard Slatkin, Christopher Hogwood, Christopher Poppen and many others. Tour performances were also regularly offered throughout Taiwan and in overseas, in places such as Vienna, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Sapporo, Tokyo, Yokohama, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Costa Mesa, and Vancouver.

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