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

In the history of Western classical music, arriving in the 20th century, we find music was no longer composed of traditional harmony or polyphony. Down what path did music go instead? A variety of overlapping new styles let listeners experience a new fantasy.

Swedish composer Anders HILLBORG simulates the brewing and eruption of lava through endless glissandos and peculiar clusters. The composer has commented that he wants to create sounds that do not particularly "make you glad or sad," but purely offer a portrait of the phenomenon in nature.

The Finnish composer Jean SIBELIUS had been trying to capture the throb of nature in music. In the symphonic poem "The Swan of Tuonela," inspired by the Finnish mythological epic the Kalevala, the composer applies dark harmony and hazy instrumentations to symbolize the quietude of the hero Lemminkäinen's death.

In the symphony Doctor Atomic, adapted from his opera of the same name, American composer John ADAMS uses a minimalistic music vocabulary and orchestration full of dynamics to fully express protagonist J. Robert OPPENHEIMER's mood participating in the test of the first atomic bomb. The final section of the piece is cleverly connected to Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART's most tragic work, Piano Concerto No. 20 in d minor (also played in the first half of this concert), foreshadowing the sadness and desolation of modern times.

  Pre-talk  

2023/4/14(Fri)19:00 Concert Hall 3F Lobby

  Program  

Anders HILLBORG: Liquid Marble (Asia Premiere)

W. A. MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 20 in d minor, K. 466

J. SIBELIUS: "The Swan of Tuonela" from Lemminkäinen Suite

John ADAMS: Doctor Atomic Symphony (Taiwan Premiere)

  Creative and Production Team  

Conductor｜David ROBERTSON

Piano｜Lukáš VONDRÁČEK

National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra

  Artists Introduction  

Conductor｜David ROBERTSON

David ROBERTSON – conductor, artist, composer, thinker, American musical visionary – occupies the most prominent podiums in opera, orchestral, and new music.  He is a champion of contemporary composers, and an ingenious and adventurous programmer.  ROBERTSON has served in numerous artistic leadership positions, such as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, a transformative 13-year tenure as Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, with the Orchestre National de Lyon, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and, as protégé of Pierre Boulez, the Ensemble InterContemporain.  He appears with the world’s great orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, and many major ensembles and festivals on five continents. Since his 1996 Metropolitan Opera debut, ROBERTSON has conducted a breathtaking range of Met projects, including the 2019-20 season opening premiere production of Porgy and Bess, for which he shared a Grammy Award, Best Opera Recording, in March 2021.  In 2022, he conducted the Met Opera revival of the production, in addition to making his Rome Opera debut conducting Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová.  ROBERTSON is a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France, and is the recipient of numerous artistic awards.  He serves on the Tianjin Juilliard Advisory Council, complementing his role as Director of Conducting Studies, Distinguished Visiting Faculty of The Juilliard School, New York. 

Piano｜Lukáš VONDRÁČEK

At the age of four Lukáš VONDRÁČEK made his first public appearance. As a fifteen-year-old in 2002 he made his debut with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Vladimir Ashkenazy which was followed by a major US tour in 2003. His natural and assured musicality and remarkable technique have long marked him out as a gifted and mature musician. He has achieved worldwide recognition by receiving many international awards, foremost the Grand Prix at the 2016 Concours Reine Elisabeth in Brussels alongside first prizes at the Hilton Head and San Marino International Piano Competitions and Unisa International Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa.

Following recent highlights such as collaborations with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Boston Symphony and London Symphony orchestras, the 2022/23 season sees Lukáš VONDRÁČEK work with renowned orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lille, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra amongst many others. He will also return to long term partners such as Saarbrücken State Orchestra, Janáček Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège. Recital engagements lead him to the Flanders Festival, Flagey in Brussels for their Piano Days Festival and to Luzern’s KKL as part of the "Le Piano Symphonique" Festival before the season ends with performances together with the Ensemble 1704 under Vaclav LUKS at the "Chopin and his Europe" Festival in Warsaw and the Beethovenfest Bonn.

National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1945, the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra (NTSO) is the oldest symphony orchestra in Taiwan. Since its establishment, it has been successively affiliated with the Taiwan Garrison Command, Taiwan Art Construction Association, Taiwan Provincial Department of Education, Department of Culture, Council for Cultural Affairs, and the Executive Yuan. In May of 2012, it came under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture. The orchestra is located in Wufeng, Taichung. It is a full-fledged music group with a full complement of software and hardware.

Over 70 years of history, under the directors of the past and the efforts of the current director LIU Suan-yung, the NTSO has accumulated extensive performing experience. Countless international teams and musicians have been invited to perform with the NTSO.

Since 2019, the internationally renowned conductor maestro Lan SHUI has taken on the position of the NTSO Principal Guest Conductor, cooperating with the NTSO Director LIU to enrich artistic skills, innovate on tradition, deepen education, and promote aesthetics, thus enhancing the public's musical life, making music ever-present like air, water and sunshine.

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