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

Even the most intricate and complex can attain widespread popularity! Richard STRAUSS's Also sprach Zarathustra demonstrates exceptional musical creativity and composition skills, transforming Friedrich NIETZSCHE's eponymous philosophical novel into a symphonic poem. In the initial segment, "Sunrise," the organ delves into the orchestra's deepest tones, followed by the horn and timpani heralding the philosopher's arrival. The piece gained household recognition due to its inclusion in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Giacomo MEYERBEER's Le prophète stands as one of the top-selling operas of all time. Franz LISZT crafted Fantasy and Fugue inspired by its chorale theme "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam," recounting the opera's plot of love and family entanglements, religious treachery, and political upheaval, culminating in a fiery explosion of a cathedral. This work represents the pinnacle of Romantic organ music. The adaptation from Marcel DUPRÉ into an organ-concerto version further heightens its captivating appeal. This time, Weiwuying invites renowned organist Christian SCHMITT to present an exceptional spectacle featuring the finest concert hall acoustics and organ quality. Paired with the world premiere of Koji SAKURAI's latest work, this event offers an exhilarating experience for music enthusiasts – a performance not to be missed!

  Pre-talk  

2023/10/7(Sat)19:00 Concert Hall 3F

  Program  

Koji SAKURAI: Craving Beauty (World Premiere, Commissioned by Weiwuying) 

R. STRAUSS: Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
I. Einleitung, oder Sonnenaufgang
II. Von den Hinterweltlern
III. Von der großen Sehnsucht
IV. Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften
V. Das Grablied
VI. Von der Wissenschaft
VII. Der Genesende
VIII. Das Tanzlied
IX. Nachtwandlerlied

Marcel DUPRÉ / F.LISZT: Fantasy and Fuge on the chorale Ad nos, ad salutarem undam from Giacomo MEYERBEER's opera Le Prophète

  Artists Introduction  

Conductor｜CHIEN Wen-pin

CHIEN Wen-pin, General and Artistic Director of the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), was born in 1967, graduated from the National Taiwan Academy of Arts and awarded aMaster's degree at the National University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna. CHIEN joined the Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Düsseldorf / Duisburg, Germany) in 1996 and served as "Kapellmeister" for 22 years. 1998-2004 he was Resident Conductor of the Pacific Music Festival (Sapporo, Japan), 2001-2007 he was Music Director of National Symphony Orchestra (Taiwan Philharmonic), during his tenure the orchestra has achieved several milestones such as creating Subscription series, commissioning Taiwanese composers, introducing an opera series which coroneted with the first production of the complete "Der Ring des Nibelungen" by Richard Wagner in Chinese speaking areas, upon orchestra's 20th anniversary in 2006. 2014-2016 CHIEN was Artistic Advisor of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. In addition, CHIEN was winner of the "National Award for Arts" in 2014.

Organ｜Christian SCHMITT

Christian SCHMITT performs regularly with well-known conductors and soloists including Sir Simon RATTLE, Phillipe HERREWEGHE, Jakub HRŮŠA, Marek JANOWSKI, Manfred HONECK, Magdalena KOŽENA, Martin GRUBINGER, Juliane BANSE or Michael VOLLE. He has performed in renowned venues including Philharmonie Berlin, Konzerthaus Berlin, Musikverein Vienna, and Kölner Philharmonie. As an organ virtuoso, he is undoubtedly one of the most charismatic and internationally sought-after concert organists and chamber music partners of today.

Christian SCHMITT's great passion is the extensive romantic organ repertoire, yet his artistic spectrum goes far beyond that. He has given concerts on many of the historic organs of Europe and also devotes himself to contemporary repertoire. Christian SCHMITT serves as organ consultant for the restoration and reconstruction of organs, a.o. Berlin, Zurich, Lucerne and Brno. He is a member of numerous international music competition juries.

Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra

Wherever there is music, there is you.

－A young orchestra moving forward with determination.

A city's orchestra is a rare and precious attribute for any place to have. The Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1981 and since 2009, the orchestra has played a pivotal role in the Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival and successfully established the reputation of the "Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival Grassland Concert." Over the past decade, the KSO has continued to absorb the encouragement and tempering of various international personalities to create a series of concerts performed jointly by famous domestic and foreign artists. The KSO strives to incorporate classical and cross-border performances into their repertoire, permeated with their unique passion. During the pandemic, there was a series of online concerts that connected music with fans to soothe their hearts with the energy of music.

On the international stage, the KSO orchestra continuously receives international invitations to perform in many cities, gradually reaching beyond the borders and proudly taking the name of an international-level orchestra. The KSO moves firmly onwards with talent and strength while striving for growth.

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