Bruckner's Monumental Eighth
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14 發光的城市 A R O U N D T O W N FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2008 • TAIPEI TIMES unther Herbig is an ideal rein in Bruckner’s tendency to prolixity Despite conductor for the majestic and diffuseness, and shape the parts the recent G symphonies of Anton Bruckner. into the architecture of a titanic, success of his Back in Taipei from his home in visionary whole. eponymous Michigan, Herbig will tonight conduct The Bruckner symphony, well over album, Jam the National Symphony Orchestra in an hour long, occupies the second half Hsiao is still the Austrian master’s by turns serene, of tonight’s program. The first half is a bargain- resonant, spiritual, free-ranging, but taken up with the Toru Takemitsu’s hunter. above all spacious Symphony No.8 in Requiem, his first work for concert PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES the National Concert Hall. It should be performance, written in 1957. a memorable occasion. Takemitsu was Japan’s most Bruckner’s self-doubting, naive, famous 20th-century composer. He aiwan’s top super- but heart-on-the-sleeve approach to an was enormously productive, writing T model Lin Chi-ling (林 orchestral form that had by the 1890s the scores for 93 films (including 志玲) has the media abuzz over a international tour planned for next already chalked up masterpieces by such classics as Hiroshi Teshigahara’s rumored engagement to Scott Qiu year, are not rushing into any deals Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Woman in the Dunes and Akira (邱士楷), the son of a toilet magnate. at the moment, saying that “there are Brahms, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Kurosawa’s Ran) and incorporating The rumor emerged when Lin was many things to consider.” Mendelssohn and others had its elements from jazz and American spotted at an awards ceremony last Chthonic’s lead singer, Freddy mockers at first, and even today popular music, of which he had month sporting a diamond ring, Lim (林昶佐), has chimed in about musicians can be found who admit an encyclopedic knowledge, into reports the Liberty Times (the Guns N’ Roses’ provocatively titled to coming late to an admiration of works that on the surface had more Taipei Times’ sister paper). new album, Chinese Democracy, the self-taught Catholic recluse. in common with the European Lin’s mother, Wu Tzi-mei (吳慈 which has been officially banned in Nevertheless these expansive, avant-garde. 美), emphatically denied the reports, China. In an interview with Reuters, rhapsodic works have attracted Much of Requiem, for string even though Qiu has made numerous Lin said, “I think Guns N’ Roses’ some of the world’s most celebrated instruments only, is soaring and appearances with Lin in public, new album shows the true rock conductors, and the Eighth is without yearning and far from abstruse, including a late-evening hot pot date. spirit of the rock artist, of the rock doubt one of the greatest of them. however. A short clip can he heard This isn’t the first time marriage culture, because we have to speak It was Brahms who first mockingly on YouTube at www.youtube. rumors have surfaced for Lin, whose out loud our beliefs and our faith. called them “boa-constrictor com/watch?v=1QwZwYJe92o. past romances are said to include If we believe in democracy, we symphonies.” But this is not entirely Tonight’s concert begins at 7pm, Chinese billionaire Yang Linchuan believe in freedom, we should just a condemnation. They do indeed coil not the more usual 7.30pm. Don’t be (楊林川) and singer Jerry Yan (言承旭). speak out loud. Guns N’ Roses has inexorably round you, then squeeze late — if you are you can guarantee The public obsession with Cape made a perfect example.” you, though possibly not to death, the sleek attendants at the National No. 7 (海角七號) continues, but the And as the belts tighten with in gigantic climaxes that resemble Concert Hall won’t let you in until the attention has backfired slightly for the global recession, Pop Stop muscular spasms. But this can be a interval. Why they can’t quietly admit the homegrown box office hit’s lead concludes this week with a look at thrilling experience, though possibly latecomers to the back of the upper actor, Van Fan (范逸臣). The Amis pop how a few performers are faring in not one that the chaste Brahms, level, as is the custom in some other singer has been slapped with some these challenging times. genius that he is, was entirely auditoriums, I’ve never been able to unwelcome comparisons this week William So (蘇永康) might have disposed to appreciate. understand. — BRADLEY WINTERTON to Hong Kong singer-actor Edison to think about moving to smaller The reason Herbig is so suited to Chen (陳冠希) on Internet discussion venues. The Hong Kong pop singer this music is that he is a Romantic boards, reports the Liberty Times. filled about 3,000 seats at the at heart, and Bruckner’s symphonies PERFORMANCE NOTES: No, Van Fan hasn’t been filming his National Taiwan University Sports are among the outlying peaks at the sexual exploits with fellow celebri- Center (台大綜合體育館) last week end of the great mountain range that WHAT: Gunther Herbig conducts ties, but has been accused of pla- — just over half of the stadium’s was Romanticism. They may almost the National Symphony Orchestra in giarism: on a poster promoting one capacity. Bruckner’s totter under their own weight, but Takemitsu and Bruckner of his upcoming concerts, Van Fan “Reality” show pop idol Jam their combination of nobility, lyricism WHERE: National Concert Hall, strikes a pose that resembles a past Hsiao (蕭敬騰) has no qualms about and sheer ambition makes them high Taipei City jeans advertisement featuring Chen. footing a NT$600,000 dental bill summits indeed. WHEN: Tonight at 7pm Van Fan’s label, Forward Music for his brother and sister, says a monumental Herbig has always been a proponent TICKETS: NT$400 to NT$2,000; call (豐華唱片), says any similarities Liberty Times report, but as for of the great 19th-century classics as (02) 3393 9888 for details are a complete coincidence, and himself? According to Hsiao’s opposed to their often short-lived that the photo on the poster was manager, he constantly compares modernist successors. But he is also an Gunther Herbig, left, knows how to handle Bruckner. chosen out of several thousand from prices for tissues and in shopping austere conductor with the power to PHOTO COURTESY OF TENG HUI-EN a recent shoot. The accusations for a piano, his first stop was a Eighth are unlikely to faze Van Fan, second-hand shop. On his own who was once rumored to be a dentist visits, the pop crooner possible replacement for Chen travels the extra distance just to in the upcoming film Jump (跳出 save NT$7 in processing fees. Eco activists grab the ‘rhinoceros’ by the horn 去). The film, which is being co- For her show last week at the produced by Columbia Pictures and Taipei Arena (台北小巨蛋), singer emonic possession, typhoid, Taiwan to reduce carbon emissions. Stephen Chow’s (周星馳) company and actress Rene Liu (劉若英) spent D infantile convulsions and The march begins at 1:30pm at Star Overseas, axed the Hong Kong NT$2 million on six different impotence. These are some of the Taiwan Democracy Hall’s Liberty actor’s scenes following his “sex costumes (which didn’t reveal ailments traditional Chinese medical Square (自由廣場) and will proceed photo scandal.” Van Fan’s agent much more than her shoulders, to practitioners in Taiwan and China first to the Presidential Office and denies any knowledge of a potential the disappointment of the Liberty believed ground rhinoceros horn could then to Da-an Forest Park (大安森 role, however, and says the singer is Times’ concert reviewer). And that cure, which helped push the animal to 林公園), where a music concert is sticking to concerts this month. figure doesn’t appear to include the the brink of extinction in the 1980s. scheduled to start at 3pm. Meanwhile, death metal band five Austin Minis that circled the At the time, Taiwanese officials “Civil society has done a lot to cut Chthonic (閃靈) continues to enjoy stadium for one of her songs. and doctors ignored calls from the carbon emissions,” he said. “But we international attention after its tour And Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) will international community to ban still think that the government should of Europe and the US last year. still be laughing all the way to the sale of rhinoceros horns, using do more with their policy.” The group says that it is now being the bank. According to the Apple as an excuse the fact that Taiwan Taiwan’s Environmental Protection courted by record labels Daily, the pop starlet is reportedly wasn’t a member of the international Agency, meanwhile, has sent a in Finland, the US, the UK ready to sign a deal with organization calling for its prohibition. delegation to Poznan, Poland, to take and Germany to release Warner Music that would For Calvin Wen (溫炳原), a member part in an intergovernmental meeting its upcoming album, exceed the value of her of Green Party Taiwan’s central for drawing up a new agreement to Mirror of Retribution, previous two-year contract executive committee, the above reduce global warming to succeed the with the highest offer with EMI, which was a cool example is useful as an analogy when Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. totaling tens of millions NT$120 million. discussing climate change. Wen, however, remains skeptical. of NT dollars.