Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By Jennie L. Ilustre
Bravo, Washington Performing Arts! Take a well-deserved bow for conjuring up a magical night performers and audience alike will surely remember all their lives.
On November 15 at 8 p.m., Taiwan American virtuoso violinist Paul Huang and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (TSO), which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, are performing a work by a major Taiwanese composer, Gordon Shi-Wen Chin. Cellist Felix Fan and conductor Jahja Ling, also of Taiwanese roots, round up the powerhouse cast. So the concert represents a musical homecoming, as well as a major cultural event.
Venue is The Music Center at Strathmore in Maryland. For tickets, call (202) 785-9727. Here’s the program: Bernstein, Overture to Candide; Gordon Shi-Wen Chin, Double Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra, and Brahms, Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 58. The concert is made possible in part through the generous support of Susan S. Angell.
Huang is considered “one of the most distinctive artists of his generation.” He plays on the legendary 1742 Guarneri del Gesù. The violin was once owned by the great Polish virtuoso Henryk Wieniawski and is on extended loan through the Stradivari Society of Chicago. Huang is the recipient of the prestigious 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2017 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists. Santa Barbara Independent critic Gabriel Tanguay, awed by Huang’s performance, wrote, “…within minutes of taking the stage, he secured himself a spot beside virtuosos Itzhak Perlman and Joshua Bell.”
On the other hand, Saarbrücker Zeitung, a German newspaper, lauded the Taipei Symphony Orchestra when it wrote: “The clarity, agility, and expressiveness of the TSO are awe-inspiring, an orchestra destined to take its place as one of the world’s top symphony orchestras.”
TSO Director Kang-Kuo Ho remarked in an email interview: “Taipei Symphony Orchestra is the first government-owned symphony orchestra in Taipei. It has raised the symphonic culture of Taipei to an international level since it started 50 years ago.”
He added: “We often perform with international musicians. Sometimes we even do recordings with them, such as with Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Clarinetist Anthony Gigliotti, and the famous New York cellist David Finckel. We also performed the opera ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’ in open-air at the Zhongshan Hall, an important landmark of Taipei City, and “Aida” at the Taipei Arena. These are examples of the ground-breaking achievements of the orchestra.”
“The symphonic music of Taipei has been developing for nearly 100 years,” he said. “With the music education booming, we have many excellent musicians active in the world. The two soloists in this performance, Paul Huang and Felix Fan, are examples. Jahja Ling, current Conductor Laureate in San Diego Symphony, also has deep roots with Taiwan. I would like to invite everyone to come to our Washington debut. Thank you.”
Double Concerto
Aside from its performers, how else is the Strathmore concert unique? Huang, 29, said in an email interview, “I’ll be bringing a stunning double concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra by the prolific Taiwanese composer Gordon Chin. Not only is the concerto unique in its instrumentation (in fact, the only other double concerto existed after Brahms’ famous double concerto for this same instrumentation!).”
“But,” he noted, “the piece also includes Asian symbolic elements, such as the use of water, gong, paper, and the sound of rain. Above all, it is the emotional connection that this piece is able to bring the listeners and the performers together that is truly powerful.”
He added. “While this is Taipei Symphony Orchestra’s first East Coast tour and the orchestra will include pieces by American composer Leonard Bernstein and the evergreen Tchaikovsky’s symphony, we felt that it would be a wonderful occasion to highlight this stunning double concerto by our very own composer from Taiwan.”
Musical Homes
Huang currently lives in New York, but he has two musical homes. “Taipei Symphony Orchestra is like my second musical home,” said Huang, whose every performance in the U.S. and elsewhere has earned rave reviews, such as the New York Times and the Washington Post. “In fact, our concert on November 15 at the Strathmore presented by Washington Performing Arts (WPA) holds a very special place in my heart.”
“TSO was the very first ensemble that I made my solo concerto debut with upon winning its young artists competition in Taiwan before moving to America, and Washington Performing Arts was the first organization which presented my American recital debut at the Kennedy Center,” he pointed out.
“So both TSO and WPA are the two most important and closest musical homes for me in my career, and this gives me an enormous honor and pleasure to join them for this project in Washington D.C. It feels like coming back to a full circle,” he added.
TSO, Musical Ambassador
Huang also paid tribute to TSO and music’s role in society, particularly in these turbulent times. “Taipei Symphony Orchestra not only is a cultural institution, but it is also like a musical ambassador that creates an important platform for bringing people together nationally and internationally. Music is the only language that we all speak together. It is not judgmental and it gives us a wonderful platform to meet and escape to somewhere beautiful. Through music, we can respect and understand each other on a much deeper level, and that’s why music is even more important in our society today.”
According to the Wikipedia, TSO, founded in 1969, flourished under the direction of Felix Chen from 1986 to 2003. Orchestra members increased and the season was expanded. Chen also broadened the repertoire. He maintained the highest standard of traditional classical music as he introduced new and unfamiliar works from all music genres and periods. The annual opera produced by TSO is a major musical event in Taiwan. Performances have included La traviata, Faust, Carmen, Turandot, La bohème, Aida, and Madama Butterfly.
About Paul Huang
Born in Taiwan, Huang began violin lessons at age seven. He is a recipient of the inaugural Kovner Fellowship at The Juilliard School, where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees under Hyo Kang and I-Hao Lee.
For his full biography, as well as his 2019-20 season performances and tour schedule, visit his website, www.paulhuangviolin.com. Visit www.paulhuangviolin.com/index.
Winner of the 2011 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Huang made critically acclaimed recital debuts in New York at Lincoln Center and at the Kennedy Center in the nation’s capital. Other honors include First Prize at the 2009 Tibor Varga International Violin Competition Sion-Valais in Switzerland, the 2009 Chi-Mei Cultural Foundation Arts Award for Taiwan’s Most Promising Young Artists, the 2013 Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant, and the 2014 Classical Recording Foundation Young Artist Award.
Huang’s recent recital engagements included Lincoln Center’s “Great Performers” series and return engagement at the Kennedy Center where he premiered Conrad Tao’s “Threads of Contact” for Violin and Piano during his recital evening with pianist Orion Weiss. He also stepped in for Midori with Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony to critical acclaim. Huang has also made debuts at the Wigmore Hall, Seoul Arts Center, and the Louvre in Paris.
Recital and chamber music performances include his recital debut for People’s Symphony Concerts in New York, a recital tour across North America and Taiwan with pianist Helen Huang, as well as his debut at the Wolf Trap in Washington D.C. Also: A return to Camerata Pacifica in Santa Barbara and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for three separate tours in the U.S., Europe, and the Far East.
Rave Reviews
Huang has won so many awards over the years. But when your fellow performing artists applaud you onstage, that is “the ultimate compliment.” And when critics are awed by your every performance, it speaks volumes. Below are excerpts from some of the rave reviews.
Carlin Ma, “Historic Violin, Intense Virtuoso add Fire to BPO Concert”
“It’s early in the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s season, but I am going to make a prediction. I think that in June, when we look back and take stock of the year, this weekend’s concert will emerge as one of the highlights…
“And what really put the concert over the top is Taiwan-born violinist Paul Huang playing Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto…I am psyched. Anyone would be, after hearing Huang playing that Barber concerto. It grabbed you right from that melting opening line. Huang was assured and expressive. The Philharmonic followed suit…The crowd rose and cheered. The orchestra string players, paying him the ultimate compliment, began beating on their stands with their bows. Huang began applauding them and (Music Director JoAnn) Falletta.”
Gabriel Tanguay, Santa Barbara Independent
“The Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra kicked off this year’s season with a spectacular program at the Lobero Theatre featuring violinist Paul Huang in his debut Santa Barbara performance. The first selection, Beethoven’s frenetic Violin Concerto in D Major showcased the orchestra’s impeccable string section, a collaboration of skilled performers who together created a sound of sheer magnitude. With a stoic demeanor, Huang quickly proved himself one of today’s finest young violinists; within minutes of taking the stage, he secured himself a spot beside virtuosos Itzhak Perlman and Joshua Bell.”
Jim Lowe, “Violinist Stars in Chamber Concert,” The Times Argus
“Violinist Paul Huang, joined by fine faculty pianist Dmitri Shteinberg, delivered a powerful and sublime performance of César Franck’s 1886 Sonata in A Major. While Shteinberg’s performance was expert but a bit reserved, Huang played with a depth seldom heard in contemporary violinists, let alone one who is 27 years old.”
Taipei Symphony Orchestra
Last May, the Taipei Symphony Orchestra celebrated its Golden Anniversary with a concert in Taipei. TSO Director Ho said the celebration showcased a commissioned work, “Taipei Symphony” by Taiwanese composer Wen Loong-Shin. “This 85-minute symphony has 5 movements, and it was performed by nearly 100 musicians and 200 choir members onstage,” he noted.
What a difference five decades have made! In1969, Taipei Symphony Orchestra (TSO) began when some 30 musicians got together in a concert hall in Taipei. Today, it has grown to over 100 members of a large-scale, internationally-renowned orchestra.
From the start, the TSO has earned the reputation for setting high musical standards. It has also invited world-famous musicians to perform and collaborate with them. Among them are sopranos Anna Netrebko and Angela Gheorghiu, violinist Pinchas Zukerman and Maxim Vengerov, cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Mstislav Rostropovich, conductor Yuri Temirkanov, clarinetist Sabine Meyer, trombonist Christian Lindberg and composer Tan Dun.
In 1979, the city government launched the Taipei Music Festival. The festival showcased prestigious orchestras, such as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic, and the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. TSO also started its annual tradition of performing opera, including such classic works as Pagliacci, La Dame aux Camelias, Faust, Carmen, Turandot, and La Boheme.
In October 2011, TSO’s production of Verdi’s Aida marked the first time a full opera was staged at the Taipei Arena. TSO performed La Clemenza di Tito in its entirety for the first time ever in Taiwan. Recent productions featured the Taiwan debuts of Ariadne auf Naxos, Eugene Onegin, Die Kluge and Der Mond, establishing the reputation of TSO in staging successful opera productions in Taiwan.
TSO has also performed internationally – in the U.S., in Europe (France, Spain, Germany, Russia, Luxembourg), in Asia (Japan, Singapore, China, and the Philippines). TSO’s 2017 return tour in the U.S. West Coast after 26 years gave a new generation of fans the opportunity to hear the pride of Taipei and indeed, the whole of Taiwan.
In recent years, the orchestra has participated in many international music festivals and major events. Among these are: The Expo 2010 Shanghai China, the closing ceremony of the Federation for Asian Cultural Promotion in 2011, La Folle Journee in Kanazawa, Toyama and Tokyo, Japan in 2012, a tour of Japan in 2014, France’s Les Flaneries Musicales de Reims in June 2015, Shanghai International Arts Festival in 2016, a U.S tour in 2017, as well as a China tour in 2019.
In 2018, under the leadership of Director Ho, TSO rebooted Taipei Music Festival under the name “Taipei Renaissance,” with the goal of producing multi-culture and innovative orchestral programs. In August this year, world-renowned Maestro Eliahu Inbal took over the reins as the orchestra’s Principal Conductor, insuring more golden milestones in the future.
On November 15, Taiwan’s pride, and the pride of the world of performing arts – violinist Paul Huang, cellist Felix Fan, the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, and conductor Jahja Ling – will be center stage in what will surely be one magical evening. So once again: Bravo, Washington Performing Arts! Indeed, Bravissimo!
For ticket information: contact box office at (202) 785-9727 or http://www.
