Theater
Cendrillon is a modern version of the Cinderella story, but with a twist. In addition to using modern choreography, costumes and sets, the ballet presents the story through the eyes of a child. Performed by the world-renowned Lyon Opera Ballet, all characters on stage are dressed like dolls from a child's playroom and many of the props and set pieces look like toys. The various joys, fears and sources of contention experienced by the characters on the stage are similar to those that children feel when growing up. The performance is based on a composition by Sergei Prokofiev with choreography by Maguy Marin.
▲ National Theater, Taipei City
▲ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$3,600 and are available through NTCH ticketing
German actress Anne Tismer comes to Taiwan as part of the National Theater's 2008 International Theater Festival and will present Gutes Tun 1.3, the story of two women who intend to do good by providing people with what they desire most. Those who want buns shall have them. Stewed apples, no problem. However, the two women are not very serious and spend most of their time in front of a cabin singing, joking and brawling. Though the characters might not bring happiness to the world, Tismer's snappy dialogue in this madcap comedy is sure to make audiences laugh.
▲ National Experimental Theater, Taipei City
▲ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$800 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Taipei Crossover Dance Company's (台北越界舞團) Spring Tour (春季巡迴) features three performances. The first, A Short Life (浮生), is dedicated to the memory of Lo Man-fei (羅曼菲), a founding member of the company who passed away in 2006. To Wait (等待) uses movement to explore the anxiety and anticipation brides and grooms feel before getting married. The third and final instalment of the evening's three performances, Northern Lights (極光), evokes flickering lights.
▲ Ilan County Cultural Affairs Bureau (宜蘭縣文化局演藝廳), 482 Zhongshan Rd Sec 2, Ilan City (宜蘭市中山路二段482號)
▲ Tomorrow at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$100 to NT$500 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Israeli director Hana Snir, in collaboration with Habimah National Theater and Cameri Theater, is staging an updated version of Sophocles' tragedy Antigone as part of the National Theater's 2008 International Theater Festival. The story revolves around Antigone, who defies human laws. She chooses to bury her fallen brother, though he has been declared an enemy of the state by her uncle and is ineligible for funeral rites. Snir's adaptation from a translation by Shimon Bouzaglo is notable for its dialogue that is delivered in the style of breaking news.
▲ National Theater, Taipei City
▲ Thursday at 7:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,000 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Classical music
Happy Birthday, Maestro Lim! A Musical Journey of 80 Years (NSO向大師致敬 ?林克昌八十年音樂之旅) is an occasion for the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) to pay its respects to conductor Lim Kek-Tjiang (林克昌). Lim, who has been praised as the ?riental Karajan,?will conduct the NSO in the second of two concerts today featuring pianist Jenny Lin (林佳靜). The program for today includes Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op. 23 and Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64. There will be a pre-concert lecture in the first floor of the National Concert Hall's lobby, half-an-hour before the concert by Peng Kuang-lin (彭廣林).
▲ Today at 7:30pm
▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,500 and are available from NTCH ticketing
J.S. Bach ?Mass in B Minor (巴羅克聖典 ?巴赫B小調彌撒) will feature the Taipei Philharmonic Choir (台北愛樂合唱團) and the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (長榮交響樂團) with guest conductor Helmuth Rilling, founder of the Bach Collegium Stuttgart.
▲ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$2,000 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Leading Tenor of the 21st Century ?Salvatore Licitra (21世紀王牌男高音?#37324;契特拉演唱會) features the tenor performing together with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra under guest conductor Srba Dinic.
▲ Tuesday at 7:30pm
▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$1,000 to NT$4,200 and are available through NTCH ticketing
AMA Principle Soloists Series 9 ?Ming-Jian Fang Guitar Recital (亞藝首席獨奏家系列九 ?方銘健吉他獨奏會) sees Golden Melody Award-winner Ming-jian Fang (方銘健) perform a broad program of guitar pieces ranging from 15th-century to contemporary works.
▲ Today at 7:30pm
▲ National Recital Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$250 to NT$500 and are available through ERA ticketing
Asia Pacific String Quartet 2008 Concert in Spring (2008亞太弦樂四重奏春季音樂會), organized by the Chamber Music of Taiwan and featuring Huang Wei-ming (黃維明) and Hsu Hsi-lung (徐錫隆) on violin, Chen Rui-hsien (陳瑞賢) on viola and Lu Chao-lun (呂超倫) on cello, continues on its tour with performances in Taipei City and Miaoli City this week.
▲ Tomorrow at 7:30pm (Taipei) and Thursday at 7:30pm (Miaoli)
▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei City and the Chungcheng Hall of the Miaoli County Government Tourism Bureau (苗栗縣政府國際文化觀光局中正堂) at 50 Tsechih Rd, Miaoli City (苗栗市自治路50號)
▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,000 for Taipei and NT$100 for Miaoli and are available through ERA ticketing
The Impressionist Trio ?Little Universe (印象三重奏團 ?小宇宙). Hung Ya-rung (洪雅蓉) on piano, Chen Fang-liu (陳方騮) on viola and Chen Li-heng (陳俐亨) on cello will be joined by soprano Huang Ruei-fen (黃瑞芬), who will perform a program including Smetana's Moldau, Bartok's Romanian Dances, Ravel's Five Greek Songs, Canteloube's Chants d'Auvergne and Dvorak's Piano Trio, Op.65.
▲ Tuesday 7:30pm (Taichung City) and Wednesday 7:30pm (Taipei City)
▲ Taichung's Shinmin Senior High School Art Center (新民高中藝術中心), 289, Sanmin Rd Sec 3, Taichung City (台中市三民路三段289號) and the National Recital Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$300 for Taichung and NT$300 to NT$500 for Taipei and are available through ERA ticketing
Contemporary
Alt-rock band Neon takes to the stage tonight at Witch House (女巫店). [See story above]. Guitar-rock act Brother Fifth (五哥) appears tomorrow night. Then on Thursday, it's acoustic act Jasmine Music Little Band (假死貓小便).
▲ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Road Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號). Call (02) 2362-5494 or visit
▲ www.witchhouse.org
▲ Performances start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar with queer/feminist bookstore and large collection of board games open 11am to midnight Sunday to Wednesday; 11am to 1am Thursday to Saturday
▲ NT$300 entrance includes one drink
Tonight is Fusion Night at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言), with drummer Shau Bai (李守信), keyboard player Lu Sheng-fei (呂聖斐), guitarist Jeff Yen (嚴和邦), Ah-da (阿達) on bass, and saxophonist Dong Sun-wen (董舜文). Tomorrow there's a mini-concert featuring guitarist Lu Guang-zhong (盧廣仲). The multi-talented Suming and pop duo Deep White (深白色) perform on Sunday. Monday is open-jam night. Hip-hop group Lights of the City (城市之光) and happy punks Children Sucker (表兒) play on Tuesday. Hoklo singer Hong Ren (閎仁) and pop duo JS take to the stage on Wednesday. Brit-pop band returns to The Wall for a mini-concert on Thursday.
▲ B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓). Call (02) 2368-7310, or visit www.riverside.com.tw
▲ Shows start at 9:30pm
▲ NT$400 tonight, tomorrow and Thursday; NT$350 on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Admission includes one free drink. There is a one-drink minimum on Monday
Metal core/emo band 831 (八三夭) celebrates the release of its second album with a concert tonight at The Wall (這牆). Tomorrow, it's Distorted Time (破音時間), with Japanese rock bands te' and Hyakkei, and local post-rock band Sugar Plum Ferry (甜梅號). Indie-rockers Love Manana (愛的大未來) and Pen Sauce (筆醬) play on Sunday.
▲ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or log on at www.the-wall.com.tw for more information
▲ 8pm tonight; 7pm tomorrow; 3pm Sunday
▲ NT$400 tonight; NT$1,000 tomorrow; NT$500 Sunday. Admission includes one drink
Martijn Vanbuel Jazz Trio performs tonight at the Living Room (小客廳). Tomorrow, it's Drunk Duo (酒客二人組).
▲ 3F, 8, Nanjing E Rd Sec 5, Taipei City (台北市南京東路五段8號3樓). Call (02) 8787-4154 or visit www.livingroom-taipei.com
▲ 10pm tonight and tomorrow
▲ NT$300 admission and NT$100 recommended donation tonight; NT$300 admission and NT$50 recommended donation tonight
Bliss features alt-country band Two Acres Plowed and bluegrass act the Pinetop Surgeons tonight. Popular expats Public Radio play tomorrow, along with new band High Tide. Then on Wednesday, it's French rock act Dimi Dero Inc, which has been described as a ?ix between The Scientists, the Birthday Party and Einsturzende Neubauten.?
▲ 148, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段148號), one block east of Dunhua South Road (敦化南路). Call Bliss at (02) 2702-1855 or log on at www.bliss-taipei.com. For more information on live performances at Bliss, go to www.myspace.com/blisslivehouse
▲ Tonight and tomorrow at 10pm. Bar/kitchen open from 7pm daily. Ladies night Fridays; women get one free cocktail of their choice
▲ Entrance to the bar is free. Cover for the live music upstairs is NT$200
Underworld (地下社會) hosts metal band Chant the Dirge and melodic metal/hardcore band Neo Shark (腦剎) tonight. Alt-rock band Capelin (柳葉魚) and YozTiger (包子虎), a former member of post-rock band Sugar Plum Ferry (甜梅號), perform tomorrow.
▲ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.upsaid.com/underworld for more information
▲ Bands start playing after 9pm. The bar is open from 8pm daily, except Mondays
▲ Entrance tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday is NT$300 and includes one drink. Sunday is free. Before midnight on Tuesdays and Thursdays, drinks are buy-one-get-one-free
Exhibition
Traveling Exhibition of Australian Indigenous Art From the Western Torres Strait (澳洲西托勒斯海峽原住民版畫巡迴展). The exhibition features 33 block prints by the Moa Aborigines from the Torres Strait Islands. Richly depicting the Moa's affinity with the land and nature, the art works offer a rare glimpse of the ancient tribe's traditional ways of life.
▲ Shihsanhang Museum (十三行博物館), 200 Museum Rd, Bali Township, Taipei County (台北縣八里鄉博物館路200號). Open Tuesday to Friday from 9:30am to 6pm; Saturday and
▲ Sunday from 9:30am and 7pm. Call (02) 2619-1313
▲ Until April 6
Yahon Chang Solo Exhibition (眾生相?#24373;耀煌個展). A successful businessman and contemporary art collector, Chang has over the past decade also evolved into a distinctive artist who incorporates introspective Asian philosophy into his ink paintings to create a state of inner peace and redemption.
▲ Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館), 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 5:30pm; Saturday until 8:30pm. Call (02) 2595-7656
▲ Until April 27
Wang Hsiu-ju and Chen Song-jei Solo Exhibition 2008 (王秀茹與陳松志同名個展). The exhibition introduces visitors to the art of the two up-and-coming local artists in their 30th. Wang draws inspiration from myths, dreams and the subconscious to construct eerie, bizarre visual landscapes that reflect the artists' inner self. Chen's art, on the other hand, is warm and poetic.
▲ Shin Leh Yuan Art Space (新樂園藝術空間), 15-2, Ln 11, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市中山北路二段11巷15-2號). Open Wednesday to Sunday from 1pm to 8pm. Call (02) 2561-1548
▲ Until April 13
Face (黑秀網面向插畫邀請展). Organized by Heyshow, an online community of local designers and design groups, the exhibition features works by 15 illustration artists who come from different backgrounds and whose styles include surrealism, fantasy, sci-fi and romanticism.
▲ VT Artsalon (非常廟藝文空間), B1, 47 Yitong St, Taipei City (台北市伊通街47號B1). Open Tuesday to Friday from 8pm to 3am; Saturday from 9pm to 4am. Call (02) 2516-1060
▲ Until April 5
Simplicity in Composition ?Solo Exhibition of Hsu Ming-feng's Modern Lacquer Paintings (樸實構成 ?徐明豐現代漆畫個展). The exhibition shows how Hsu applies the patterns, colors and techniques of traditional Lunar New Year drawings to modern lacquer paintings.
▲ Taipei County Hakka Museum (台北縣客家文化園區), 239, Longen St, Sansia Township, Taipei County (台北縣三峽鎮隆恩街239號). Open Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 5pm; Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 6pm. Call (02) 2672-9996
▲ Until April 13
On the final approach to Lanshan Workstation (嵐山工作站), logging trains crossed one last gully over a dramatic double bridge, taking the left line to enter the locomotive shed or the right line to continue straight through, heading deeper into the Central Mountains. Today, hikers have to scramble down a steep slope into this gully and pass underneath the rails, still hanging eerily in the air even after the bridge’s supports collapsed long ago. It is the final — but not the most dangerous — challenge of a tough two-day hike in. Back when logging was still underway, it was a quick,
From censoring “poisonous books” to banning “poisonous languages,” the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) tried hard to stamp out anything that might conflict with its agenda during its almost 40 years of martial law. To mark 228 Peace Memorial Day, which commemorates the anti-government uprising in 1947, which was violently suppressed, I visited two exhibitions detailing censorship in Taiwan: “Silenced Pages” (禁書時代) at the National 228 Memorial Museum and “Mandarin Monopoly?!” (請說國語) at the National Human Rights Museum. In both cases, the authorities framed their targets as “evils that would threaten social mores, national stability and their anti-communist cause, justifying their actions
In the run-up to World War II, Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of Abwehr, Nazi Germany’s military intelligence service, began to fear that Hitler would launch a war Germany could not win. Deeply disappointed by the sell-out of the Munich Agreement in 1938, Canaris conducted several clandestine operations that were aimed at getting the UK to wake up, invest in defense and actively support the nations Hitler planned to invade. For example, the “Dutch war scare” of January 1939 saw fake intelligence leaked to the British that suggested that Germany was planning to invade the Netherlands in February and acquire airfields
Taiwanese chip-making giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) plans to invest a whopping US$100 billion in the US, after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on overseas-made chips. TSMC is the world’s biggest maker of the critical technology that has become the lifeblood of the global economy. This week’s announcement takes the total amount TSMC has pledged to invest in the US to US$165 billion, which the company says is the “largest single foreign direct investment in US history.” It follows Trump’s accusations that Taiwan stole the US chip industry and his threats to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent
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