Review: "East meets West: The National Symphony Orchestra at the Philharmonie" - Musical America (Rebecca Schmid)

“Ming-Hsiu Yen’s Breaking Through...stays true to its title with a clear dramaturgical structure.”

— Musical America

 

"East meets West: The National Symphony Orchestra at the Philharmonie"

by Musical America (Rebecca Schmid)

...Ming-Hsiu Yen’s Breaking Through, which opened the program, stays true to its title with a clear dramaturgical structure. In the first section of the approximately 14-minute piece, after an exciting drum fanfare, various sections of the orchestra—high strings against brass, low strings against winds—are set into friction with each other, creating an immediate sense that something has to give. The second section builds out of an insistent, mourning motive in the low strings until only glassy textures and xylophone are left, only to rise again into a heroic close....

報導："NSO柏林愛樂廳演出 樂迷評價高" - 中國時報 (邱祖胤)

“這場精采的演出，以顏名秀描述雪山隧道艱困工程的《鑿貫》開場，打擊樂石破天驚的破題，震撼全場，三角鐵、沙鈴等多種樂器製造的流水聲，傳遍音樂廳每一角落。”

— 中國時報

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

NSO柏林愛樂廳演出 樂迷評價高

- 中國時報 (邱祖胤)

⋯⋯NSO在柏林時間18日晚間，由音樂總監呂紹嘉領軍，登上全球音樂家夢寐以求的柏林愛樂廳，贏得全場近2000名觀眾的熱烈迴響，現場歡呼聲不斷。⋯⋯

這場精采的演出，以顏名秀描述雪山隧道艱困工程的《鑿貫》開場，打擊樂石破天驚的破題，震撼全場，三角鐵、沙鈴等多種樂器製造的流水聲，傳遍音樂廳每一角落。⋯⋯

報導："NSO日內瓦演出 滿堂彩" - 中國時報 (邱祖胤)

“顏名秀的作品《鑿貫》，樂團澎湃的音響令人震撼，打擊樂戲劇性的呈現，三角鐵、沙鈴等多種樂器營造流水聲響及機械開鑿的聲音，讓觀眾驚歎連連。”

— 中國時報

NOVEMBER 17, 2013

NSO日內瓦演出 滿堂彩

- 中國時報 (邱祖胤)

音樂總監呂紹嘉領軍下，NSO國家交響樂團於日內瓦15日晚，在知名的維多利亞音樂廳演出，現場1500人座無虛席，樂團與瑞士籍台裔演奏家楊文信合作聖桑《大提琴協奏曲》，以及顏名秀描述雪山隧道艱困工程的管弦作品《鑿貫》，贏得滿堂彩。⋯⋯

呂紹嘉表示，每次在國外演出，對「音樂無國界」這句話感同深受，日內瓦演出是這次歐洲巡迴演出第4站，也是目前最滿意的一次表演。

駐日內瓦辦事處大使銜處長俞大使表示，日內瓦市徽有一行拉丁文，寫著「黑暗之後的光明」，與《鑿貫》的意境如出一轍，格外引起當地樂迷共鳴。俞大使說，日內瓦是國際能見度極高的城市，擁有30多個國際組織、250多個非政府組織、170多個各國常駐代表團，台灣表演團隊的精采演出，拉近國際與台灣的距離。

⋯⋯

澎湃《鑿貫》 奏雪隧工程艱辛

下半場演出顏名秀的作品《鑿貫》，樂團澎湃的音響令人震撼，打擊樂戲劇性的呈現，三角鐵、沙鈴等多種樂器營造流水聲響及機械開鑿的聲音，讓觀眾驚歎連連。顏名秀本人也在演出現場，她表示，作品的靈感來自理察‧史特勞斯的《阿爾卑斯交響曲》，對人與自然的關係有極為深刻的描繪。《鑿貫》表現雪山隧道工程的困難，以及台灣人努力突破困境、永不妥協的精神。

NSO從9日開始展開歐洲巡迴，先後在巴黎、米蘭、烏迪內、日內瓦等地演出，廣受好評，18日轉往最後一站德國柏林愛樂廳演出。

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Review: ONCE (again) - Sequenza21 (Garrett Schumann)

“Pianist Ming-Hsiu Yen succeeded in delivering the work in a beautifully corporeal way. Most profound was the flowing of Ming-Hsu’s arms as she ascended and descended the arpeggiated figure at the heart of the piece. ”

— Sequenza21

November 6, 2010

ONCE (again)

- Sequenza21 (Garrett Schumann)

...Robert Ashley’s Van Cao’s Meditation (1991), for piano, opened the evening. The piece was resonant, repetitive, and reminded me of Satie’s Ogives in spirit. Essentially, Van Cao’s Meditationmilled about one confined group of a few notes which covered all registers of the piano and, at the end of each phrase, settled on an octave which was not part of this more prevalent pitch collection. The piece was over half and hour long, so the music’s motion through time was made interesting by altering the dynamics and lengths of phrases.

More importantly, the performance is meant to be intensely physical – as Ashley said before the piece, the player must have the music, “in their body” – and Pianist Ming-Hsiu Yen succeeded in delivering the work in a beautifully corporeal way. Most profound was the flowing of Ming-Hsu’s arms as she ascended and descended the arpeggiated figure at the heart of the piece. Perhaps because the work’s musical landscape is so static, Ashley placed a higher premium on the physical aspects of Thursday’s performance, even going so far as to request Ming-Hsiu wear a sleeveless top in the concert. These inferences notwithstanding, Ashley’s piece, despite its epic length, was a wild success on Thursday and many people I talked to after the concert said their reaction to Van Cao’s Meditation was profoundly visceral....

Media Profile: Much to Anticipate from These 7 - TwinCities.com (Rob Hubbard)

November 7, 2008

Much to Anticipate from These 7

- TwinCities.com (Rob Hubbard) 

Intensity. Conflict. Urgency. If this sounds like some serious stuff, then you have a sense of what the composers who participated in this week's Composer Institute at Minneapolis' Orchestra Hall are trying to convey.

All week, seven composers have had their pieces picked apart and rehearsed by Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra. And, on Friday night, the Composer Institute reached its climax with a concert at Minneapolis' Orchestra Hall. It proved to be a fine display for seven promising talents, with much to recommend in each of the works performed.

...Both McManus and Ming-Hsiu Yen seem firmly rooted in the idea of music as a means toward conveying conflict. The latter's "Yun" exploded with angst before giving way to lovely interweaving lines in the woodwinds that sound like sighs of resignation. But soon a sense of dread re-emerges int the strings, making "Yun" an intriguing emotional roller coaster ride....