Farewell Concubine - Firmiana Rain

'The Firmiana Rain' shows that not only are Asians taking an increasingly prominent role in the classical music scene, they are also placing their own stamp on the genre

By Ian Bartholomew
Staff Reporter, Taipei Times
Friday, Oct 26, 2007, Page 13

The love story between Lady Yang and the Xuanzong emperor is one of the classics of Chinese literature. PHOTO: COURTESY OF NTCH

The story is old - the action takes place in the Tang Dynasty over 1,000 years ago and was first immortalized on stage by the poet Bai Pu (白樸, 1226-1306) during the Yuan Dynasty - but the form it will take in Chen May-tchi's (陳玫琪) opera The Firmiana Rain (梧桐雨), which will have its world premiere at the National Theater Taipei on Thursday, is avant-garde.

With a score that incorporates ancient Chinese music, a Western orchestra, a libretto in Mandarin, French and German, a Japanese director, a Taiwanese gezai opera (歌仔戲) performer and more, this Taiwan-Japan coproduction is billed as a "modern romantic opera."

The Firmiana Rain follows the grand romance between the Emperor Tang Xuanzong (唐玄宗) and the imperial concubine Lady Yang (楊貴妃), the resulting political upheaval and rebellion led by the general An Lu-shan (安祿山), and the death of Yang by her own hand (but at the ruler's insistence), as the only solution to the political crisis. The title refers to the sound of water dropping on the large leaves of the firmiana tree, which forms the backdrop to the emperor's thoughts as he reflects on the sacrifice he made for political expediency. Although it was Yang's nepotism and her family's corruption that was largely responsible for the crisis in the first place, this great betrayal has enshrined her as one of the great tragic heroines of Chinese literature.

While the basic story has been rendered by many of China's great poets, composer Chen's version has raised a few eyebrows.

Musically, the work is a continuation of Chen's interest in unconventional combinations. The score incorporates Chinese instruments such as the pipa (琵琶), a kind of Chinese lute, and the bamboo flute and references the music that would have been played at the court of the emperor. Chen drew inspiration from her studies of ancient music from the royal courts of China, Japan and Korea. A concert extract in 2002 for Showcasing American Composers won critical acclaim, and was responsible for the work being picked up for full production in Asia.

With this staged production, Chen's ambitions to transverse artistic divides are fully revealed. While this is still an opera in the Western tradition, The Firmiana Rain pushes many boundaries. Its libretto is primarily in Mandarin, but the formal scenes at the court are sung in French and the anger of the barbarian general An Lu-shan, when brought in chains before the emperor, is sung in German. "The Tang court was already a great melting pot," Chen said. "It was quite natural for members of the court to absorb influences from Asia Minor and India. China was already quite an international society. We have simply translated that into more modern terms."

With the involvement of Tang Mei-yun (唐美雲), one of Taiwan's best-known gezai opera singers and Liu Fu-hsueh (劉復學) of the National Gouguang Opera Company (國立國光劇團), the melting pot concept has been carried to an extreme in this current production.

The inclusion of these performers means that The Firmiana Rain is not only innovative in terms of Western opera, it also requires a high level of cooperation and tolerance for the demands of vastly different performance traditions.

In an interview with the Taipei Times, Tang said she had adjusted her regular performance style, most notably having to work to a predefined score. "There is much more physical movement in our style of performance," she said. "In Western opera, they [performers] focus more exclusively on the singing."

"With the traditional actors and actresses, usually they have to improvise a lot," Chen said. "It's really interesting to see performers from different traditions work together. We provide the structure, but they have the liberty to do their own thing."

"They come from totally different oral traditions and have an instinct about what they have to do. Once they get a feel for the music and the rhythm, they just do things very naturally," she added.

In the hectic rehearsals preceding the opening next week, everyone is still learning how best to work together. "It's all about opening up new horizons," said Tang, who is also an innovator in her own field.

To add to the difficulties, the coproduction sees soprano Kimiko Hata and baritone Kouichi Taira perform in the central roles of Xuanzong and Lady Yang, respectively, which required them to learn the libretto phonetically through months of intensive coaching.

Chen Wu-kang (陳武康), the show's choreographer and artistic director of M Dans (驫舞劇場), in an off-the-cuff comment during rehearsals, said that so many artistic boundaries had been crossed, so many conventions overturned, that he felt he could cast off all constraints in choreographing the dances for the show. "I felt that if it could be overturned, then we might as well," he said.

One issue that does stand out above all else is the way The Firmiana Rain sees Asians taking control of a Western operatic tradition.

"We Asians are doing an Asian story. It's not like Europeans are doing an Asian story (such as Turandot or Madame Butterfly). Hopefully this method is more first hand, instead of chinoiserie. ... The music itself has many elements, but it's a total integration and not a collage," Chen said.

Reflecting on his own work in opera, Sugao said: "I think the opera world is looking for a way to go. If you do only Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, you are getting nowhere. ... We need to create new operas such as this. I hope this will be successful in finding a new way for operas."

Restaurants: Ocean Blue

By Ian Bartholomew
STAFF REPORTER , Taipei Times
Friday, Oct 26, 2007, Page 15

Ocean Blue makes a splash with a huge tank of blacktip reef sharks and innovative Thai-Italian cuisine. PHOTO: COURTESY OF OCEAN BLUE

A large aquarium, replete with reef fish and live coral, establishes the seaside theme at Ocean Blue, a new restaurant-cum-lounge bar on the fringe of the trendy Dinghao (頂好) district.

The sand-colored wallpaper and the fluid lines of the ceiling are unobtrusive, and the slightly secluded dinning area has a pleasant intimacy. Downstairs, deep sofas and areas separated by bead curtains lend the place a cozy feel, which is contrasted by a huge tank of blacktip reef sharks that adds an edgy touch. Feeding the sharks is part of the late night entertainment.

The food at Ocean Blue is an unusual fusion of Thai and Italian cuisines designed by head chef Gilbert Chua (蔡文要).

With dishes such as Thai beef capaccio (NT$320) and mango pumpkin soup (NT$200), the menu is intended to surprise. The soup, which uses mango juice instead of the usual cream as its base, is light and tangy. Chua is also adept at more conventional Thai dishes such as green curry chicken (NT$380). The curry itself is mild, but flavorful. The restaurant stocks a wide selection of New World wines that compliment the innovative fare. Set menus are paired with selected wines. Live lobster, giant prawns and Pacific oysters are other options, all made with a Thai twist.

With an emphasis on well-made drinks, rather than gimmickry, the bar is a welcome addition to Taipei's nightlife scene. It's no surprise that there are plenty of tropical-themed cocktails (the mango martini is definitely worth trying, even for those not partial to fruit cocktails), but it's the range of single malt whiskeys served with a single giant ice cube that is the clincher. With its view of Da-an Road, the bar at Ocean Blue also makes a pleasant change from the usual dark rathskeller spaces favored by interior designers of night spots.

Ocean Blue Address: 180, Da-an Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市大安路一段180號) Telephone: (02) 2704-7561 Open: 11:30am through to 3am Average meal: NT$800 Details: English menu; credit cards accepted; live DJs Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; wireless Internet access

As an elegant place for a business lunch, a cool quiet hide-away during the afternoon, a chic restaurant to take a date or a place to chill out with friends in the early hours, Ocean Blue, with wireless Internet access, DJ booth, shark tank and solid selection of food and wines, combines youth and sophistication - no mean feat.

Baroque and beyond

The National Palace Museum's new exhibition displays works collected by the Hapsburg royal family

By Ian Bartholomew
Staff Reporter, Taipei Times
Thursday, Oct 25, 2007, Page 15

Four years in the making, Baroque and Beyond: Great Hapsburg Collectors finally makes its debut at the National Palace Museum. Photos: courtesy of NPM

Taipei's National Palace Museum (NPM, 國立故宮博物院) has long since established itself as a repository for Chinese art; with its newest exhibit, Splendor of the Baroque and Beyond: Great Hapsburg Collectors, it proves it is much more than that.

According to Wilfried Seipel, director of Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM), who was in Taipei for the opening of the exhibition, the aim of the show is not just a tour of grand masters from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The Hapsburg emperors amassed huge collections, and the exhibition is an insight into the emperors as collectors of art and their individual tastes. In an age when the very understanding of what it was to be human underwent radical change, these works, the cutting edge of artistic expression at the time, reveal much.

This exhibition, which runs until Feb. 24, displays 67 works from KHM, and is part of a cultural exchange project in which the NPM will exhibit part of its collection in Vienna next year.

The exhibition is being held in the NPM's second exhibition area, now routinely used for special events. With relatively few items, each work is given ample space, encouraging museumgoers to enjoy the complexity and intricacy of each work.

Four years in the making, Baroque and Beyond: Great Hapsburg Collectors finally makes its debut at the National Palace Museum. Photos: courtesy of NPM

Four years in the making, the exhibition is a follow-up to a proposal made 15 years ago, but which for "various political reasons," said Seipel, did not get off the ground. For the first time, the originals of some of the best-known works of the Baroque era are on display at the NPM.

Of particular interest to art history students and hobbyists, is the use of color and movement by artists like Titian (circa 1488-1576), the almost photographic realism achieved by Balthasar Denner (1685-1747), the sheer exuberance of Bartholomaus Spranger (1546-1611) and the endless bold and bizarre experiments in perspective by Hans Vredeman de Vries (1527-1606), Hendrick van Steenwijck the Younger (1580-1649) and others.

In this age, during which the dominance of religion was giving way to humanism, subject matter was diverse, ranging from works conventionally lauding the power and magnificence of the royal house, to others showing the lives of common people and portraiture.

The curators have provided adequate explanations in English and Chinese for each section of the exhibition, but detailed notes on individual paintings are in Chinese only. To get the most out of the show, audio tours have been made available in Chinese. An English audio tour is expected to be available in two to three weeks. Audio tours cost NT$100 and require a deposit. There is also an excellent Web site with an English introduction and photos of the works at www.mediasphere.com.tw/vieena/zh-en/vienna_overview.html.

British design shares the love

Published on Taipei Times
Thursday, Oct 11, 2007, Page 13

The creative industries are some of the UK's most successful exports. Over the next 10 days they will be flaunting their style in Taipei

By Ian Bartholomew
STAFF REPORTER

From TopShop to Grand Theft Auto and Wedgewood to Benoy Architects, Britain's creative industries are thriving. The exhibition Love and Money showcases the best of British design and aims to make inroads into Taiwan's economy. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE BRITISH COUNCIL

The creative industries have been billed as the way of the future, a transformation of the abstruse world of arts and design into a driving force behind commercial development and a vibrant, sophisticated retail culture. This industry has been growing rapidly in the UK, and London has been transformed into "arguably the creative capital of the world," according to David Percival, head of UK Trade and Investment in Taiwan. Love and Money, an exhibition of the best of British design, has set out to showcase the UK's success, and also to establish a platform for cooperation between UK designers and investors in Asia.

The commercial intention of the show is right there in its title. While the purpose of design is certainly to make beautiful things, this is not really enough, as plenty of artists in Taiwan have repeatedly discovered. "When they [designers] do the design, they love it, ... but there is also a big commercial need out there for them to do business and bring in the money," said Amanda Lin (林君玲), the senior commercial officer with the British Trade and Cultural Office who is overseeing the launch of Love and Money in Taipei. The ability to link the love and the money has been crucial to the success of the creative industries in the UK and is a source of envy among many nations that wish to emulate this success. (Creative industries now account for 8.2 percent of GDP in the UK.)

"It is not just about general design. A lot of it is to target the specific needs of Taiwan," said Percival.

"Taiwan's companies, especially consumer electronics companies, are increasingly becoming brand companies (rather than contract manufacturers). When you are doing your own brand, design becomes much more important. You are no longer just selling on price, but on quality and an image. This is the opportunity for us to work with Taiwanese companies ... . They [Taiwanese companies] don't just work with British designers, but also with British branding companies and marketing companies," Percival said.

Exhibition Notes The main exhibition, which will feature stands by major British design-related firms as diverse as Penguin Books, Rockstar Games (publishers of videogame Grand Theft Auto), Studio Myerscough (which designs for Wedgewood) and TopShop (the fashion line). For a full line up of exhibitors, see www.britishcouncil.org/arts-design-love-and-money.htm. * Today until Oct. 21 * 4F Taipei 101 Mall, free admission * Information about workshops and seminars can be found at the British Trade and Cultural Office Web site at www.britishembassy.gov.uk

The focus on architectural issues is not coincidental either. Percival points to the massive urban development projects that Taiwan is planning. "There is around US$12 billion of projects that are going to be up for grabs in Taiwan over the next five years. ... We are looking at projects like the National Exhibition Center in Kaohsiung and the ideas for a new financial services center around Taipei Main Station."

Love and Money has toured five countries in Asia (and will be moving on to South Korea after it wraps up in Taipei), but according to Percival, the Taiwan show has evolved into the biggest of all, largely due to the great interest of local companies. While the exhibition at Taipei 101 will doubtless present a fascinating showcase of what British designers of every sort are doing, much of the activity for Love and Money will center on the "wrap around events," most notably the UK architecture seminars featuring Adams Kara Taylor, Creative Designs International and Benoy Architects and the Design Forum with Industrial Facilities and Wedgewood, targeted at Taiwan's creative industry professionals.

"These are all commercially proven designers, designers who work in business and run successful design houses or architectural firms. ... It is not just about how important good design is for the quality of life, but that these guys can also make money out of it," Percival said. The success of the UK has been acknowledged in Taiwan in the most telling terms: The number of Taiwanese students going to the UK to enroll in design-related programs has increased by 30 percent over the last three years.

Continental Europe has traditionally been the home of fine design, but over the last decade, the UK has made rapid strides to equal and in many areas supercede established rivals. "It has become incredibly diverse," said Percival. "London is not made up of British designers, it is made up of multicultural designers from all over the world. ... It is all global design, and this makes it very adaptable. If you go into a British design house, you'll find people of every nationality in the world there."

Chang Ta-chun's take on 'Water Margin' is revolutionary

Published on Taipei Times
Friday, Oct 05, 2007, Page 13

By Ian Bartholomew
STAFF REPORTER

Contemporary Legend Theater members rehearse their adaptation of the Chinese classic novel Water Margin. PHOTOS: TAIPEI TIMES AND COURTESY OF CONTEMPORARY LEGEND THEATER

Taipei Times: Why did you participate in this project?

Chang Ta-chun: I have been following Beijing opera for many years. ... I have been working as a creative artist for many years, but always as a lone creator. Many of my works have been adapted for TV, and I have participated in some productions, but ultimately, these were my works. But in joining in this project, I knew I had come to learn. And unless you are actively creating something, you cannot learn anything.

TT: Is this your own version of Water Margin?

CTC: The folk stories of China have a unique tradition. Novels like Water Margin and The Three Kingdoms (三國演義) have been pulled together from shorter stories that were already transmitted among the people. Vernacular tales have always had people adding bits, editing bits, everyone sharing material ... the stories belonged to everyone. There was never a problem about royalties. Everyone is free to make changes, because the story (as it exists today) has evolved through a process of changes. The story changes constantly with changing times ... so if there is anything about the story that I am dissatisfied with, then I am free to change it. I have never been that satisfied with Water Margin as a novel. Even in its various operatic forms, I have not always been satisfied. So I have added something of my own.

TT: Does the language of Chinese opera pose too high a barrier for young audiences today?

CTC: Everything Wu Hsing-kuo is doing is bringing in young audiences. As for difficulties with language (the language of classical Chinese opera), I was taken to the opera from around age four. The gap in understanding for me then was much greater than for a 20-something today. By taking in an opera once every two or three weeks, I learned to understand, even without the aid of subtitles. ... We don't have to dumb opera down for young people, nor do we need to go too far out of our way to cater to them.

PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO

TT: What is the relevance of Water Margin to a modern audience?

CTC: The bandits of the story have their own conception of justice. And the priority of this justice is higher than that of officials in the government, though it is below that of the emperor, who represents god, or heaven. The question that 108 Heroes addresses, is about a group of men, each with their own reason for not fitting into society. They may be discontented with mainstream society. ... They have been forced out of society, so they must create their own society. Then they need to find a way of making this created society fit in with the mainstream or use it to change the mainstream.

The first half of the show is about men trying to overturn a mainstream society about which they are dissatisfied. The second half is about women trying to overturn a masculine (social order) about which they are dissatisfied.

'108 Heroes' tests the limits of artistic fusion as it tries to mix opera, pop music and hip-hop

Published on Taipei Times
Friday, Oct 05, 2007, Page 13

By Ian Bartholomew
STAFF REPORTER

Water Margin PHOTO: COURTESY OF CONTEMPORARY LEGEND THEATER

Contemporary Legend Theater (當代傳奇劇場, CLT), under the direction of Beijing opera innovator Wu Hsing-kuo (吳興國), has, since its inception, taken a bold path in its efforts to give the centuries-old Chinese artistic tradition relevance to the modern world. 108 Heroes (水滸108) is its most ambitious project to date, potentially part of a three-part series which aims to radically reinterpret the Chinese classic novel Water Margin (水滸傳), also widely known as Outlaws of the Marsh and All Men Are Brothers in various English editions.

To achieve this goal, CLT has drawn on a powerhouse of talent, most notably contemporary novelist and literary figure Chang Ta-chun (張大春), who wrote the script, and pop idol and composer Emil Chow (周華健), who contributed contemporary music and songs, in addition to Wu himself. That these three names should appear together is remarkable in itself, for the worlds of high-brow contemporary literature, pop music and Beijing opera would seem unlikely bedfellows. Whether the CLT team has managed to bring these worlds together into a single unified production remains to be seen, for the work was still undergoing fine tuning this week prior to its world premiere at Taipei's Metropolitan Hall tonight.

The novel, of uncertain authorship and with many versions, came into wide circulation in the 14th century and tells the story of a band of outlaws who were active in the early 12th century during the Song Dynasty. It is very much a boy's book about honor among sworn brothers and the nature of justice in a corrupt world. It contains an interminable series of violent encounters between various characters, often for the most trivial reasons (slighted honor or excessive drinking), and in many respects is the ancient equivalent of the First-Person Shooter of today. It is also notorious for its appalling treatment of its female characters, when it can be bothered with the doings of women at all.

Sections of this massive novel have been adapted through the ages for opera, but 108 Heroes makes a radical revision of even some basic elements of the story to make it more relevant and interesting for a contemporary audience. Most notably, the roles of female characters have been expanded, in some cases drawing on other related source materials.

PERFORMANCE NOTES What: 108 Heroes by Contemporary Legend Theater Where: Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台) located at 25, Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段25號) When: Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm; tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm Tickets: NT$500 to NT$2,000, available through NTCH ticketing or at the door Details: Performances will have subtitles in English and Chinese

Moreover, Wu has brought in five aspiring opera performers to play a multiplicity of roles that the show demands. This is something of a Wu specialty, showcased most notably in his adaptation of King Lear, in which he played all the roles himself. These performers, though only in their early 20s have over a decade of experience behind them already (opera training starts young), are pushed to the limit. "This is for their benefit," Wu said. "The thing performers lack most these days is stage experience." Wu's direction has allowed them the space to present their own perspectives and personalities, giving this opera a youthful edginess that is new to CLT, which has usually had Wu as the focus of major shows.

Wu, who has made a career of reinterpreting classic Western works such as Macbeth and The Tempest for modern audiences using the forms of traditional Chinese opera, says that staying relevant and retaining audiences has always been at the heart of his endeavor. "I was forced into doing Western works, for only in this way could I find audiences for Chinese opera," he said of his early days as a young opera performer. These ideas where at the heart of his break from the opera establishment and the founding of CLT in 1986. "When we adapt a work, we must look at how it connects with the modern world. This is our central concern."

The idea of crossing boundaries, of mixing media, of fusing Eastern and Western forms, of bringing traditional arts in the 21st century, have all become cliches of the modern performing arts. Critics are inclined to say that what emerges is simply a hodgepodge, that by trying to be everything, it ends up being nothing. Wu, in mixing up various styles of opera, and even bringing in pop and hip-hop musical elements in his new show, believes that he manages to remain true to the essence of Chinese opera.

Commenting specifically on the mix of various opera styles, Chang said: "Let's look at American music, the period when jazz was developing. I think that what Wu is doing with Chinese opera is similar to the situation of when jazz was emerging. All sorts of music, such as gospel, soul, blues were mixed up together. This is the same sort of thing."

Herman the German paints icons for peace

A modern-day icon maker, Herman the German has arrived in Taipei with a small show that he hopes will lead to bigger things

By Ian Bartholomew
STAFF REPORTER

Works by Herman the German. PHOTO: COURTESY OF HERMAN

He goes by only one name, Herman, and the images he makes have become recognized around the world, in all sorts of places, ranging from club logos to monumental icons. He is in Taiwan to launch a small show at the German Cultural Center here in Taipei. This is Herman's first visit to Taipei, and in his optimistic way, he is sure that from small things, great things will grow.

His paintings have a rough, simplistic look, but are full of verbal and pictorial humor. A professional cartoonist, Herman gave up his battle against the big cartoon syndicates, and decided to adopt a style of drawing that would differentiate him from the smooth, fluid lines of comic strips such as Garfield and Alfie.

His images are now notable for their jagged lines, which make them distinctive, as does the direct, innocent humor. It is this innocence and simplicity that is behind their appeal to a wide audience all over the world.

"Lots of artists have tried to imitate me, but it doesn't work," Herman said in an interview with the Taipei Times last Tuesday. "When I paint a picture, it is like I write the words ... for me, when I paint, it is like writing. All that I put inside the picture comes out if you like it and look at it. This is perhaps the reason for its success. They don't see the edgy (jagged lines), but they see the round meanings behind them."

Herman's work, often initiated on a monumental scale, is then reproduced in limited-edition prints. These are the tools with which he conducts his charity work, auctioning them at various events where they often fetch high prices.

His painting Angel, stands 50m high, and at its base there is a button with a counter attached. "[People] can press the button and can be counted as someone who wishes for peace. If lots of people push the button, there is the addition of many people looking for peace, and the wishes come up to the universe, and then float back down into the world. I would like to make a network with this angel and the counter, ... but you need sponsors, for it is a lot of work." A limited edition of an A4 silk-screen print signed by the artist fetches around US$112.

Exhibition notes What: Herman the German - First Time Crazy About Taiwan Where: German Cultural Center located at 12F, 20, Heping W Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市和平西路一段20號12樓) When: Monday to Friday, 10am to 8pm Until: Oct. 26

Herman is unabashed at his commercial success. "In Germany, to go the museum way, you must be quiet and shy and paint two pictures a year. But there is only a small community who likes it. When many people like my work, I am commercial: I don't understand this." He talks about merchandising his images in ways that would make the quiet, shy, two-pictures-a-year artist blush, but Herman responds that "I do not make some nobody-understanding pictures ... . I catch some of people's smallest wishes, what everybody wants. It is not a marketing strategy. I do not think in marketing terms. At first, I paint a picture because inside there is something that has to come out, but after that, it is not for me, this picture. It is for anybody. Or everybody."

Herman's language of colors and lines translates all around the world. "It allows me to work with children or adults from all around the world, for I show them the picture and they know what I mean." Some of the jokes in the current exhibition, based on word games in the title, might require an understanding of German, but even in these the humor is simple and direct, once the joke is explained, and it is easy to see how the artist's mind works at capturing people's "smallest wishes" for such things as peace, or the enjoyment of the simple pleasures of life.

These tiny vignettes which zoom in on a single idea, with all the external detail ruthlessly cut away, is what makes Herman such an adept maker of icons.

Published on Taipei Times
Thursday, Oct 04, 2007, Page 15