Department of Cultural Affairs

By Gobby Wang
Staff Writer

The Taipei Symphony Orchestra's 2013 New Year concert will take place in Zhongzheng Auditorium of Taipei Zhongshan Hall on December 28, bringing an evening of tuneful and melodious rhythms to the audience.

Taipei Symphony Orchestra has invited renowned Austrian conductor Hans Peter Ochsenhofer to Taipei for the 2013 New Year concert, a special treat for the thousands of fans who always eagerly await the Neujahrskonzert of the Wiener Philharmoniker. Now fans of the Austrian conductor can appreciate a music feast under his leadership in person rather than watching it on television.

Ochsenhofer, 64, was born in Graz, Austria, in 1948. He was an outstanding viola player before becoming a conductor. He won a position as a professor at the Vienna Conservatory of Music in 1983 and was appointed to a full professorship for viola at the Vienna National University of Music in 1993. Ochsenhofer has also been a member of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna String Quartett, and, he has performed with the Wiener Virtuosen. In 2005 he was invited to conduct the chamber orchestra "Wiener Mozartisten" for the first time, an appearance which led to more and more invitations from abroad to appear.

Austria's prestigious Strauss family founded the Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker series of New Year's concert, featuring repertories made up of compositions by the Strauss family with works by other composers as well. The repertory for this year's concert include Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus Overture and Csárdás aus "Ritter Pasman", Op. 441; Johann Strauss I's Annen Polka, Op. 137 and Sperl Polka, Op. 133 and Joseph Lanner: Die Mozartisten, Op. 196 and several other works.

Johann Strauss II composed "Die Fledermaus Overture" in 1837 in only 6 weeks. Die Fledermaus narrates a story that centers on Dr. Falke dressed up as a bat for a costume party. He drinks himself into a stupor and falls asleep and is dropped onto the street from a carriage by his friend Eisenstein. The next morning, people surround and deride Dr. Falke for his bat costume, hence Dr. Falke decides to take revenge on Eisenstein and bring shame on him at another dress ball.

For more information, please visit www.artsticket.com.tw or call (02)3393-9888.