10.30 20:00
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall,
Segerstrom Performing Arts Center,
Costa Mesa

■Performer

Taiwan Philharmonic
Shao-Chia Lü, conductor
Stephen Hough, piano

■Program

GORDON CHIN: 'Dancing Song' from Three Aboriginal Songs for Orchestra
LISZT: Piano Concerto No.1, S.124, E-flat major
DEBUSSY: La mer
RAVEL: Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2

■More Info

Following the Taiwan Philharmonic's triumphant U.S. debut in Costa Mesa in 2016, the Los Angeles Times declared, "The Taiwan Philharmonic is overdue for a major U.S. tour." This fall, the Taiwan Philharmonic (known as the National Symphony Orchestra at home) returns with music director Shao-Chia Lü and pianist Stephen Hough.

Regarded as a Renaissance man of his time, Stephen Hough has a reputation as a uniquely insightful concert pianist and also as a writer and composer. Mr. Hough is commended for his mastery of the instrument as well as an individual and inquisitive mind that has earned him a multitude of prestigious awards and a longstanding international following. In 2001, Mr. Hough became the first classical performing artist to win a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. He was awarded the 2008 Northwestern University’s Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano and went on to win the Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist Award in 2010. In December 2013 Mr. Hough was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE).

10.31 20:00
Copley Symphony Hall,
Jacobs Music Center,
San Diego

■Performer

TAIWAN PHILHARMONIC
SHAO-CHIA LÜ, conductor
STEPHEN HOUGH, piano

■Program

GORDON CHIN: 'Dancing Song' from Three Aboriginal Songs for Orchestra
LISZT: Piano Concerto No.1, S.124, E-flat major
DEBUSSY: La mer
RAVEL: Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2

■More Info

The Washington Post describes pianist Stephen Hough as “a virtuoso who begins where others leave off.” In this one-night-only performance, he joins the Taiwan Philharmonic in Liszt’s dramatic first piano concerto. One of today’s greatest living pianists, Hough has been name by The Economist as one of the Twenty Living Polymaths, and he was the first classical performer to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. The Guardian describes his performances as “the most perfect piano playing conceivable.”

The Taiwan Philharmonic visits San Diego as part of their 2018 North American tour after a highly-acclaimed 2013 US debut. “From Formosa” refers to a historic republic on the island of Taiwan. This performance traces Taiwan’s classical music tradition with Taiwanese composer Gordon Chin’s ‘Dancing Song’ and works by Debussy and Ravel. Music Director Shao-Chia Lü conducts.

11.3 19:30
Meany Hall,
Meany Center for the Performing Arts,
Seattle

■Performer

TAIWAN PHILHARMONIC
SHAO-CHIA LÜ, conductor
STEPHEN HOUGH, piano

■Program

GORDON CHIN:‘Dancing Song’ from Three Aboriginal Songs for Orchestra
FRANZ LISZT: Piano Concerto, No. 1, S.124, E-flat major
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Symphony No.2 Op.73

■More Info

Hailed as “one of Asia’s best” by The Los Angeles Times, the Taiwan Philharmonic is an affiliate of the National Performing Art Center, Taiwan’s leading center for the performing arts. Led by Shao-Chia Lu, the orchestra has increased the country's cultural stature at home and on the international stage. For its Seattle debut, the orchestra performs works by Brahms and Gordon Chin, one of Taiwan's most prolific and sought after composers. The orchestra is joined by acclaimed pianist Stephen Hough for Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1.

Lü has an innate gift for flow and pulse. His tight, buoyant rhythms are the perfect match for this orchestra’s incisive rhythms and astounding ensemble-sine qua non qualities.
—American Record Guide

About Stephen Hough

Hough’s impeccable ear for the inner voice, his way with line, the sheer musicality of his approach came through with crystal clarity. He’s truly an exquisite player.
— Musical America

11.5 20:00
Davies Symphony Hall,
San Francisco

■Perfomer

TAIWAN PHILHARMONIC
SHAO-CHIA LÜ, conductor
YU-CHIEN TSENG, violin

■Program

GORDON CHIN: ‘Dancing Song’ from Three Aboriginal Songs for Orchestra
SAMUEL BARBER: Violin Concerto, Op.14
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Symphony No.2, Op.73

■More Info

The Taiwan Philharmonic visits San Francisco as part of their 2018 North American tour after a highly-acclaimed 2013 US debut. Music Director Shao-Chia Lü conducts. “From Formosa” refers to a historic republic on the island of Taiwan. This performance traces Taiwan’s classical music tradition with Taiwanese composer Gordon Chin’s ‘Dancing Song’ and works by Barber and Brahms.

This evening’s performance marks 24-year old violinist Yu-Chien Tseng’s San Francisco debut, interpreting Barber’s intensely lyrical violin concerto. Yu-Chien’s career is rapidly rising on international stages, and in 2016, he was signed to the legendary record label Deutsche Grammophon.