By Lin Fang-yi

Curator, Weiwuying Contemporary Music Platform

Artist Director, Studio Acht

Music is an intangible art form not only because music is invisible but also because musicians explore philosophical contexts and pursue aesthetic practice in the field of sound art with intangible materials. As definitions of music transforms over generations, the way these intangible materials are utilized, the dimensions of sound aesthetics, the relationship between sound and time, and the interactions between space and settings are constantly reinvented. Over the course of a whole century, it turned into a vast and profound art form that is on a par with the development of human technology. The program of the 2020 Contemporary Music Platform which is centered around the theme of “The Visible & The Invisible” aims to transcend the sounds of contemporary music and take audiences on a journey to explore the pulse of creativity behind the compositions. 

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The 2020 Contemporary Music Platform has invited Mr. Peter Eötvös, a renowned international authority in the field of contemporary music, to serve as the center’s resident composer in 2020. Mr. Eötvös will not only present numerous personal works that represent milestones in the history of contemporary music at the opening concert but will also serve as the instructor for a composing masterclass. Two documentaries will portray the illustrious career of this maestro in the art of composing and conducting contemporary music. Mr. Eötvös has supported promising young composers and conductors in their professional training and international careers over many years. This special concert and the masterclass achievement concert will be directed by Lin Liao and Su-Han Yang, two of his disciples in Taiwan. Lin Liao will also lead the musicians of the Weiwuying Academy in the rendition of works of young composers who have been protégés of Mr. Eötvös in recent years. These concerts demonstrate the commitment of the Weiwuying Contemporary Music Platform to the simultaneous cultivation of music creators and performers.

The Ensemble Fabrique Normande from France and bagpipe virtuoso Erwan Keravec will present two highly unique creations that embody the diversity of contemporary music with a fusion of traditional and modern, visible and invisible materials, and sound, humans, and settings. The Ensemble Fabrique Normande’s (In)-Real Sound Surroundings is a quartet arrangement for Karlax, an electronic instrument, violin, cello, and flute. This composition aims to rediscover the spirit of chamber music through an intricate linkage between electroacoustics and instruments in a technological creation process. Embracing the same spirit, violinist Wu Szuhwa, a member of the Ensemble Fabrique Normande, will present Playing on the Edge, a highly innovative violin performance which represents a fusion of the classical, contemporary, and electroacoustic genres and explores all dimensions of solo violin. Bagpipe maestro Erwan Keravec will perform Sonneurs, a piece that transcends traditional bagpipe techniques and styles together with his Breton quartet. A duo performance by Erwan Keravec and professional dancer Mickaël Phelippeau, titled Membre Fantome, explores new performance modes for the bagpipe based on its characteristics as an outdoor instrument. On the foundation of achievements of the Artist Workshop in the previous year, Yunshuyachi Ensemble will present Re-make in Asia, a new creation for Asian instruments including the Erhu (a Chinese two-stringed bowed instrument), Taiko (a Japanese percussion instrument), Shinobue (a Japanese transverse flute), and Janggu (a Korean percussion instrument), featuring a fusion of styles and genres with traditional Asian music as the source of inspiration. 

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In terms of professional training, the Weiwuying Academy will enter its second stage, which will encompass actual participation and design of programs and promotion concerts. In the wake of the formation of the “Nanguan Experimental Group” last year, a “Musical Drama Experimental Group” was launched this year to explore new ways to blend drama, dialog, and song by incorporating contemporary music performance modes. 

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The Contemporary Music Platform aims to open up new avenues for audiences to gain a better understanding of contemporary music through multidimensional programs including performances, artist workshops, and professional training courses. It also strives to provide a launch pad for stable and broad international careers of local musicians through diversified planning efforts. 

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