Events.
Yi-Fang Ko, way to go!
Yi-Fang Ko Classical Guitar Concert, Taiwan.
Yi-Fang Ko (柯懿芳), a prominent guitarist, possessing the finest technical and artistic attainment, gave a classical guitar concert to a full house in the exceptional acoustics National Concert Hall of the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (國立中正紀念堂國家音樂廳).
Miss Ko received her Master of Music education at Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan (輔仁大學), then completed her degree of Doctor of Arts in Music with Mr. Paul Reilly of Ball State University, U. S. A. in 2009.
The long anticipated concert opened with “Waiting for Dawn/Sunday Morning Overcast” by A. York.
Yi-Fang Ko’s musical trademarks: exquisitely beautiful sound, extraordinary tonal variety, and definitive musical interpretation instantly caught the attention and admiration of the entire audience.
The music of J. S. Bach is ever new; a treasure always available to uplift the spirit and refresh the soul. Yi-Fang Ko presented a superb performance of the Prelude, Fugue and Allegro, BWV 998.
An incredibly difficult work, her playing of Bach was intelligent, sensitive and adept. Forgetting all else, one became totally immersed in the music. Using the technique adapted to a single instrument, Yi-Fang Ko brought a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings to nearly 400 music lovers. By the end of the piece, the listeners were so happy and grateful that Bach had written this thought-provoking and heart-warming music.
The concert proceeded with a duet performance of “ Three Romances for Two Guitars” (F. Kleynjans) by Yi-Fang Ko and her younger sister, Yi-Ching Ko (柯懿芹), another guitarist known for her phenomenal clarity and highly expressive playing.
Their collaboration on this romantic repertoire was acclaimed for its precision; as if the rapport of two nature’s: human beings (Ko sisters) & wood (two guitars) were closely interacting with an introspective lyricism attuned to the poetry of this music.
Another invigorating duet work, “Summer Garden”, was composed by Brazilian sibling guitarists (Sergio & Adair Assad).
The genetic instinct dexterously crafted the Ko sisters to breath with musical line, to articulate each note as surely as they would utter the syllables of the title, and influentially, with help of guitar makers Randy Reynolds & Jose Ramirez, to discover the very human-like voice of the guitar.
The concert reached its climax when Yi-Fang Ko performed “LiBra Sonatina” by R. Dyens.
The overall structure, counterpoint, harmony, voicing, line, articulation, texture, elegance, character and color of this sophisticated music were perfectly interpreted so that every note and expression had its rightful place and nothing ever seemed too elaborate or deprived of something too intense.
Beautiful compositions, transcriptions and arrangements for guitar plus Yi-Fang Ko’s femininely delicate performances kept the sold-out-house on the edge of their seats. Throughout the concert the audience listened with rapt attention, almost reverence, and their ovation was instantaneous.
Quite often we are told that happiness is an illusion. Happiness is obviously not an illusion. Because on that particular night, all the attendees there felt it, not once but many times.
Concert repertoires:
“Waiting for Dawn/ Sunday Morning Overcast” by A. York.
“Prelude, Fugue and Allegro BWV 998” by J. S. Bach.
“ Three Romances for Two Guitars” by F. Kleynjans.
Selections from “The Castles of Spain” by F. M. Torroba.
- Siguenza
- Manzanares el Real
- Alba de Tormes
- Olite
“Sonata III” by M.M. Ponce
- Allegro moderato
- Chanson
- Allegro non troppo
Selections from the Suite “Summer Garden” by S. Assad.
- Invitation
- Helping Hands
- Farewell
- Butterflies
- Water Frenzy
“LiBra Sonatina” by R. Dyens.
Guitars:
Randy Reynolds: The Grand Legacy model (strings: D’Addario EJ45).
Jose Ramirez: SP model (strings: Galli Genius Titanio Strings GR45)
National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH) - A brief introduction -
Despite its convenient location of sitting in the hustle and bustle Boai District （博愛特區） of Taipei city, the National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH) offers an extraordinary environment for art performances with outstanding acoustics.
NTCH was premeditated by Ho-Mou Architect Firm in 1975 with a total cost of US$2.2 billion. A hardware design team consisted of Germany-based GNH and Holland-based Philips crafted the mastermind of stereos, stages and lighting.
The entire project was completed in 1987. It is managed by National Chang Kai-Shek Cultural Center (or generally known as the National Theater and Concert Hall).
This unique and serene venue offers musicians the peace of mind necessary to support their artistic and performance projects in the best possible environment imaginable.
Article submitted by Vincent Tsao - Taiwan
