An Epic Dialogue of Senses and Destiny: Taichung Opera House Presents 'Encountering Giants' This Autumn

Taichung Opera House's annual autumn-winter highlight, the 'Encountering Giants' series, will run from October 16 to December 27, 2023, presenting 11 visionary masterpieces that respond to the theater's decade of artistic evolution. The program includes the flagship opera Mozart's 'Così fan tutte,' Robert Lepage's epic theatrical masterpiece 'Faith, Money, War and Love,' and Sir Simon Rattle's return with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. The opera house eagerly anticipates sharing these exceptional performances with the public, with members eligible for a 25% discount on tickets purchased before noon on August 18.

The press conference opened with a captivating performance by resident artist Lai Chi-Hsia and percussionist Hung Hsiao-Hsuan, incorporating sound installations such as wooden fish, drums, and gongs to create immersive sonic resonance throughout the space. 'The Kingdom of Desire' leads Zhu Bo-Cheng and Huang Jo-Lin performed live, interpreting Shakespeare's tragedy 'Macbeth' through Peking Opera vocal techniques and movements.

Artistic Director Lee Hui-Mei stated, 'All deconstruction stems from understanding; all reconstruction arises from the present.' She emphasized that the 'Encountering Giants' series, over its 10-year journey, has evolved from 'understanding classics' to 'boldly reimagining them,' and from 'local roots' to 'cross-disciplinary dialogue.' At this historic juncture, themed 'Deconstruction and Reconstruction,' the series showcases a dialogue between classics and the contemporary moment—a theatrical memorandum the opera house offers to the future.

The opening production, 'Lost Lear' by Irish visionary director Dan Kiley, internationally acclaimed for its fusion of Shakespeare's 'King Lear' with themes of dementia, seeks gentle communication through the cracks between reality and memory. Canadian director Robert Lepage, a frequent visitor, collaborates for the first time with Berlin's Schaubühne to present the five-hour epic 'Faith, Money, War and Love.' Using the four suits of playing cards, it unfolds four narrative threads spanning over 80 years of German and European history, showcasing Lepage's signature 'theatrical magic' through seamless visual transformations.

To celebrate Mozart's 270th birthday, French avant-garde director Laurent Pelly reinterprets the classic comic opera 'Così fan tutte,' relocating the setting to a 1950s radio recording studio. Through a 'play-within-a-play' structure, it re-examines the eternal debate on love and fidelity. Rehearsal conductor, vocal and choral director Hsu Chia-Chi, tenor Lin Yi-Wei, and soprano Hsiao Han attended the press conference. Hsu noted that the most captivating aspect of 'Così fan tutte' is Mozart's refusal to hastily judge any character, using ensemble singing to portray overlapping emotions and relationships, revealing the truth of human nature in love. This production amplifies the original's humor, absurdity, and humanity.

Sir Simon Rattle and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra will perform Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 3 in A minor and Schubert's Symphony No. 9 in C major 'The Great'—two symphonic epics celebrating life and time. Resident artist Lai Chi-Hsia combines traditional instruments like wooden fish and bronze gongs with automated devices and interactive audio in 'Resonance Project: Sensing Sound,' creating a multi-sensory sonic experience beyond hearing. Lai, a native of Taichung, spent her two-year residency visiting traditional instrument workshops in Miaoli, Taichung, Nantou, and Yunlin, gaining deep insights into craftsmanship and creative inspiration through workshops. This performance fuses tradition with technology, surrounding audiences with rich sonic textures, inviting them to open their senses to new sounds of traditional instruments.

In dance and cross-genre theater, Norwegian choreographer Aaron Louxien Auvinen, known for 'One Lies, One Loves' in 2024, adapts the Greek tragedy 'Antigone,' collaborating with senior dancers from Pina Bausch's Tanztheater Wuppertal and Taiwanese dancers Wu Meng-Ke and Tu Li-Yuan, using physical language to interrogate timeless moral conscience. Belgian cross-genre theater company Mossoux-Bonté makes its Taiwan debut with 'Witches' Sabbath,' inspired by Goya's 'Black Paintings,' constructing a mesmerizing, eerie black fantasy through puppet doppelgängers and the dance of death.

After 20 years in Taiwan's dance scene, Chiao Dance Theater, led by Su Wei-Chia, presents 'The Great Ensemble,' uniting founding members and new-generation dancers to challenge choreographic structures with pure physicality. Su explained that the core concept is collective movement weaving across the stage, carrying a 20-year bodily chronicle. Twelve exceptional performers become living physics lessons—fulcrums, parabolas, centrifugal forces—offering subtle touches that bring smiles and dynamic precision that feels poetic yet exact. He invites old and new friends to savor this richly layered performance.

In December, three legendary traditional theater troupes take the stage. Ming Hwa Yuan presents Taiwan's first 'business war' Gezai opera, 'The Rise of Oolong,' starring Sun Tsui-Feng, telling the legendary rise of Li Chun-Sheng, 'Father of Taiwan Oolong Tea,' blending Zhangzhou and Quanzhou vocal styles to revive late Qing-era Taiwan's cultural splendor. Executive Director Chen Chao-Hsien stated that 'The Rise of Oolong' begins with a single tea leaf, showing how Taiwan oolong tea broke through late Qing turmoil and fierce commercial battles to reach the global stage. The production recreates large-scale historical conflicts like the 'Ding-Xia Clan Fight' and 'Camphor Wars,' bringing business rivalries, armed clashes, and industrial rise and fall to the Gezai stage, overturning audience expectations of traditional theater themes. It also features Ni安东 as British merchant Todd, performing alongside Sun Tsui-Feng to portray Taiwan oolong tea's international breakthrough.

Contemporary Legend Theatre celebrates its 40th anniversary with a revival of the cross-cultural classic 'The Kingdom of Desire,' led by Wu Hsing-Kuo and Wei Hai-Min, featuring master-apprentice performances to pass on the legacy. It transforms Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'—its ambition and destruction—into the pinnacle of Peking Opera aesthetics. Wei Hai-Min joked during her speech that after playing Lady Macbeth, the 'wicked woman,' 40 years ago, she 'took a wrong turn,' going on to play Wang Xi-Feng and Tsao Qi-Chiao, becoming a 'villainess expert.' 'I'm grateful to have portrayed so many different women on stage. I hope every woman can express her inner self.'

'Happy birthday, Contemporary Legend!' Wu Hsing-Kuo declared. 'For 40 years, we've aimed to break down linguistic, stage, and cultural boundaries between East and West, finding a global language from traditional roots. 'The Kingdom of Desire' was our founding work. This time, our crucial mission is legacy. Please support young performers Zhu Bo-Cheng and Huang Jo-Lin, and help pass great works to the next generation.'

Tang Mei-Yun Gezai Opera Company presents the supernatural comedy 'Phantom Tales of the Southern Capital,' blending Taiwan's history and folk 'ghost stories,' unraveling a sealed identity mystery in a century-old haunted mansion. Tang Mei-Yun explained that the story centers on a historic mansion facing urban renewal, haunted by unresolved murders. 'Ghost roommates' from different eras—Umbrella Sister, Chair Girl—become endearing characters solving crimes with modern residents, accidentally achieving a happy outcome. It's a non-scary black comedy, inviting audiences to visit the mansion and see if urban renewal can succeed.

The 'NTT Encountering Giants' series begins performances in October, inviting audiences to step into classics and explore the infinite possibilities created by 'theatrical giants.' For detailed program information, please visit the opera house's official website.