NSO Japanese tour ends on high note

Tokyo, June 5 (CNA) The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) of Taiwan opened the last show of its tour of Japan playing "The Angel from Formosa" on Wednesday night, with NSO music director Jun Märkl hailing the performance as the finest of the four-concert run.

The NSO gave the final show of its Japanese tour at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, one of the main music venues in the Japanese capital.

Following a breathtaking performance of "The Angel from Formosa" by Taiwanese composer Tyzen Hsiao (蕭泰然), the NSO played "Double Concerto in E Minor, Op 88," by German composer Max Bruch and "Symphony No. 4" by Gustav Mahler, showcasing precision and skills built on the chemistry between the musicians and Märkl, who told reporters after the show that he thought it was the best of the tour which kicked off on May 31.

Kamakura Vice Mayor Shoichiro Chida, NHK Symphony Orchestra Chairman Koichi Nakanoya, Japanese conductor Ryuichiro Sonoda, Head of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Lutz Güllner, and opera singer Tseng Dau-Hsiong (曾道雄) were among the VIPs who attended the concert.

Sonoda praised NSO violinist Paul Huang's (黃俊文) effortless and skillful performance, while Tseng said the concert made him feel proud to be Taiwanese.

After the show, Märkl, Huang, violist Veit Hertenstein, and soprano Ena Miyachi, who sang on Symphony No. 4, held a signing event at the concert hall, attended by many concertgoers.