Taipei Symphony Orchestra

The Taipei City Symphony Orchestra, with its 50th anniversary approaching, announced on March 20th that its new Principle Conductor will be appointed to Israeli Conductor Maestro Eliahu Inbal by Director Kang-Kuo Ho.
 
    The former Principal Conductor Gilbert Varga served until the end of December last year. Taipei Symphony Orchestra has handed over the selection of successors since May last year. It has held three selection committees, including members of the music industry and representatives of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. In the end, Inbal was unanimously praised as the Principal Conductor of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, and his term of office will be from August 2019 to July 2022.
 
    Inbal’s musical prestige is internationally renowned. He is regarded as one of the important Mahler interpreters of the contemporary era. After he took office, he will perform a complete performance of Mahler with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. He talks about Mahler’s interpretation of his strengths. Inbal believes that Mahler’s Complete Works is good for reinventing and training an orchestra, "There are very delicate parts of Mahler, like Schubert and Schumann; sometimes there is a need to gather the powerful energy of Berlioz, Shostakovich and Wagner. Musicians must have all the musicality and performance skills, so being able to play the Mahler series is the best way to lead a symphony orchestra."

   Although Inbal himself was unable to come to Taiwan to attend the press conference due to his own concert schedule, he greeted the fans and the media through a short video. He worked with Taiwan once, and he was impressed by the seriousness and dedication of the Taiwanese musicians. From his extensive experience as the Principal Conductor of many symphony orchestras, he confidently stated that "the goal of the Principal Conductor is to maximize the possibility of the orchestra. I can't talk about the past and present of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, but I can tell you for its future! We look forward to a very good cooperation in the future, to witness the growth and development of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra!"
   
    Encouraged by Bernstein, Inbal began to command and won the first prize of the Guido Canteli Conducting Competition at the age of 26, and began his international commanding career. He is the former director of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Venice Phoenix Theatre Orchestra, the Turin Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Czech Philharmonic and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. He is still the honorary conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and has a worldwide reputation. His interpretations of Mahler, Bruckner and Shostakovich have been internationally recognized and won numerous awards. He has won the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the Vienna City Gold Medal, the Frankfurt City Goethe Medal of Honor and the German Federal Merit Medal.

    Inbal’s first concert will be Mahler’s Symphony No.8 “Symphony of a Thousand” this year in October. He will also later perform Mahler, Bruckner and Shostakovich with the TSO. Music fans will have plenty exciting concerts to look forward to.


Maestro Eliahu Inbal