Lan Shui to Conduct NTSO Concert Featuring Twin Cellist Virtuosos
National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra's (NTSO) Principal Guest Conductor Lan Shui returns to Taiwan to collaborate with the orchestra on Finnish composer Kalevi Aho's rarely performed "Concerto for Two Cellos." The piece will be interpreted by twin brothers and cellists, Pei-Sian Ng and Pei-Jee Ng. The concerts will be held on May 22 at the Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts and on May 23 at the NTSO Concert Hall.
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National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra's (NTSO) Principal Guest Conductor, Lan Shui, is returning to Taiwan to collaborate with the orchestra on a rarely heard piece in Taiwan: Finnish composer Kalevi Aho's "Concerto for Two Cellos," which will be jointly performed by twin brothers and cellists, Pei-Sian Ng and Pei-Jee Ng.
In a press release today, the NTSO stated that Aho is renowned for composing large-scale orchestral works with a strong style, reminiscent of composers Gustav Mahler or Dmitri Shostakovich. This "Concerto for Two Cellos" was commissioned from Aho by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 2003. The piece resembles a tense battlefield dialogue, but due to its extremely high technical difficulty, it is seldom performed.
Performing the duo concerto this time are twin cellists Pei-Sian Ng and Pei-Jee Ng, who are currently the Principal Cellist of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Principal Cellist of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, respectively.
Born in Australia, Pei-Sian Ng's artistic footprint spans across Europe and Asia. He has performed alongside masters like Yo-Yo Ma, demonstrating high international visibility and musical maturity. Pei-Jee Ng previously served as co-principal of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and became the Principal Cellist of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 2023.
Pei-Sian and Pei-Jee Ng also perform together as a cello duo, from chamber music to large-scale concertos, showcasing great chemistry and a distinct contrast in tone. They commented that in Aho's "Concerto for Two Cellos," the two cellos begin as if competing and wrestling, probing each other without yielding. In the middle section, they gradually draw closer, even resonating with each other, and finally merge into one. "It's much like our relationship as brothers."
The "NTSO Lan Shui, Pei-Sian Ng, Pei-Jee Ng & NTSO" concerts will take place on the 22nd at the Concert Hall of the Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts and on the 23rd at the NTSO Concert Hall. Other pieces on the program include J. Brahms' Symphony No. 1 and E. Grieg's "Peer Gynt" Suite No. 1.
In a press release today, the NTSO stated that Aho is renowned for composing large-scale orchestral works with a strong style, reminiscent of composers Gustav Mahler or Dmitri Shostakovich. This "Concerto for Two Cellos" was commissioned from Aho by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 2003. The piece resembles a tense battlefield dialogue, but due to its extremely high technical difficulty, it is seldom performed.
Performing the duo concerto this time are twin cellists Pei-Sian Ng and Pei-Jee Ng, who are currently the Principal Cellist of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Principal Cellist of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, respectively.
Born in Australia, Pei-Sian Ng's artistic footprint spans across Europe and Asia. He has performed alongside masters like Yo-Yo Ma, demonstrating high international visibility and musical maturity. Pei-Jee Ng previously served as co-principal of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and became the Principal Cellist of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 2023.
Pei-Sian and Pei-Jee Ng also perform together as a cello duo, from chamber music to large-scale concertos, showcasing great chemistry and a distinct contrast in tone. They commented that in Aho's "Concerto for Two Cellos," the two cellos begin as if competing and wrestling, probing each other without yielding. In the middle section, they gradually draw closer, even resonating with each other, and finally merge into one. "It's much like our relationship as brothers."
The "NTSO Lan Shui, Pei-Sian Ng, Pei-Jee Ng & NTSO" concerts will take place on the 22nd at the Concert Hall of the Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts and on the 23rd at the NTSO Concert Hall. Other pieces on the program include J. Brahms' Symphony No. 1 and E. Grieg's "Peer Gynt" Suite No. 1.