相逢新歡告別舊愛，同一舞台：夏尼與兩大樂團初夏巡禮在台灣

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　　二○二六年春末，指揮家夏尼（Lahav Shani）的行程表出現一個頗有意思的巧合。四月底到五月初，他先帶著慕尼黑愛樂在台北與高雄演出三場；六週後的六月中，他再度回到高雄衛武營，這回帶的是鹿特丹愛樂。同一位指揮、同一座音樂廳、前後兩支世界級樂團，放眼夏尼今年的全球巡演行程，高雄是唯一出現這種組合的城市。

　　巧合的不是只有檔期。二○二六年九月，夏尼將正式接掌慕尼黑愛樂首席指揮；同年夏天，他與鹿特丹愛樂八年的首席指揮任期也將畫下句點。也就是說，五月他帶著慕尼黑愛樂登台時，是正式就任前的熱身；而六月與鹿特丹愛樂的演出，則是他與八年老夥伴的告別。新舊老夥伴的聚合，都恰巧在台灣登場展現。

政治陰霾下的百年老店：夏尼的接班挑戰

　　夏尼接手慕尼黑愛樂的背景並不單純。前任首席指揮葛濟耶夫（Valery Gergiev）因為拒絕在期限內公開譴責普京（Vladimir Putin）政權入侵烏克蘭，在戰爭爆發後迅速遭到解職。換言之，夏尼走進的是一間剛剛經歷政治地震的百年老店，樂團需要的不只是音樂上的接班人，更是能把注意力從政治爭議拉回音樂本身的人。只是樂團原本期待的「回歸音樂」並沒有真正發生，因為夏尼本人很快也被政治的烏雲覆蓋。身為以色列人同時兼任以色列愛樂音樂總監，夏尼在加薩戰爭的氣氛下，成為歐洲抗議場合的焦點之一。二○二五年九月，比利時法蘭德斯根特音樂節以他「未能提供足夠清晰的政治表態、與以色列政權劃清界線」為由，單方面取消慕尼黑愛樂的演出。前後兩任指揮都因為未與自己國家主政者切割而遭到抵制，同一支樂團在短短幾年內，從政治的一側被推向另一側，讓「單純聽一場音樂會」這件事在當下的歐洲變得越來越困難。

聲響的透明革命：解構馬勒《巨人》的懸念

　　慕尼黑愛樂過去在傑利畢達克（Sergiu Celibidache）、提勒曼（Christian Thielemann）等指揮的長期經營下，以厚重、緩慢、帶著儀式感的聲響著稱。這是一種非常德國傳統的美學，有其莊嚴，也有其距離感。夏尼接手後並未延續這套語彙，而是朝另一個方向前進：更透明的結構、更靈活的動態，以及更接近室內樂的聲部對話。

　　這條路線並非沒有爭議。德國《南德意志報》（Süddeutsche Zeitung）曾用「Klangvollender」，也就是「聲響的完成者」這個詞形容夏尼。只是這個詞在德語樂評中其實帶有微妙的保留。意思是他擅長打造華美、完整、表面無懈可擊的聲響；但在處理大型德奧作品時，作品內部的張力，以及那種從深處一路堆疊到終點的精神重量，有時會被過於漂亮的聲響稀釋掉。

　　五月初在衛武營聽夏尼指揮慕尼黑愛樂的馬勒第一號《巨人》，正好是檢驗這項質疑的好機會。聽眾不妨把注意力放在兩處：第一樂章導奏從無聲中甦醒，布穀鳥動機逐步堆積，直到第一個明亮爆發的那段弧線，究竟有沒有真正的推動感，還是只停留在華美的聲響？終樂章從地獄風暴走到勝利凱歌的那一波長線累積，是自然的推演，還是人工精心經營出來的效果？這兩個段落最容易檢驗夏尼是否真的存在「美聲掩蓋結構」的問題，也是這個晚上最值得豎起耳朵的地方。

西東詩集的養成：從樂池走上指揮台的同理心

　　六月的鹿特丹愛樂則是完全不同的故事。夏尼與這支荷蘭樂團的緣分，始於二○一六年一次客席演出：當時他二十七歲，客席演出短短兩個月後，便獲得樂團全體團員無異議投票通過，邀請他擔任首席指揮。這在古典樂壇非常罕見。年輕、外來、第一次合作就被老牌樂團集體接納，靠的不是資歷，而是樂手與他在舞台上實際共事時產生的化學反應。

　　要理解夏尼為什麼能做到這件事，得回溯到他更早的經歷。二○一○年，剛到柏林求學的他陪朋友到西東詩集管弦樂團（West-Eastern Divan Orchestra）甄試，擔任鋼琴伴奏的他意外被巴倫波英（Daniel Barenboim）注意。此後幾年，夏尼以低音提琴手的身分坐進這支由以色列與阿拉伯音樂家組成的樂團，從樂團內部觀察巴倫波英如何工作。接下來，兩人的角色翻轉：夏尼拿起指揮棒，巴倫波英則回到鋼琴前擔任獨奏者。二○一五年前後的一場西東詩集管弦樂團音樂會，巴倫波英在演奏安可曲時，把指揮棒直接交給夏尼，當著全場觀眾介紹這位接班人。

鹿特丹式的告別：自彈自指間的默契宣言

　　這段經歷塑造了夏尼的指揮哲學。他當過樂手，知道弦樂聲部的肢體極限在哪裡、也知道被一個獨裁指揮逼到死角是什麼感覺。所以他堅持指揮應該是樂團的一員，而不是外面發號施令的人。到了鹿特丹，他把這套想法推到極致：排練像室內樂那樣開放討論，樂手被視為共同決策者而非執行者。鹿特丹愛樂也以願意冒險、不怕失敗的團風回應他；夏尼形容這批樂手毫不畏懼，甚至不介意從懸崖邊掉下去。這種互信累積了八年，六月十三日在高雄的曲目就特別選蕭斯塔科維奇第二號鋼琴協奏曲，由夏尼自彈自指。這首作品編制輕盈、結構清澈，本身就偏向新古典風格。夏尼把它放進告別音樂會，與其說是一種哲學宣言，不如說是把八年培養出的聆聽默契，放進一首不需要強勢指揮權威、只要樂手用心彼此聆聽就能演出的作品裡。這是一種很鹿特丹式的告別方式。

　　慕尼黑愛樂代表的是一個百年老團，有自己沉重的歷史包袱，剛從政治風暴中走出，而夏尼要用他的透明聲響美學重新定義它的音樂語彙，這個磨合期才剛在起點。鹿特丹愛樂則是一段已經走到終點、相處成熟、彼此放心的夥伴關係，六月的音樂會是它的句點。能在同一座音樂廳、同一套聲學條件下，在六週內聽到夏尼處理這兩種截然不同的樂團關係，確實是一次極其罕見而珍貴的機會。兩場音樂會聆聽重點不同，卻都可以帶來相當具有啟發性的觀察經驗，值得愛樂者的期待。

In late spring 2026, an intriguing coincidence appears in the itinerary of conductor Lahav Shani. Between late April and early May, he will first lead the Munich Philharmonic for three performances in Taipei and Kaohsiung; six weeks later, in mid-June, he will return to the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), this time with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. One conductor, one concert hall, and two world-class orchestras—looking at Shani’s global tour schedule this year, Kaohsiung is the only city to witness this specific combination.

This is not merely a scheduling coincidence. In September 2026, Shani will officially take up the baton as Chief Conductor of the Munich Philharmonic; in the summer of the same year, his eight-year tenure as Chief Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic will come to an end. In other words, his May appearances with the Munich Philharmonic serve as a prelude to his new post, while the June performances with the Rotterdam Philharmonic mark a farewell to his long-standing colleagues. The convergence of new beginnings and old partnerships happens to unfold on stage in Taiwan.

A Century-Old Institution Under a Political Cloud: Shani's Succession Challenge

The circumstances under which Shani takes over the Munich Philharmonic are highly complex. His predecessor, Valery Gergiev, was abruptly dismissed shortly after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine for refusing to publicly condemn Vladimir Putin’s regime within a given deadline. Consequently, Shani is stepping into a century-old institution that has just weathered a political earthquake; the orchestra needs not just a musical successor, but someone who can redirect the focus from political controversy back to the music itself.

However, the anticipated 'return to music' did not truly materialise, as Shani himself was soon enveloped by political clouds. As an Israeli and the Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Shani became a focal point of protests in Europe amidst the war in Gaza. In September 2025, the Flanders Festival Ghent in Belgium unilaterally cancelled the Munich Philharmonic's performance, citing that they were "unable to provide sufficient clarity about his attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv". With two consecutive conductors facing boycotts for failing to sever ties with their respective national leaders, the same orchestra has been pushed from one end of the political spectrum to the other in just a few years, making the simple act of attending a concert increasingly fraught in contemporary Europe.

A Transparent Sonic Revolution: The Suspense of Deconstructing Mahler's Titan

Historically, under the long-term stewardship of maestros such as Sergiu Celibidache and Christian Thielemann, the Munich Philharmonic was renowned for a heavy, slow, and ritualistic sound. This reflects a deeply traditional German aesthetic—one imbued with solemnity but also a certain sense of distance. Upon taking over, Shani did not perpetuate this musical vocabulary; instead, he steered towards a different direction: more transparent structures, more agile dynamics, and section dialogues that more closely resemble chamber music.

This new route is not without its controversies. The German newspaper *Süddeutsche Zeitung" once described Shani with the term "Klangvollender" ("completer of sound"). Yet, in the context of German music criticism, this term carries a subtle reservation. It implies that while he excels at crafting a gorgeous, complete, and superficially flawless sound, the internal tension and the spiritual weight—the kind that builds from the profound depths to the ultimate climax in large-scale Austro-German works—can sometimes be diluted by this overly beautiful sonority.

Listening to Shani conduct the Munich Philharmonic in Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, "Titan", at Weiwuying in early May provides an excellent opportunity to examine this critique. Audiences might focus their attention on two particular moments: First, the introductory movement awakening from silence, where the cuckoo motif gradually builds until the first bright, explosive arc—is there a genuine driving force, or does it merely linger on a beautiful sound surface? Second, the long-line accumulation in the finale, transitioning from the storm of hell to the song of triumphant victory—is it a natural progression, or an artificially and meticulously engineered effect? These two segments are the easiest ways to test whether Shani genuinely suffers from the issue of "beauty masking structural depth," making them the most compelling moments to listen out for that evening.

The West-Eastern Divan Cultivation: Empathy from the Pit to the Podium

The June performances with the Rotterdam Philharmonic tell an entirely different story. Shani’s relationship with this Dutch orchestra began with a guest appearance in 2016. At the age of 27, just two months after this debut, he was unanimously voted in by the musicians as their Chief Conductor. This is exceptionally rare in the classical music world. For a young, foreign conductor to be collectively embraced by a venerable orchestra after just one collaboration relies not on seniority, but on the genuine chemistry generated when working together on stage.

To understand why Shani could achieve this, one must look back at his earlier experiences. In 2010, having recently arrived in Berlin to study, he accompanied a friend to an audition for the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, an ensemble comprising Israeli and Arab musicians. Playing as an accompanist, he unexpectedly caught the attention of Daniel Barenboim. In the following years, Shani joined the orchestra as a double bass player, observing from within how Barenboim worked. Later, their roles reversed: Shani took up the baton, while Barenboim returned to the piano as a soloist. Around 2015, during an encore at a West-Eastern Divan Orchestra concert, Barenboim handed his baton directly to Shani, introducing this young successor to the entire audience.

A Rotterdam-style Farewell: A Declaration of Rapport through Play-Conducting

These experiences profoundly shaped Shani’s conducting philosophy. Having been an orchestral player, he knows the physical limits of the string sections and understands the feeling of being cornered by a dictatorial conductor. Therefore, he insists that a conductor should be a part of the orchestra, not an outsider issuing orders. In Rotterdam, he pushed this concept to its limits: rehearsals resemble open chamber music discussions, where musicians are treated as co-decision-makers rather than mere executors. The Rotterdam Philharmonic responded with an orchestra culture willing to take risks and unafraid of failure. As Shani himself described the musicians, "they are completely fearless, they take risks and they don’t mind taking risks and falling off the cliff". 

This mutual trust has been cultivated over eight years. For the June 13th concert in Kaohsiung, the programme specifically features Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2, directed by Shani from the keyboard. This piece is lightly orchestrated, structurally clear, and leans towards a neoclassical style. By including it in his farewell concert, Shani is not so much making a philosophical manifesto as he is channelling eight years of cultivated listening rapport into a piece that requires no forceful conducting authority—only musicians attentively listening to one another. This is a very Rotterdam-style way to say goodbye.

The Munich Philharmonic represents a century-old ensemble burdened by its own heavy historical baggage, just emerging from a political storm. Shani is about to redefine its musical vocabulary with his transparent sonic aesthetics, and this period of adjustment is only just beginning. Conversely, the Rotterdam Philharmonic represents a partnership that has reached its finish line—mature, deeply acquainted, and mutually reassuring; the June concerts will serve as its full stop. To be able to hear Shani navigate these two vastly different orchestral relationships within six weeks, in the exact same concert hall and under identical acoustic conditions, is truly an exceptionally rare and precious opportunity. Though the focal points for listening differ between the two sets of concerts, both promise to deliver highly inspiring observational experiences, making them well worth the anticipation of any music lover.