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| A poster image for the 'Classic Hero' concert series. Courtesy of Korean Symphony Orchestra |
By Anna J. Park
The Korean Symphony Orchestra presents its new concert series "Classic Hero" for audiences this summer. The orchestra tapped two internationally-rising Korean classical stars, pianist Sunwoo Ye-kwon and violinist Lim Ji-young, to play with the orchestra for each concert, slated to perform on July 19 and August 1, respectively.
What the two Korean artists have in common is that they both became the first Korean winners of prestigious international competitions; Pianist Sunwoo won the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, among many of his winning records including the Sendai International Music Competition in 2013 and International German Piano Award in 2015. Violinist Lim also became the first ― and only ― Korean ever to win the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2015. Both have very active globe-trotting concert schedules, and the two young performers are expected to dazzle Korean audiences with their stellar talent at the concert series.
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| Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon will present Prokofiev's "Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major" with the Korean Symphony Orchestra at the Seoul Arts Center on July 19. Courtesy of Jino Park |
On July 19, Sunwoo will present Prokofiev's "Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major" with the Korean Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at the Concert Hall in Seoul Arts Center. Following Sunwoo's performance, the orchestra will play another Russian composer Scriabin's "Symphony No. 3 in C minor," titled "The Divine Poem," under the baton of conductor Chung Chi-yong.
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| Violinist Lim Ji-young will perform Sibelius' "Violin Concerto in D minor" with the Korean Symphony Orchestra at the Lotte Concert Hall on Aug. 1. Courtesy of Kyutai Shim |
On Aug. 1, Lim will perform Sibelius' "Violin Concerto in D minor" at 8 p.m. at the Lotte Concert Hall, located in southern Seoul. After the intermission, the Korean Symphony Orchestra will be playing Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 4 in D major," also with maestro Chung.
What is noticeable about these two concerts is that each performance will begin with contemporary works by living Korean composers. On July 19, composer Lee Geon-yong's ballet music scores for "Princess Bari" will be presented, including "Agiham," "Dance of the Birds," and "Dance of the Dragon."
On August 1, composer Lee Young-jo's "Arirang Festival for Orchestra" will open the performance, giving audiences a chance to listen to the melody of traditional Korean folk "Arirang" that is a key motif of the original composition.
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