By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Get in the mood for romance this November, as New Age pianist Jim Brickman brings his most romantic tunes to Seoul.
Brickman is holding a concert ``Romanticism in November'' on Nov. 5 at the concert hall of the Yonsei Art & Cultural Center. This will be the American pianist and composer's first concert in Seoul since performing in 2003.
On his Web site, Brickman said fans can expect ``a little of everything'' at his concerts. ``Beautiful piano music, love songs, stories, and even some laughs. No flashy special effects ― just pure music! It's a great escape for a couple of hours, to hold hands, relax and exhale,'' he said.
His Seoul concert will also feature several holiday tunes such as ``Coming Home For Christmas,'' ``Deck The Halls,'' ``Bethlehem'' and ``Auld Lang Syne.'' Brickman will bring warmth to Christmas classics on the piano.
Born in Cleveland, Brickman started playing the piano at the age of four. He studied at the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music. While he was in college, he started a company specializing in creating commercial jingles for various products.
In 1994, he released his debut album ``No Words'' featuring a unique romantic, pop piano music that is now his signature style. He says his music is ``reflection of the world; nature, love, people and spirituality.''
``You'll find Jim Brickman in the New Age section, but I consider my sound `solo instrumental pop music.' I think of my melodies as a reaffirmation of idealism and romanticism. My career is modeled after people like Burt Bacharach and Quincy Jones who are known as composers but also perform," Brickman said.
Brickman has sold millions of albums including ``Hope," holiday classics ``Homecoming" and ``Christmas Romance"; a tribute to Disney films ``The Disney Songbook"; and the spiritual album ``Grace." He scored three No. 1 hits on the Adult Contemporary Charts in the United States, received a Grammy nomination and has won various other awards. Among his hit songs are ``Valentine,'' ``The Gift,'' ``Love of My Life'' and ``Peace.''
He has collaborated with many musicians such as Kenny Loggings, Carly Simon, Michael W. Smith, Michael Bolton, Donny Osmond and Olivia Newton-John.
``I choose people who I've always admired and wanted to work with. I also like singers whose careers are up-and-coming that I feel my audience would like to hear,'' Brickman said.
This year, he has released ``Unspoken " his first solo piano album in 15 years, and ``Valentine."
Aside from Seoul, Brickman will perform in other Asian countries before returning to United States for a 30-city holiday concert tour.
Tickets are 88,000 won and 66,000 won. Visit www.ticketlink.co.kr and ticket.interpark.com.