By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
For Jerry Jae-il Chae, playing the clarinet in Korea is about anticipating future prospects of the ``minority'' instrument in the local music scene ― but it entails connecting with the past as he fills his father's shoes.
``It's very interesting. I didn't mean it, it just happened. Fate, perhaps,'' said the 30-year-old about inheriting the position as principal clarinetist of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, in a recent interview with The Korea Times.
``I just want to try to follow in his footsteps, to be as committed, as serious as him. He was also admired by so many people,'' he said about his late father, Il-heui, a pioneer in the Korean clarinet world who held the orchestra position from 1985 to 1991.
The artist continues the elder Chae's mission of promoting the clarinet.
``It's true that my instrument is not as exposed in Korea. Frankly the level of playing is still not as high as that of the violin or piano. But the instrument can show as much as any instrument; it has a lot of freedom, presence, tone color, wide range and dynamics that other instruments don't have,'' he said.
Chae recently resigned his position as principal clarinetist in the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra led by Maestro Placido Domingo in order spend more time here. ``I enjoy working in Korea, not that LA is bad. But here I feel part of a growing organization that has potential to be world class. I'm also growing with it, as a musician, with my fellow musicians,'' said the winner of the 2008 Dos Hermanas International Clarinet Competition.
``Maestro Chung (Myung-whun) is very hard to please and he never gives compliments. He always pushes us to improve, and he always wanted more from me, and it's had a big effect on me,'' he said. In addition to the orchestra, Chae is also engaged in numerous projects such as recording with the popular ensemble Ditto, jamming with the Kumho Chamber Society and performing the world premiere of Kim Sol-bong's newest chamber piece
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He has great confidence in professionals but in students as well. Clarinet education here has vastly improved, he said.
Until Chae decided to pursue music more seriously at age 17, his father had been his only teacher. ``He saw talent in me,'' he said about starting to play for the first time for fun at age four. But it wasn't easy.
``It's difficult to teach your own child. Playing in front of him was the scariest thing when I was young. I started developing my own musical ideas and spoke up against him,'' he said. ``But (in retrospect) of course he was right,'' he said. ``It'd be different if he were here… I miss him.'' The elder Chae passed away when he was a student in the United States, and the untimely death forced him to grow up overnight.
In his recital June 17 at Hoam Art Hall, he will play a diverse range of pieces from Romantic to 20th century music, such as Schumann's ``Fantasiestucke'' for piano and clarinet and Francaix's ``Theme and Variations.'' ``I wanted to show the different possibilities of the clarinet, to show many diversities and colors,'' he said.
Particularly notable is the Rabaud's ``Solo de Concours.'' ``My dad played it 20 years ago in 1989, at the same venue ,'' he said. All tickets cost 20,000 won. Call 1577-5266.
On July 31, Ricardo Morales, the only other teacher Chae's had besides his father, will appear as soloist with the Seoul Philharmonic at Seoul Arts Center. ``I'm very lucky,'' he smiled about reuniting with the esteemed clarinetist as soloist and orchestra member. Call (02) 3700-6300.