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World-renowned Bach specialist Helmuth Rilling will conduct the Bach Collegium-Stuttgart and Gachinger Kantorei at Seoul Arts Center, Oct. 31, as part of the 3rd International Bach Festival. / Courtesy of festival organizer |
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Baroque music will take center stage in Seoul next month. Festivals commemorating two pillars of Western classical music ― Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) ― invite fans to concerts, academic symposia and more.
The Handel Festival 2009 Seoul, organized by the Yonsei Music Research Institute, will run Oct. 11-17. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the composer's death. Meanwhile, the 3rd International Bach Festival Seoul, organized by the Hanyang University Music Research Center, will take place Oct. 16-31.
Glimpse Into Their Lives
As the festivals are organized by universities, participants can learn more about the lives of Bach and Handel through academic symposia.
The International Bach Symposium will be held Oct. 24 at 9:30 a.m. at Baeknam Art Hall, Hanyang University. Harvard University professor Christoph Wolff will introduce listeners to the "human" side of Bach. Contrary to the late composer's reputation as an austere teacher and musician, he was a doting husband, and gave his wife, who loved gardening, such gifts as yellow carnations and rare species of birds. The German master also took small part-time jobs to provide for the family.
Renowned harpsichordist and professor Bob Van Asperen will speak about the art of Bach's keyboard music. He will also give a cembalo recital on Oct. 25 at Sejong Chamber Hall.
On Oct. 17, the Handel Symposium will take place, featuring five lectures.
 Among the speakers is Ryo Terakado, a leading period instrumentalist and professor at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. He will address misconceptions and truths about Handel's violin sonatas. Terakado will also head a workshop Oct. 13 on Handel's "Dixit Dominus," HWV 232 and Concerto Grosso, and a master class Oct. 16 on baroque performance practice.
Must-See Concerts
The highlight of the Bach festival is the South Korean debut by the Maestro Helmuth Rilling-led Bach Collegium-Stuttgart and Gachinger Kantorei (choir) on Oct. 31 at Seoul Arts Center.
Rilling is the esteemed Bach specialist who founded the Gachinger Kantorei in 1954, while still a student. He gained international recognition with the group and has dedicated more than five decades to studying Bach's music. He became the first person to record the complete church cantatas of the composer, and in 2000 for the 250th anniversary of Bach's death he orchestrated the recording of the complete works of the composer (172 CDs).
The ensemble will also perform at Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Complex, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 30. Call 1577-7766.
Germany-based soprano Im Sun-hae, who is currently starring in the Korea National Opera's production of "L'Elisir d'Amore" to favorable reviews in Seoul, will appear with the Retrospect Ensemble. The program will feature works by both Handel and Bach, and will take place Oct. 16 at Kumho Art Hall and Oct. 17 at Sejong Chamber Hall.
Meanwhile, at the Handel festival, Terakado will offer more than just music lessons. The baroque violinist will give a recital Oct. 15 at the Seoul Anglican Church, featuring Handel's Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord in D major, HWV 371, and works of Bach. On Oct. 17 at the same venue, he will play Fantasie for Solo Violin No. 1 in Bb major by G. P. Telemann, a contemporary of Handel.
For more information call (02) 2220-1512 (Bach festival) or (02) 2123-4740 (Handel festival).
hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr
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