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By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
Two of Asia's most talented female violinists will visit Seoul in May after years of absence from the local stage. The forthcoming concerts of Korean virtuoso Chung Kyung-wha, 61, and Japanese superstar Midori, 39, are generating much excitement among Korean lovers of classical violin music.
Midori will play the Tchaikovsky violin concerto in D major with the KBS Symphony Orchestra on May 27 and 28. The last time she performed in Korea was in December 2004, in a recital program of Debussy, Beethoven, Brahms and Isang Yun.
Chung has been on an extended break from performing due to a finger injury since 2005, but she will be making a comeback to the stage on May 4 with Brahms violin concerto in D major, accompanied by the U.K.'s Philharmonia Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy, a Russian virtuoso as both a conductor and a pianist.
Despite their age difference, the two women have much in common as two Asian pioneers of the violin of the 20th century.
In 1988, both were selected by Time magazine as the world's top five female violinists along with Anne-Sophie Mutter (Germany), Viktoria Mullova (Russia) and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg (the U.S.). Both violinists were trained at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York and were already celebrated performers in their early teens.
In addition, Midori and Chung are known for a wide range of repertoire from Baroque to modern pieces, technical facility and a mesmerizing beauty of tone.
Midori has captivated audiences worldwide since her historic 1982 debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 11.
"She ranks with the greatest of all time. She plays every note like a diamond and at twice the speed," said a violinist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, an organization that enjoys a long-standing partnership with the former wunderkind.
The Japanese-American juggles an illustrious solo career with teaching and organizing a wide range of musical outreach programs.
One of the highest honors granted to her is the 2004 appointment as the Jascha Heifetz Chair at the University of Southern California (USC) Thornton School of Music. The Heifetz Chair was established in 1974 in honor of the great Russian violinist and pedagogue Jascha Heifetz, who taught at USC from 1962 to 1982. As holder of the prestigious chair, she is head of the USC string department.
It is rare for a professional instrumentalist to devote so much of his or her time to teaching, but Midori has often emphasized that "her passion lies in the direction of children and musical education."
"I do love to teach very much. It's very meaningful to me," Midori told CNN Hong Kong last year.
She is the founder of Midori & Friends, bringing classical music to public elementary schools in the U.S. and reaching some 100,000 children annually. She also heads other programs like Music Sharing, constructed to bring together Western Classical music and traditional Japanese music.
In 2007, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon named her an official U.N. Messenger of Peace, lauding her community engagement work as a "model of exemplary commitment to worldwide goals shared by the U.N."
As for Chung, this year marks the 40th anniversary of her European debut in London following her phenomenal victory at the 1967 Edgar Leventritt violin competition in the United States.
Chung belongs to the first generation of Asian pioneers in classical music to achieve worldwide recognition both in concerts and recording. The veteran artist has overcome gender and racial hurdles to become one of the top violinists of her time.
"She is able to draw from the lower three strings of the instrument a range of emotions which I have heard from no other," said Ray Minshull, head of Decca's Classical Department from 1967 to 1994.
An EMI artist since 1990, Chung has often professed a resolute devotion to her calling on many occasions. In a January interview with a local daily, she said she was "overjoyed beyond words" every time she picks up her violin to practice.
Similarly, Chung has been a dedicated teacher, serving on the faculty at the Juilliard School in New York, since 2007.
Midori and Chung both play instruments crafted by the Italian master Antonio Guarneri (1698-1744).
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