Chung Myung-whun fights back tears at last concert

By Kwon Ji-youn

The audience gave a standing ovation to bid farewell to Chung Myung-whun at the end of his final performance with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) Wednesday evening.

Chung fought back tears as he shook hands with all 85 musicians, and wished guests a Happy New Year as he reached the end of a decade as music director of the nation’s top orchestra.

“The orchestra was great tonight,” the maestro told reporters as he left the Seoul Arts Center. “I hope they continue to do well.”

Before the concert, SPO musicians clad in concert attire distributed oamphlets to reporters and audience members. These reminded them that the SPO’s controversies are rooted in former SPO CEO Park Hyun-jung’s abuse of employees and claimed that the perpetrators had been turned into victims and the victims, perpetrators.

“Park, in the name of reform, abused her subordinates, and consequently 13 of the SPO’s 27 administrative staff have quit over the last two years,” the plea reads, mentioning that the remaining employees suffer from anxiety and depression.

“The fact remains that Park harassed her employees, and all SPO members, as well as music director Chung, were affected by such,” it continued. “The SPO exists to provide audiences with good music. We ask that the public turn a blind eye and deaf ear to slander and distorted reports by the media. Please continue to support us.”

Infighting at the SPO boiled over when Park, in a letter to Chung that was also distributed to the media Wednesday, said his resignation letter sought to denigrate her, and called on the conductor and his wife to cooperate with the police.

On Tuesday, Chung offered to resign in a letter to all SPO staff amid discussions on renewal of his contract, which was postponed for reasons including an ongoing probe into Chung’s wife, surnamed Koo, who allegedly led a smear campaign against the former CEO. Investigations into suspicions that Chung embezzled more than 50 million won over the past decade are also ongoing.

Chung joined the SPO as an advisor in January 2005, and the following year he was appointed as music director and permanent conductor. With Chung at its helm, the SPO is assessed as having grown into one of Asia’s top orchestras. He held auditions to employ some of the best musicians in the country and expanded the SPO’s repertoire.

The percentage of paying guests rose from 38.9 percent in 2004 to 92.8 percent in 2014, according to the SPO, and the number of concerts per year has more than doubled from 50 to 120.

Under Chung’s baton, the SPO was invited to perform at the prestigious BBC Proms, and became the first Asian orchestra to land a deal with German classical record label Deutsche Grammophon.

According to a local media report, Chung left for France with his family Thursday, the day his contract as music director of the SPO expired.

Following Chung’s departure, concerns are mounting that the orchestra’s performances and prestige will suffer, as are worries that key musicians may also choose to leave. As Chung has said that he will not conduct the nine SPO concerts scheduled this year, the orchestra has very little time to find an appropriate replacement, one who would be willing to start right away.

“Nothing has been decided regarding this year’s performances,” an SPO official said.