Simon Rattle to Conduct Berlin Phil in Seoul

By Han Sang-hee

Staff Reporter

The highly celebrated Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is coming to Seoul with maestro Sir Simon Rattle to offer fans a memorable experience with classical pieces by Brahms.

As the eleventh concert in the Kumho World Orchestra series, the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation is offering one of its biggest performances.

This is the third time for the Philharmonic to visit Korea, the first being in 1984 with maestro Herbert von Karajan, and the second in 2005.

Rattle and the orchestra will present all four of Brahms symphonies, in contrast to their recent performances which have concentrated on more modern works.

The 126-year-old Berlin Phil is historically quite close to Brahms' work _ von Karajan made four recordings of the composer with the orchestra, while successor Claudio Abbado also recorded his works prior to being appointed as musical director.

Rattle, on the other hand, has been more cautious in performing the German composer's works, which is another reason this performance will be quite special, according to the organizers.

Appointed to the Berlin Philharmonic in 2002, he has been working as a messenger of modern classical music, striving to bring classic tunes closer to the public.