Seoul music fest sizzles with artists galore
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff reporter
Not long after the Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music wrapped up last week, the city is thriving with the ongoing Seoul International Music Festival (SIMF).
The event is bringing together some 80 of the most accomplished artists of the day in thematic classical music performances through June 1. The festival, in its second season this year, has been criticized for some faulty organization, most notably a prematurely announced program schedule featuring the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and maestro pianist Paik Kun-woo slated for Saturday (now canceled).
Its colorful lineup however is still expected to be a treat for fans, as it sheds light on centuries-long masterpieces in a modern context, through reinterpretations by contemporary composers.
SIMF kicked off Sunday at Seoul Arts Center with a concert titled ``Flying Up.’’ The Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra, led by its music director Kim Dae-jin, performed pieces including Walton’s Viola Concerto with Israeli virtuoso Avri Levitan and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with rising star Jan Lisiecki.
Kim and Levitan will appear together in another performance Tuesday at Kumho Art Hall, with Kim putting down his baton to play the piano, in a session of exchange between young Eastern and Western musicians. On Wednesday at the same venue, premier musicians such as violinist/professor Baek Ju-young and cellist Qin Li-wei will offer a night of Romantic chamber music.
Chamber music fans can also look forward to hearing the Shanghai String Quartet, which has been noted by Gramophone magazine as ``one of the most influential string quartets of our time.’’ On Friday at Hoam Art Hall, the ensemble will give the Korea premieres of Bridge’s Novelletten for String Quartet and Penderecki’s String Quartet No. 3 as well as works by Mozart and Debussy. Fourteen-year-old clarinet prodigy Kim Han will join the players.
More music making between budding musicians and veteran artists will take place in the Academy of Seoul International Music Festival’s (ASIMF) concert on May 29 at Seongnam Arts Center, Gyeonggi Province. The show brings together top performers taking part in the festival including cellist Young Song and violinist Gerard Poulet and four youths selected through the ASIMF Chamber Concert Audition.
ASIMF, moreover, has invited renowned artists such as Maestro Grzegorz Nowak, principal associate conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. ``Nowak is one of the busiest maestros in the world, but has decided to take part of the inaugural edition of ASIMF because of his dedication to music education, faith in the festival artistic director Ryu Jae-joon and interest in the Korean music scene,’’ said the festival organizers in a statement. Nowak will take part in a free concert, ``Musical Offering,’’ on June 1 at the Kyung Hee University Grand Peace Palace featuring works by Schumann, Mozart and Rossini.
The conductor will also lead the Korea Chamber Orchestra opposite pianist Julius Jung-won Kim in the festival’s finale concert. They will give the Asia premiere of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 5, which is an all-new arrangement of Symphony No. 2 for piano solo and orchestra. The concert will also showcase the world premieres of Lee Shin-uh’s Clarinet Concerto featuring clarinetist Michel Lethiec and Kang Suk-hi’s Marimba Concerto with marimba player June Moon-kyung Hahn.
Other special guests include Chopin specialist Cyprien Katsaris, who is reputed for his intense musical temperament. He will celebrate the spring season with works by Chopin in commemoration of the composer’s bicentennial on Thursday at Kumho Art Hall. The program includes Chopin’s Valse in A minor No. 2 and ``Berceuse’’ (Lullaby) among others as well as Liszt’s ``Wiosna’’ (Spring) from Chopin’s ``Six Chants polonaise.’’
For more information about the festival lineup and ticket prices visit www.esimf.com or call 1544-5142.