Seoul International Music Festival features Wien-Berlin Brass Quintet
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Tapiola Sinfonietta, a Finish chamber orchestra led by conductor-pianist Ralf Gothoni, will perform during the Seoul International Music Festival from Jan. 22 to 24. / Courtesy of Seoul International Music Festival
Violinist Agata Szymczewska
By Kim Jae-heun
This year’s Seoul International Music Festival (SIMF) will feature five international ensembles including the Wien-Berlin Brass Quintet. The concert series will take place at Seoul Arts Center (SAC) and six other venues across the metropolitan area from Jan. 15 to 31.
The Wien-Berlin Brass Quintet, a collaboration between the Berliner Philharmoniker and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, will open the music festival on Jan. 15 at the Seongnam Arts Center and on Jan. 16 at SAC. Korean horn player Lee Seok-jun will accompany the performances as a special guest.
Tapiola Sinfonietta, a Finish chamber orchestra led by conductor-pianist Ralf Gothoni, will perform Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony No. 7” for the first time in Asia over three days from Jan. 22 to 24. They have studied and revised to complete the Austrian composer’s unfinished work for nine years.
Gothoni will also collaborate with top Korean violinist Baek Ju-young and cello player Baek Na-young on Beethoven’s “Triple Concerto,” and play Sibelius’ “Valse Triste” (Sad Waltz) to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Finish composer’s birth.
The seven-year-old festival invited violinist Agata Szymczewska, who participated in the Beethoven Easter Festival of Poland, to perform with Korea’s Opus Ensemble chamber orchestra on Jan. 25 at SAC.
The SIMF’s Rising Star Series will feature pianist duo Kim Jun-hee and Park Jong-hai performing works by Rachmaninoff on Jan. 28 at Ilsin Hall in Seoul.
The last day of the festival is highlighted by a united orchestra of Korea and Japan to celebrate the two countries’ 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties. Led by conductor Seitaro Ishkawa, the orchestra will play Korean composer Ryu Jea-joon’s “Il Nome Della Rosa” (The Name of the Rose) and Brahms’ double concerto with Korean violinist Kwun Hyuk-joo and Japanese cellist Rei Tsujimoto. Czech composer Antonin Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” be performed as well, representing harmony and peace.
For more information, visit www.simfkorea.org or call 02-1544-5142.