Summer classical concert highlights

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing on the outdoor stage of Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall on Aug. 15. / Courtesy of SPO

• Published Aug 9, 2016 5:25 PM KST
• Updated Aug 9, 2016 5:25 PM KST

By Yun Suh-young

In the scorching heat, there's nothing like a cool refreshing breeze. Much like we need a breeze on a hot day, there are musical genres that offer respite, such as the classics. There are several classical concerts coming up in August to look out for.

Summer Classic by Youth Orchestra at Sejong Center

Classical music performances will start off this weekend at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Aug. 13 with two performances at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The Seoul Metropolitan Youth Orchestra will offer an "easy classical performance" for both parents and children to enjoy during the summer vacation. The 100-member orchestra, conducted by Kim Ji-hwan, will perform pieces representative of the 20th century such as G. Holst's The Planet Jupiter, A. Marquez's Danzon No. 2, Stravinsky's The Firebird Suite "Lullaby" and "Finale." Spivakovsky's Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra is also on the playlist.

The classic performance will be accompanied by narration by Chung Kyung-young, professor of the Department of Composition at Hanyang University, to facilitate the understanding of the audience.

Ticket prices range from 10,000 to 30,000 won.

Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at Seoul Plaza

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing on the outdoor stage of Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall on Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. to celebrate the 71st anniversary of national liberation that falls on the same day.

The orchestra has performed every August since 2005 to celebrate the national holiday and provide opportunities for the public to enjoy classical music.

At this year's concert, conductor Choi Soo-Yeoul will take the helm. Violinist Kim Soo-yeon will play the Violin Concerto by Bruch, and baritone Jeong Rok-gi will perform a Korean song "Because of your presence" by Kim Soon-ae, "Der Vogelfanger bin ich ja” Aria of Papageno from “Die Zauberflote" by Mozart, and "Sailor's song" by Cho Doo-nam.

Admission is free and seating is first come, first served.

Young Korean, Chinese artists at Kumho Art Hall

A classical concert to celebrate the 24th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and China will be held at Kumho Art Hall on Aug. 19 at 8 p.m.

Kumho Art Hall has been inviting Korean and Chinese artists since 1999 in an effort to introduce to audiences the young musicians of both countries. In the past, violinist Ning Feng and cellist Li Wei Qin were among the Chinese artists introduced to Korean audiences, while renowned musicians from Korea such as cellist Chung Myung-hwa and violinist Choi Ye-eun performed.

Two young rising musicians from both countries will take the main stage. Chinese baritone Li Ao and Korean pianist Kim Kyu-yeon will be collaborating on stage. Li Ao is a world-class baritone who won the Operalia, a world opera competition. He was trained as the San Francisco Opera's Adler Fellow and won the audition of New York's Metropolitan Opera. Pianist Kim Kyu-yeon, currently attending Manhattan School of Music, was runner-up at the Dublin International Piano Competition and won a prize at the Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition.

Tickets are 30,000 won for all seats. Teenagers get a discounted price of 9,000 won. The elderly and college students get a 50 percent discount upon showing their ID.

Concerts lined up at newly opened Lotte Concert Hall

Lotte Concert Hall which opens Aug. 19 has a series of classical concerts lined up for the rest of the month and throughout the year.

At the opening concert scheduled for Aug. 19, conductor Chung Myung-whun and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will perform new pieces by composer Chin Un-suk. On Aug. 25 and 27, Mahler specialist and composer Lim Hun-jeong, the Korean Symphony Orchestra and a chorus of 1,000 will reenact Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 also known as "Symphony of a Thousand" because 1,000 people performed in the very first performance in 1910. This will be a rare opportunity to see such a large-scale performance.

On Aug. 29 and 31, maestro Chung Myung-whun will lead the prestigious 238-year-old Italian orchestra, La Scala Theater Orchestra, who will be visiting Seoul for a performance. They will be performing Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Verdi's opera "Simon Boccanegra" concertante (performed like a symphony concert).

The 2,036-seat Lotte Concert Hall is the first vineyard-style classical music hall where the seats surround the center stage so the audience can enjoy an intimate auditory experience. Ticket prices range from 40,000 won to 300,000 won.

Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at SAC

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will be playing at the Seoul Arts Center from Aug. 24 through 25 at 8 p.m. collaborating with foreign musicians.

On both days, the orchestra will perform with maestro conductor Eliahu Inbal from Israel who has led renowned orchestras in Frankfurt, Berlin and Czech Republic, and pianist Olga Kern from Russia who is a Rachmaninoff specialist.

The 80-year-old Inbal has performed with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra several times as a guest conductor and received rave reviews. Kern won the Rachmaninoff piano competition at the age of 17 and was the first female winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2001. In 2004, her variation on Rachmaninoff's Corelli was nominated as a Grammy candidate.

The concerts' playlist includes Brahms' Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op.73, Brahms' Hungarian Dances No.17-21, and Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43. The rhapsody is the last concerto written by Rachmaninoff.

Ticket prices range from 10,000 won to 70,000 won. Playlist and performers for both concerts are the same.