Hans Graf, Pascal Roge to perform with SPO on Sept. 1
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Conductor Hans Graf, left, and pianist Pascal Roge / Courtesy of SPO
By Yun Suh-young
Austrian conductor Hans Graf visits Seoul this week, teaming up with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) to perform works by Debussy and Rachmaninoff.
Graf will be collaborating with French pianist Pascal Roge on Sept. 1 and 2. The performance is held at the Seoul Arts Center.
Graf had performed with the SPO in 2012, rendering Saint-Saens' "Organ Symphony," and in 2014 with Mahler's Symphony No. 10 which was met with rave reviews. He had led the Houston Symphony from 2001 to 2013 and currently serves as conductor laureate for the orchestra.
Roge visits Seoul for the third time, 20 years since his last visit. Roge served as music director of Salzburg's Mozarteum Orchestra 1984 to 1994, Canada's Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra 1995 to 2003 and France's Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra 1998 to 2004.
The program introduces the earlier works of the two major composers of the 19th and 20th century _ Rachmaninoff and Debussy. The list includes Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 1, Debussy's Symphony in b minor and Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto No. 2 played by Pascal Roge. For this concert, SPO marks the Korean premiere of the arranged version for orchestra by British composer Colin Matthews of Debussy's Symphony in b minor. The programs for both days will be identical.
The main program is Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 1 which is known as the "cursed masterpiece" as it was met with harsh criticism when it was premiered in 1897 in Saint Petersburg. Rachmaninoff, who was just over 20 years old at the time, was shocked by the reaction and suffered a nervous breakdown which prevented him from composing music for three years. Only after his death, the piece was reevaluated and is now known as one of his most outstanding pieces.
The concert begins with Debussy's Symphony in b minor which was composed by the French composer at the age of 18, not for the orchestra, but for two pianos. The first movement is passionate and emotional while the second movement is softer and more restrained.
After Debussy's Symphony, Roge will perform Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto No. 2, the most popular of the composer’s piano concertos.