Japanese violinist Shoji to perform with SPO
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Sayaka Shoji
By Yun Suh-young
Rising Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji will perform with several noted musicians in her first Seoul appearance later this week.
On Sept. 23, she will present “Sayaka Shoji's Prokofiev Violin Concerto” with conductor Lahav Shani from Israel and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at the Seoul Arts Center at 8 p.m.
Shani is a notable young conductor who was nominated as the next permanent conductor for the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. The musician, 27, is the youngest conductor to be appointed to the permanent position by the orchestra since its establishment in 1918. He was also appointed chief guest conductor for the Vienna Symphony’s 2017-18 season.
Shoji was the youngest winner of the Paganini International Violin Competition at the age of 16 in 1999 and has since collaborated with famed conductors such as Mariss Jansons, Lorin Maazel, Colin Davis, Zubin Mehta and Charles Dutoit. As an artist in exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, she recorded Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with Radio France Philharmonic, led by conductor Chung Myung-whun.
Shoji and Shani will perform Ravel's “Rapsodie Espagnole,” Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor Op. 63, and Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, BB 123.
The main repertoire, Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor Op. 63, is a piece that is slow and graceful with romantic feelings, comprising all four characteristics of Prokofiev's own categorization of his pieces -- traditional, modern, dynamic and lyrical.
Ticket prices range from 10,000 won to 70,000 won.
On Sept. 29, Shoji will collaborate for the first time with popular Korean pianist Son Yeol-eum at the Kumho Art Hall at 8 p.m. Fans are excited about the collaboration between the two exceptional young female musicians.
Son is a pianist with many fans in Korea and one of the most noted pianists in the country. She first drew international attention when she swept several prizes at the 2011 Moscow Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, including a silver medal, the best performance award for playing Mozart's concerto and best performance award for a commissioned piece for the competition.
She has performed with internationally renowned orchestras including the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Deutsche Radio Philharmonie.
They will perform Mozart's Sonata for Violin and Piano No.18 in G major, K. 301(K. 293a), Schumann's Sonata for Violin and Piano No.1 in A minor, Op.105, Beethoven's Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 5 in F major, “Spring,” Op. 24, and Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in G major.
Ticket prices are 40,000 won, except for adolescents at 9,000 won and students and the elderly with a 50 percent discount.