The Korea Times

Girl pianist comes of age

Pianist Son Yeol-eum’s upcoming recital will consist of works by Chopin, Alkin, Prokofiev and Kapustin                                                    / Courtesy of CrediaSon Yeol-eum to hold first recital at Seoul Arts CenterBy Do Je-haeCollaborating with world-renowned ensembles is one of the most effective ways to develop an international career, as seen in the case of pianist Son Yeol-eum.Even before taking second place at the 2011 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, she was performing with major orchestras around the world. But the 26-year-old has yet to make her mark as a recitalist, opting to take part in concerto performances.Her upcoming five-city recital tour of Korea that begins next month will show how much she has developed as an artist in the last few years since she moved to Hannover, Germany, to continue her studies. Son Yeol-eum at the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Russia.   &nb

Feb 3, 2013By Do Je-hae

K-pop

Kim to record Beethoven for DG

Pianist Kim Sun-wook will make his first recording for Deutsche Grammophon with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) this week.                                                                                                                 / Courtesy of SPOBy Do Je-haePianist Kim Sun-wook will have the honor of recording Beethoven for Deutsche Grammophon this month. While the 25 year-old has been performing with the world’s finest orchestras in the last few years, this is his recording debut.Kim, who is building a reputation as a specialist in Austro-German masters, will be partnered by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) under the direction of Chung Myung-whun.The recording will document their performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No 5 and Piano Concerto No 5 on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18 a

Jan 15, 2013By Do Je-hae

K-pop

Album review

Jansons Beethoven(BR Klassik)Fans of Beethoven’s symphonies have eagerly anticipated this recording released in late December 2012. The five-CD box set captures the live performances of all of the German composer’s nine symphonies by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (BRSO) under the direction of conductor Mariss Jansons.The Latvian maestro has long been associated with Mahler, Strauss and Shostakovich. With this release, Jansons now joins the handful of elite conductors who conquered the monumental feat of recording all Beethoven symphonies, including the late Herbert von Karajan as well as today’s top conductors like Daniel Barenboim and Claudio Abbado.Local concertgoers who were impressed by the BRSO’s recent Beethoven tour in Seoul will certainly enjoy this phenomenal release by BR Klassik, the orchestra’s in-house label. This recording is currently available only in Japan.

Jan 8, 2013By Do Je-hae

Books

Stuttgart Ballet's Kang Sue-jin to release autobiography

Prima ballerina Kang Sue-jin’s autobiography will be released on Jan. 23.       / Courtesy of The PRBy Do Je-haeKang Sue-jin, a prima ballerina of Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet, will release her first autobiography this month.“Passionate Heart Takes a Long Breath” is the story of how a young girl from Korea moved to Monaco by herself at age 13 for ballet training and eventually became a star at one of the most prestigious ballet companies in Europe. It will be released on Jan. 23.As a ballerina, she is mostly known for dramatic roles like Tatiana in “Onegin.” Over the years, she has become an icon of perseverance and hard work. This book will be an intriguing read for ballet fans and youngsters in need of a role model.The 45-year-old has been based in Stuttgart since the late 1980s, but is widely admired in Korea as a pioneering dancer. She will be arriving in Korea on Jan. 22 and staying here for two weeks to promote her autobiography, according to The PR, her domestic press representative.A photography book by Kang was published in 20

Jan 4, 2013By Do Je-hae

Stuttgart Ballet's Kang Sue-jin to release autobiography

Travel & Food

2013 'It' color Emerald

Selected as ‘2013 Color of the Year’ by Pantone, the refreshing shade of emerald green brings a sense of rejuvenation to a multitude of designs, from home decor to fashion runways worldwide.Expect  more green in 2013By Do Je-hae Swedish fashion house Akris is one of the many labels that are highlighting emerald looks in spring 2013 collections.                       / Courtesy of PantoneCustomers can expect to see more green in fashion and home decor this year.Emerald was recently selected as the “2013 Color of the Year” by Pantone, a U.S. firm that sells codes that manufacturers use to replicate colors on a variety of materials, from plastic to paint. The company determines the color of the year through a survey of experts in fashion, interior and other designers.Pantone’s annual color proclamation is closely followed by the design industry, and emerald is already showing up in a variety of areas, including fashion, home decor, cars and kitchenware.Emerald has been seen on runways for

Dec 27, 2012By Do Je-hae

K-pop

Vienna's New Year Concert to be screened live

Vienna’s Musikverein is home to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra                                                                                                                 / Korea Times fileBy Do Je-haeEach year since 1941, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (VPO) has celebrated the New Year with a concert on the morning of Jan. 1. It is one of the signature events of the VPO.Local fans will be able to watch the concert live in eight Megabox theaters around the country. Five theaters in Seoul, including the one at COEX, as well as three theaters in Busan, Daegu and Gwangju, will offer the live screening of the VPO’s New Year Concert.The screening will take place at 7:15 p.m. on Jan. 1, lasting 150 minutes with a 20-minute intermission.While the concert has been broadcast live on TV and r

Dec 25, 2012By Do Je-hae

Vienna's New Year Concert to be screened live

South Korea

Comedian capitalizes on Park's popularity

By Do Je-haeComedian Jung Seong-ho is dressed up as President-elect Park Geun-hye as a headliner of “SNL Korea,” a comedy show on tvN.            / Image captured from tvNComedian Jung Seong-ho has been around since the late 1990s and has gained a reputation for his parodies of famous people in sports, entertainment and politics.On various TV programs, Jung has parodied Korean swimming sensation Park Tae-hwan or Lim Jae-beom, a popular ballad singer and star of MBC's survival audition program “I'm a Singer.”But Jung’s latest fame has to do with President-elect Park Geun-hye, whom Jung has been imitating on TV with a humorous twist for the past year.He has portrayed Park in “SNL Korea,” the Korean version of the American comedy show that debuted on cable channel TVN last December.“SNL Korea” has featured several politicians ahead of the Dec. 19 presidential election, but Jung has become the headliner of the show with a hilarious yet realistic portrayal of the political titan who has now been elected as

Dec 23, 2012By Do Je-hae

Comedian capitalizes on Park's popularity

Arts & Theater

History museum to open Dec. 26

The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History will open on Dec. 26.                                                 / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports & TourismBy Do Je-haeThe National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, will finally open next week, after four years of construction.Located right next to the U.S. embassy, it is one of the major cultural projects of the Lee Myung-bak administration.The purpose of the $41.3 million museum to open Wednesday is to honor the modern economic and social achievements of Korea.The glass-walled seven-story museum houses about 43,000 items in a collection covering the period from 1876, when the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) opened its doors to the outer world. It also touches on Japan’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula, the 1950-53 Korean War and the economic growth of the 1970s and 80s. The seven-story museum houses about 43,000 items in a collection that represents

Dec 21, 2012By Do Je-hae

Books

Handbook about history of 'hallyu' released

Cover of “Korean Wave: From K-Pop to K-Culture”                               / Courtesy of Korea Culture and Information Service (KOCIS)By Do Je-haeA key project for the state-run Korea Culture and Information Service (KOCIS) this year has been the publication of a book on the history of hallyu. KOCIS released “Korean Wave: From K-Pop to K-Culture” today.The book is the most comprehensive publication on Korean culture by KOCIS, which has produced a series of useful publications on Korean culture in the last few years.“The book is based on a comprehensive research on how Korean popular culture is received outside Korea,” KOCIS Director Woo Jin-yung said in a statement.It includes five sections, which trace the history of hallyu starting with the spread of Korean TV dramas and pop songs in Japan and China in the late 1990s.In particular, the book shows how foreign media covered Korean culture and Korean artists in the last decade or so.Besides Korea’s global cultur

Dec 18, 2012By Do Je-hae

Handbook about history of 'hallyu' released

People & Events

Artist-in-residence in Kumho Art Hall

Pianist Kim Da-sol speaks during a press conference in Seoul last Tuesday.                                                     / Courtesy of Kumho Asiana Cultural FoundationBy Do Je-haeMany concert halls around the world, such as London’s Wigmore Hall, run artist-in-residence programs for a deeper musical dialogue between artists and their audience.Kumho Art Hall joined this trend last week, becoming the first Korean concert venue to conduct an artist-in-residence program. It appointed Leipzig-based pianist Kim Da-sol as its first artist-in-residence.Under the program, the hall will feature the pianist on a regular basis for a period of one year starting with a New Year concert on Jan. 10."As a young Korean artist, I am grateful for the support of Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation for young musicians," Kim said during a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday. "The program is a great opportunity for me to share my musical growth with the audience."T

Dec 11, 2012By Do Je-hae

Do Je-hae

Read more

Girl pianist comes of age

Kim to record Beethoven for DG

Album review

Stuttgart Ballet's Kang Sue-jin to release autobiography

2013 'It' color Emerald

Vienna's New Year Concert to be screened live

Comedian capitalizes on Park's popularity

History museum to open Dec. 26

Handbook about history of 'hallyu' released

Artist-in-residence in Kumho Art Hall

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