The Korea Times

INTERVIEW Violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill revisits euphoric moment of winning Grammy

Violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill / Courtesy of CrediaO'Neill is grateful to Korean fans for their unwavering supportBy Park Ji-wonAs the adjective, “award-winning,” always seems to come before his name when people introduce him, violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill is the winner of numerous international awards. Nonetheless, he says, it always feels too good to be true when he wins one. That euphoric moment hit him again earlier this year when he was named the winner of this year's Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo, for his 2020 album, “Theofanidis: Concerto For Viola And Chamber Orchestra,” during the awards ceremony. This time, he says, the joy of winning was something that he revisited several times again and again in the following months to fully digest, mainly because of the format of the event: the Grammys went online this year due to the pandemic. “They announced my name and I was on the screen. And I had to give a speech (online) and they cut you off … But then, you're back in your room,” he told The Korea Times during a Zo

Dec 23, 2021By Park Ji-won

[INTERVIEW] Violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill revisits euphoric moment of winning Grammy

Music

INTERVIEW Norah Jones releases Christmas album

Cover image for singer-songwriter Norah Jones' first Christmas album “I dream of Christmas” / Courtesy of Universal MusicBy Park Ji-wonNine-time Grammy winner Norah Jones will be releasing her first Christmas album “I Dream of Christmas” on Wednesday.“I mostly made this album to comfort myself in this time … I think this album did come out of the very long first year of the pandemic. I needed something to look forward to and a way to be creative that had a little joy baked into it. This was the perfect project for me,” Jones said in a recent email interview with Korean reporters.“Christmas is a nostalgic, beautiful and magical time of year that is something to look forward to. A time to shut off the phones and just hang out and eat and spend time with those who matter most.”She said in a press release that she decided to come up with the Christmas album last year after feeling comfort while listening James Brown's “Funky Christmas” and Elvis Presley's “Elvis' Christmas Album.”Of the 13 tracks on the album,

Dec 21, 2021By Park Ji-won

[INTERVIEW] Norah Jones releases Christmas album

Arts & Theater

National Museum exhibition compares Asian lacquerware techniques and cultures

Visitors at the exhibition, “Ottchil, the Coated Splendor of Asian Lacquerwares,” at the National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Monday. The exhibition shows up to 263 lacquered objects from various Asian countries. Yonhap By Park Ji-wonToxicodendron vernicifluum, commonly known as lacquer trees, have been cultivated in Asian countries for centuries. In Korea, some people boil “samgyetang” or ginseng chicken soup with twigs of lacquer tree wood due to their health benefits. Lacquer tree wood is known for its antioxidant properties, which prevents or slows cell damage.The lacquer trees' sap, called “ot” in Korean, can cause allergic reactions in people due to a compound called urushiol, which can trigger rashes.But the sticky ingredient is one of the oldest and most effective natural paints used to create a shiny and glossy finish on furniture and crafts, resulting in a waterproof layer. The plant is also used as a natural ingredient to repel bugs and germs. This traditiona

Dec 21, 2021By Park Ji-won

National Museum exhibition compares Asian lacquerware techniques and cultures

Arts & Theater

Immersive artwork recreates elaborate Joseon-era royal banquet held in 1902

A scene from the immersive artwork, “Royal Banquet (Jinyeon): Connecting the Times of 120 Years,” by the National Gugak Center (NGC) / Courtesy of the NGC“Imin Jinyeondobyeong,” a set of standing paintings showing the steps of the performance and rituals of the “Jinyeon” or royal court feast / Courtesy of the NGCBy Park Ji-wonHow did people in the royal palace of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) celebrate key events, such as a crown prince's rise to power or the birthday of a reigning king?Depending on the events, kings threw small or large banquets that entailed choreography, musical performances and other rituals to guarantee prosperity and longevity. Banquets were also designed to flaunt the power and prosperity of the kingdom.The “jinyeon” or royal banquet, became a large-scale event in the later Joseon period, compared to ones that were held earlier, which were smaller. Historic materials such as the “Imin Jinyeondobyeong,” a set of standing paintings showing the different performance sequences of the jinyeon, as well as

Dec 20, 2021By Park Ji-won

Immersive artwork recreates elaborate Joseon-era royal banquet held in 1902

Music

Lotte Foundation for Arts announces star-studded 2022 lineup

Metropolitan Opera / Courtesy of Rose Callahan of Met OperaBy Park Ji-wonThe Lotte Foundation for Arts has announced its 2022 lineup to be presented at Lotte Concert Hall including renowned artists: New York's vibrant Metropolitan Opera, pianist Cho Seong-jin, ballerina Park Sae-eun and other star art troupes.Tenor Jonas Kaufmann will open the “World Class Concert Series” on May 31 and June 3 with KBS Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jochen Rieder. The Metropolitan Opera led by Yannick Nezet-Seguin will be performing for the first time in Korea from June 21 to 22. Renowned singers of the company such as mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, soprano Christine Goerke and tenor Brandon Jovanovich will be showcasing their trademark performances such as Berlioz's “Les Troyens” and Wagner's “The Valkyrie.”In “2022 Etoile Gala,” ballerina Park Sae-eun, the first Korean etoile of the Paris Opera, the highest rank of the art troupe, will be performing for the first time in Korea along with her etoile and premier colleagues from July 28 to 29.On Oct. 14,

Dec 19, 2021By Park Ji-won

Lotte Foundation for Arts announces star-studded 2022 lineup

Music

INTERVIEW For Chopin finalist Lee Hyuk competition is way to meet audiences

Pianist Lee Hyuk / Courtesy of Etoile ClassicBy Park Ji-wonMany Koreans hoped Lee Hyuk, the Korean finalist in the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition held in October, would be triumphant as its last winner was Cho Seong-jin, also a Korean, but the trophy went to Chinese-Canadian competitor Bruce Liu.But Lee's disappointment was short-lived. At the Concours International de Piano ― Grand Prix Animato Chopin 2021, held between Dec. 3 and 7, right after the Chopin competition, the 21-year-old won the first prize with his rendition of Fantaisie, Op. 49. The musician humbly said he didn't expect to win and was simply happy to perform for the audience.“I never expected to win. I just enjoyed every round. I was grateful to have an opportunity to be able to communicate with the audiences in Paris with Chopin's works after the Chopin competition,” Lee said during a telephone interview with The Korea Times, Friday. He was in Warsaw, Poland, to support his brother in another piano competition.Reversing people's normal thinking that he must aim to win at multiple co

Dec 19, 2021By Park Ji-won

[INTERVIEW] For Chopin finalist Lee Hyuk competition is way to meet audiences

Trends

Silent Christmas: Koreans forgoing Christmas songs

Copyright law, religious pluralism, dwindling role of churches all contributing to bleak Christmas season By Park Ji-wonThe streets in Seoul's bustling downtown area were like no other Christmas season, Thursday. They were calm and silent, making it difficult for people to feel that Christmas is just a week away. No Christmas carols or songs could be heard, as there were few stores playing them.The bleak Christmas season nowadays is a stark contrast to the lively holiday atmosphere here in the 1990s, when Christmas songs used to fill the air in almost every corner of the capital around this time of year. In stores, Christmas trees with electric lights were lit with carols being played loudly, and colorful Christmas decorations were easy to spot. Back then, the Christmas spirit was in full swing in most big cities. Koreans celebrating Christmas silently without carols is something odd for those who are familiar with the religious demographics of the country. This year's Gallup survey of 1,500 Koreans, conducted between March 18 and April 7, found that Korea is religiously diverse, wit

Dec 16, 2021By Park Ji-won

Silent Christmas: Koreans forgoing Christmas songs

Arts & Theater

Historic Cecil Theater poised to close over safety issues

Cecil Theater / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentBy Park Ji-wonThe Cecil Theater, founded in 1976 and owned by the Anglican Church of Korea, is facing closure again due to safety concerns. The Seoul Theater Association, which has been running the historic theater since April 2018, issued a press release Wednesday announcing that it has decided to cease its operations there upon the request of the church and vacated the building as of Dec. 10.“The Seoul Theater Association has been running the facility over the last three and a half years, but we practically ran the space for a year and seven months,” Ji Choon-sung, chairman of the association, said in the release.“We aimed to house various theatrical works from many different art troupes to keep the theater's identity as a public facility and turned it in to a theater for children. But we found serious problems in the facility which we failed to solve, resulting in its closure.”Previously, the theater's operation was suspended due to construction of a terrace on the roof of the building in January 2020

Dec 16, 2021By Park Ji-won

Historic Cecil Theater poised to close over safety issues

Music

Pianist Suh Hyung-min wins Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn

Suh Hyung-min, center, receives the top prize in Germany's International Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn, Germany, Saturday (CET). Courtesy of the International Telekom Beethoven Competition BonnBy Park Ji-wonPianist Suh Hyung-min, also known as Hans H. Suh in English, won the top prize in Germany's International Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn on Saturday (CET). Together with the top prize, he also won three special prizes.Suh played Klavierstucke Op. 7, which he composed in 2017 and Beethoven's Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 1, No. 3, in the chamber final, as well as Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37, in the orchestra final with the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, conducted by Hans Graf.The International Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn, which was founded in 2005 and honors young pianists between the ages of 18 and 33, said that the nine-member jury chaired by Pavel Gililov was convinced by Suh's interpretation of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor.Suh also won the "Audience's Favourite" Prize for the best interpretation of a piano concerto in the final, wh

Dec 13, 2021By Park Ji-won

Pianist Suh Hyung-min wins Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn

Music

Korean symphony orchestra unveils 2022 program led by new conductor, David Reiland

Newly appointed artistic director David Reiland of the Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) / Courtesy of the KSOBy Park Ji-wonThe poster for the 2022 season of the Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) / Courtesy of KSOThe Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) announced its 2022 season program, Thursday, under the leadership of newly appointed artistic director David Reiland, who is Belgian and whose background is shaped by various cultures of Europe, featuring German and Austrian pieces, as well as works from France.Under the theme, “New Wave,” the new director, who was given the title of “Schumann Guest” at the Dusseldorfer Symphoniker, and who has served as a guest conductor for many orchestras in Europe, will open up the season with Schumann's Symphony No. 2, Op. 61 on Jan. 23. The KSO, conducted by the new director, will play Mozart's “Clarinet Concerto,” one of the highlights of Reiland's conducting, and Haydn's “The Creation.”A number of leading and emerging conductors will perform during this upcoming season. Conductor and violinist Guy Braunst

Dec 11, 2021By Park Ji-won

Park Ji-won

Read more

INTERVIEW Violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill revisits euphoric moment of winning Grammy

INTERVIEW Norah Jones releases Christmas album

National Museum exhibition compares Asian lacquerware techniques and cultures

Immersive artwork recreates elaborate Joseon-era royal banquet held in 1902

Lotte Foundation for Arts announces star-studded 2022 lineup

INTERVIEW For Chopin finalist Lee Hyuk competition is way to meet audiences

Silent Christmas: Koreans forgoing Christmas songs

Historic Cecil Theater poised to close over safety issues

Pianist Suh Hyung-min wins Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn

Korean symphony orchestra unveils 2022 program led by new conductor, David Reiland

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