The Korea Times

INTERVIEW For Chopin competition winner Bruce Liu, piano is a 'hobby' he has passion for

Bruce Liu, the winner of the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition / Courtesy of the Chopin InstituteBy Park Ji-wonClassical music fans all over the world were excited to watch the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition held last month, expecting the emergence of a star pianist who could influence the classical music industry for some time to come. Korean fans had especially high expectations for the contest, as the winner of the last competition held six years ago was Korea's own Cho Seong-jin.However, Lee Hyuk, a Korean finalist in the competition, failed to win a prize, as Canadian pianist Bruce Xiaoyu Liu won the top spot with unique and skilled performance. The winner who is currently having an international “marathon-like” tour after the competition, will hold a concert with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, led by associate conductor Wilson Ng, at the Seoul Arts Center (SAC), Nov. 27. He will be playing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11; Berlioz's Le Carnaval Romain Overture and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9 in E-flat maj

Nov 23, 2021By Park Ji-won

[INTERVIEW] For Chopin competition winner Bruce Liu, piano is a 'hobby' he has passion for

Arts & Theater

COVID-cancelled French musical 'Notre Dame de Paris' hits Korean theaters

A scene from the French original musical, “Notre Dame de Paris,” during a press conference at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Thursday. Courtesy of Mast EntertainmentBy Park Ji-wonThe poster for the French original musical, “Notre Dame de Paris” / Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing ArtsThe original French production of the musical, “Notre Dame de Paris,” based on the novel with the same title by Victor Hugo and one of the most popular original foreign productions in Korea, will be performed with its 1998 original cast and new casts in three different locations in Korea, running until Jan. 16 of next year.The musical, composed by Riccardo Cocciante, written by Luc Plamondon, choreographed by Martino Muller and directed by Gille Maheu, as its original creators, is set in the 15th century and revolves around Quasimodo and his love for the beautiful Esmeralda. It is especially known for having beautiful songs such as “Vivre,” “Le Temps des Cathedrales,” “Belle,” and more.The legendary musical, wh

Nov 21, 2021By Park Ji-won

COVID-cancelled French musical 'Notre Dame de Paris' hits Korean theaters

Shows & Dramas

New and improved 'The Dresser' returns to theater

Song Seung-whan, playing the character of 'Sir' in the play, “The Dresser,” and other actors, perform in a press presentation for the theater production at the National Jeongdong Theater of Korea, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of the National Jeongdong Theater of KoreaBy Park Ji-wonRonald Harwood's play, “The Dresser,” returned to the stage last year, though its performance schedule was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.The play, presented by the National Jeongdong Theater of Korea, revolves around an aging actor, Sir, and his devoted costumier, Norman, performing in a provincial theatre in the English provinces in 1942 during World War II. The actor, who is preparing to perform King Lear, starts to act strangely right before his appearance on stage due to an air raid, forgetting his lines and the existential quandary he is supposed to be portraying. Norman and the theater's other staff members make every effort to help the actor get on stage and perform.Sir will be played by veteran actor Song Seung-whan, who is better known as the chief producer of the iconic rhy

Nov 18, 2021By Park Ji-won

New and improved 'The Dresser' returns to theater

Music

Pianist Kim Jeong-won to perform reflections of his past, present, future

Pianist Kim Jeong-won performs during a press conference held at Yamaha Music Communication Center, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Kreis ClassicBy Park Ji-wonAlthough Korea's market for classical music has grown larger, few classical musicians have reached the “fandom” level.But Pianist Kim Jeong-won, 46, had fans from the early stages of his career; a loyal fandom, who have been eagerly supporting him since he was in his 20s when he advanced to the third round of the Chopin International Piano Competition in 2000 ― many of who still remain loyal.Since his debut recital in Korea in 2001, Kim has taken a unique career path as a musician, taking various roles ranging from a pianist to a DJ.Following completion of postgraduate studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna ― the youngest student ever to do so ― he went on to study at the Conservatoire National Superieur de la Musique de Paris. He performed as a pianist in the film “For Horowitz” (2006) and was a faculty member at Kyung Hee University from 2009 to 2017. He took on the role of artist

Nov 18, 2021By Park Ji-won

Pianist Kim Jeong-won to perform reflections of his past, present, future

Music

Elias Brown wins 1st KSO conducting competition

Elias Brown conducts the Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) on Sunday during the first KSO International Conducting Competition held at the Seoul Arts Center from Nov. 10 to Sunday. Courtesy of KSOBy Park Ji-wonPoster for the KSO International Conducting Competition / Courtesy of KSOConductor Elias Brown of the United States has won first prize at the first KSO International Conducting Competition, co-hosted by the Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) and the Seoul Arts Center held at the art complex from Nov. 10 to Sunday.He finished first in the competition among 166 applicants from 42 countries competing for the title. In the first round on Wednesday, 12 conductors advanced, and in the second round held Friday, five of them were eliminated. Germany-based Korean conductor Yoon Han-kyeol and U.S.-based Linhan Cui from China came in second and third, respectively.Park Sun-hee, CEO of the KSO, told The Korea Times that one of the most important criteria in selecting the winners was how well they can communicate with the orchestra members.Brown, who commenced his studies at Universitat der Kun

Nov 15, 2021By Park Ji-won

Elias Brown wins 1st KSO conducting competition

Music

REVIEW Vienna Philharmonic lifts spirts of classical music fans

Conductor Riccardo Muti conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing ArtsBy Park Ji-wonIt was a very special night for classical music fans. The prestigious Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (VPO) led by Riccardo Muti performed Mozart, Schubert and Johan Strauss at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul on Sunday.Expectations were high even before the performance, because it was the most-anticipated and biggest performance in Korea by an overseas ensemble since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The 100-minute program included two classic Austrian orchestral masterpieces, Mozart's “Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385,” (the Haffner Symphony) and Schubert's “Symphony No. 9 in C Major” (the Great). As a result, even though the ticket price was relatively expensive for a classical concert here ― the most expensive VVIP seat was 430,000 won ($364.5) and the cheapest seat was 80,000 won ― 2,000 tickets were sold out within a day after sales started on

Nov 15, 2021By Park Ji-won

[REVIEW] Vienna Philharmonic lifts spirts of classical music fans

Arts & Theater

'Room of quiet contemplation' designs space for viewers to reflect on 'thinking Bodhisattvas'

Two gilt-bronze pensive or “thinking Bodhisattva” statues from the 6th and 7th centuries are seen in the permanent exhibition titled, “Room of Quiet Contemplation,” at the National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap By Park Ji-wonThere are many ways to enjoy pieces in a museum, but one normally starts with reading the explanatory text written at the entrance of the exhibition hall and then the texts next to the individual works. These texts may be informative and enable us to learn about the historical context of the pieces, but sometimes they fail to give us room to take a moment to contemplate their existence or to reflect on ourselves.The National Museum of Korea's (NMK) new permanent exhibition breaks these norms of exhibition design and lets visitors immerse themselves in meditation in front of two gilt-bronze pensive or “thinking Bodhisattva” statues in a minimalist way. The two statues are national treasures made in the 6th century and 7th century, resp

Nov 12, 2021By Park Ji-won

'Room of quiet contemplation' designs space for viewers to reflect on 'thinking Bodhisattvas'

Arts & Theater

National Dance Company unveils shamanism-inspired performance

“See you, I'm home,” a dance performance by the National Dance Company of Korea of the National Theater of Korea (NTOK) / Courtesy of NTOKBy Park Ji-wonPoster for “See you, I'm home,” a dance performance by the National Dance Company of Korea of the National Theater of Korea (NTOK) / Courtesy of NTOKA dance performance inspired by “naerimgut,” a Korean traditional shamanism initiation ritual, will be showcased by the National Dance Company of Korea of the National Theater of Korea (NTOK) from Thursday to Saturday.Forty-six dancers play shamans who had to face drastic life changes due to the initiation in the performance, titled “See you, I'm home,” which is choreographed by Sohn In-young, artistic director of the art troupe, composed by music director Jang Young-gyu and directed by Yun Jae-won, concept writer of the series “The School Nurse Files.”An ordinary person becomes a shaman through naerimgut. In many cases, those who are born as shamans are known to suffer unknown diseases or auditory hallucinations before becoming

Nov 11, 2021By Park Ji-won

National Dance Company unveils shamanism-inspired performance

Music

INTERVIEW Pianist Kim Dae-jin, president of K-Arts behind Koreans winning of global music competitions

Pianist Kim Dae-jin, newly-elected president of the Korea National University of Arts, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at his office on Nov. 2. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Park Ji-wonKorea is now known as one of the leading countries in terms of having the largest number of winners of international competitions. Statistics show that Korean musicians won 150 top prizes in the World Federation of International Music Competitions-approved tournaments over the last 60 years as of 2017.Even Western media documented the secrets of the success of Korean classical musicians. Belgian filmmaker and TV director Thierry Loreau who has been making films on classical music and filming the final stages of the Queen Elisabeth Competition for more than two decades released documentary films on the wins, including "K-classics generation" (2020), a film tracing award-winning Korean classical musicians in international music competitions. He labeled the young Koreans dominating classical music competitions as the “K-classics generation” and considered it to be a cultu

Nov 11, 2021By Park Ji-won

[INTERVIEW] Pianist Kim Dae-jin, president of K-Arts behind Koreans winning of global music competitions

Arts & Theater

Seoul International Buddhism Expo kicks off with sustainable living theme

By Park Ji-wonPoster for the Seoul International Buddhism Expo / Courtesy of the Jogye Order of Korean BuddhismThe Seoul International Buddhism Expo will be held both online and in person, from today until Nov. 14, on the theme of sustainable living.Korea's largest cultural expo on Buddhism, hosted by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism under the title “Green life! Wisdom for a Sustainable Life,” will highlight how eco-friendliness is reflected in Buddhism and its culture. In the expo, to be held online and at SETEC in southern Seoul, up to 300 booths from 200 companies will present eco-friendly architecture, vegan fashion and cosmetics, as well as plants for use in interior design. Among its various attractions, the expo will feature one exhibition in which art can be viewed while visitors meditatively listen to sounds recorded from nature, as well as an exhibition of paintings on Buddhism, ranging from traditional to contemporary pieces. A seminar on meditation will also take place.An exhibition on Bhutan will be held showcasing the country's culture, food and products r

Nov 10, 2021By Park Ji-won

Park Ji-won

Read more

INTERVIEW For Chopin competition winner Bruce Liu, piano is a 'hobby' he has passion for

COVID-cancelled French musical 'Notre Dame de Paris' hits Korean theaters

New and improved 'The Dresser' returns to theater

Pianist Kim Jeong-won to perform reflections of his past, present, future

Elias Brown wins 1st KSO conducting competition

REVIEW Vienna Philharmonic lifts spirts of classical music fans

'Room of quiet contemplation' designs space for viewers to reflect on 'thinking Bodhisattvas'

National Dance Company unveils shamanism-inspired performance

INTERVIEW Pianist Kim Dae-jin, president of K-Arts behind Koreans winning of global music competitions

Seoul International Buddhism Expo kicks off with sustainable living theme

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