Music Stars Shine at Autumn Festival
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Jazz vocalist Woong San and popera star Lim Jae-chung wowed audiences at The Korea Times' annual ``Autumn Music Festival'' held Saturday evening.
The Seoul Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Lee Jin-kwon, filled the Grand Theater at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts with mesmerizing music, perfect for the cool autumn evening.
The orchestra opened with an exciting rendition of parts of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E minor Op. 64. Soprano Yoo Mi-sook performed ``O mio babbino caro'' from Puccini's opera ``Gianni Schicchi,'' while baritone Choi Kwan performed ``Di Provenza il mar, il suo'' from Verdi's ``La Traviata.''
However, it was Lim who stole the limelight when he performed ``The Music of the Night'' from Andrew Lloyd Webber's ``Phantom of the Opera.'' Wearing a white mask to stay true to the Phantom's character, Lim's strong voice reverberated through the hall, with his emotionally stirring rendition of ``This is the Moment'' from the musical ``Jekyll and Hyde.''
Woong San captured the audience's attention with her amazing rendition of Carlos Almaran's classic Spanish love song ``Historia de un Amor.'' Her clear, expressive voice shone as she sang Nat King Cole's ``It's Only a Paper Moon.''
Soprano Choi Na-young also impressed the audience as she sang ``Think of Me'' from the ``Phantom of the Opera,'' and ``Quando men vo'' from Puccini's opera ``La Boheme.''
The show ended with the Seoul Symphony Orchestra's lively medley of popular classical pieces that had the audience clapping to the beat.
Around 3,000 people, including foreign envoys from Japan, Chile, Egypt and Australia, attended the event.
Peru's Ambassador Marcela Lopez-Bravo said she was delighted to have a chance to enjoy music by Korea's top classical musicians and singers. ``Culture is the best way to know the country. Cultural activities like this are very good for promoting bilateral relations. This performance of Korean artists is very important,'' she said.
Egypt's Ambassador Reda El Taify said he enjoyed the concert very much. ``The musicians gave a wonderful performance. After a long fasting day, I enjoyed the many performances. I would like to thank Korea Times for organizing such an event,'' he said.
The Korea Times hosted the music festival to celebrate the newspaper's 57th anniversary, which falls on Nov. 1.