By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Maestro conductor Sir Simon Rattle, who has recently concentrated on more modern works with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, is bringing four Brahms symphonies to Korea for the first time.
Sir Simon, who arrived in Seoul Tuesday for the concerts Nov. 20-21, told reporters in a press conference that he and the orchestra are glad to perform Brahms symphonies together in Seoul.
``We are very happy now people are exploring Brahms … And this will be in Korea the first time we play the four symphonies together,'' the 53-year-old conductor said.
Sir Simon has been cautious in performing the German composer's works in recent performances since appointed to the Berlin Philharmonic in 2002.
He said that in the early years after he took the helm of the Philharmonic, there was so much emphasis on Brahms and Mahler that he thought the orchestra should take a little bit of a step back for the first few years.
But six years into his conductorship and experimenting with new music and looking at some other repertoires, Sir Simon believes that the orchestra will perform Brahms once again in a new style for the concerts.
``Don't forget when the orchestra was founded, Brahms music was very new … What we hope is that we are still playing very new music,'' he said.
The 126-year-old Berlin Philharmonic is historically close to Brahms' work _ von Karajan made four recordings of the composer with the orchestra, while successor Claudio Abbado also recorded his works prior to being appointed as musical director.
Sir Simon has been working for modern classical music by bringing classical tunes closer to the public through education programs to invite many young people to enjoy the music.
The orchestra recently launched the Berlin Philharmonic Foundation to showcase the educational aspects of the orchestra's musical creativity. Through projects such as the ``Zukunft @ Bphil,'' the orchestra has widened the boundaries of classical music and created distinctive programs regarding music and education.
For the Seoul concerts, the orchestra will also offer an open rehearsal to Korean youth for the first time.
``Relatively, a small number of people are able to come to the concert and we'd like to share it with as many people as possible,'' the maestro said.
Sir Simon said that they believe as many people as possible should have contact with what they do and think classical music should not be just enjoyed by just a few lucky people.
``I hope we've changed the lives of some people and certainly we have very strong response in everything we've done,''
Asked about relations between orchestra members, he said that the mutual understanding is important to communication.
``We are a team … This is an orchestra of people with very very strong opinions and I have also strong opinions. Very often we have the same strong opinions. But the orchestra is not ideally any kind of a power struggle. It's a matter of people finding out what they believe about music together. Karajan always said that the first five or ten years for the great orchestra are always a type of the transition. So that's true I am looking forward to the next three or four years,'' he said.
The conductor also added that the orchestra listens to a conductor but it's also very important for the conductor to listen to the orchestra. ``It comes from a dialogue between both sides,'' he said.
Sir Simon Rattle is known as a reformer who tries to transform old and authoritarian customs that prevailed in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Since assuming the top post, he has led the orchestra with democratic conductorship, introduced multi-media in the performance and strengthened children's musical education.
The upcoming concert is the 11th in the Kumho World Orchestra series, hosted by the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation.
This is the third time for the Philharmonic to visit Korea, the first being in 1984 with maestro Herbert von Karajan, and the second in 2005.
The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle will perform at Seoul Arts Center Nov. 20-21. Tickets cost from 70,000 won to 450,000 won. For more information, visit www.kumhoarthall.com or call (02) 6303-7700. Seoul Arts Center is located near exit 5 of Nambu Bus Terminal Station on subway line 3.