By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
The Tongyeong International Music Festival (TIMF) will open its ninth edition in the southern seaside city, from March 19 to 25. Aiming to be more than just aurally pleasing, the event invites fans to South Gyeongsang Province to explore theatricality, poetry and more of modern music.
Just as its theme ``Music +'' suggests, the festival aims to provoke different musical sensibilities. The festival will open with the dramatic power of opera, as the Korea National Opera will stage Gluck's ``Orfeo & Euridice'' March 19 and 20.
Lee Byeong-woo, the celebrated guitarist who composed scores for blockbusters such as ``The Host'' and ``Haeundae,'' will share the magic of movies in a cinema-themed concert on March 21. The following day, dive into the literary world of Franz Kafka through G. Kurtag's song cycle inspired the novelist's prose, ``Kafka - Fragments.''
On March 23, music meets paintings through Mussorgsky's ``Pictures at an Exhibition,'' which the composer wrote after seeing the artworks of a late friend. The Ulsan Symphony Orchestra, led by Maestro Kim Hongje, will perform the piece as well as Isang Yun's ``Fanfare and Memorial'' (1979) and Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1977).
Rhythmic melodies are almost always an inseparable part of dance, and choreographer Xavier Le Roy will stage a theatrical dance performance of Stravinsky's ``The Rite of Spring'' on March 25.
The festival was founded in honor of the late composer Isang Yun (1917-1995), a leading figure in the mid-20th-century avant-garde scene. Pieces by Yun will be played every day throughout the event, and on the last day, the finale performance will be comprised solely of his works. The performance will also celebrate the opening of an exhibition hall dedicated to Yun at Docheon Theme Park in Tongyeong.
Moreover, the TIMF has gotten a facelift with the opening of the theme park, which has both indoor and outdoor concert venues where fans can look forward to hearing prominent musicians from near and far.
One of the most anticipated events is the meeting of two young star pianists, Korea's Lim Dong-hyek and France's Alexandre Tharaud on March 21. The two will perform works by Schubert (Fantasy in F minor, D. 940), Chopin (selected mazurkas) and Prokofiev (Piano Sonata No. 7).
Other special performers will include countertenor Andrea Scholl (March 20); soloists of Ensemble Intercontemporain, the famous modern music ensemble founded by Maestro Pierre Boulez (March 23); and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, conducted by pianist Leif Ove Andsnes (March 24).
The entire city of Tongyeong will turn into a musical playground, with fringe performances taking place in different parts of town beginning Friday through March 24.
Visit www.timf.org for more information about the festival.