INTERVIEW Korean-speaking German honorary ambassador for Seoul releases first album Sharing hope through music By Yun Suh-young His music was as soft and serene as his character, flowing gently and smoothly. Daniel Lindemann / Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-youngPopular Korean-speaking German TV personality Daniel Lindemann recently presented his fans with a pleasant surprise - an album of six songs he personally composed and played on piano. “Esperance,” it is called, to give hope to others. The album, released late last month, features an eponymous song which Lindemann said makes him feel good, and hopefully others too. Hence the old English word for “hope” settled as the title. It was the only proper expression that could actually convey the essence of the album, he said. “I never studied composing or went to university to study music or anything,” Lindemann said, speaking to The Korea Times during an interview in Seoul last week. “Composing is like building a sand castle on the beach. You build the castle and if you like it, you can keep it but if you don’t, you can destroy it. The process for Nov 28, 2017
Soyou to return with solo album next month SoyouSoyou, former member of the disbanded K-pop group Sistar, will release her first solo album next month, according to her agency Monday.Soyou, whose real name is Kang Ji-hyun, will put out "Re:Born" on Dec. 13, Starship Entertainment said. The record will be "Part. 1," or the first installment, of the songstress' solo debut album, the company explained."Re:Born" will feature collaborations with leading K-pop talents, including ballad stars Sung Si-kyung and Yoon Jong-shin, and hip-hop artist Primary. She pre-released "I Still," a duet number with Sung, on Nov. 16.In June, the four-member Sistar broke up on mutually good terms, wrapping up a successful seven-year run as a group. Hyolyn and Soyou began solo music careers, while Bora and Dasom have turned to acting.Soyou made a name for herself outside of Sistar with her 2014 hit single "Some," a project with singer Junggigo. She also gained popularity with songs for the hit TV dramas "Love in the Moonlight" and "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God." (Yonhap)Nov 27, 2017
Vienna Symphony visits Seoul after 21 years By Yun Suh-youngOne of the top orchestras in the world, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, will be visiting Seoul next month to perform at the Seoul Arts Center for the first time in 21 years. The Wiener Symphoniker's visit is the first since the orchestra visited the city in 1996 with the late conductor Rafael Frubeck de Burgos for the first time. The orchestra will be performing Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor and Brahms' Symphony No. 1 in C Minor Op. 68, Dec. 5.Other concerts will be performed Dec. 6 in Daegu and Dec. 7 in Daejeon. The orchestra will be performing under the helm of chief conductor Philippe Jordan who has been leading the orchestra since 2014 with an extended contract until 2021. The Vienna Symphony is lesser known in Korea than the Vienna Philharmonic, which is slightly older and more widely known globally. Despite its long history and tradition since 1900, the Vienna Symphony had been in the shadow of Vienna Philharmonic, receiving less of the spotlight compared to its rival. The two orchestras are representative of Vienna and both legendary, yet they representNov 26, 2017
BTS sweeps 47 countries' iTunes charts BTS performs at the 2017 American Music Awards held in Los Angeles on Nov. 19 (local time). / YonhapSouth Korean boy band BTS topped the iTunes' Top Songs Chart of the United States on Saturday with "Mic Drop," making them the first Korean band to do so.The "Mic Drop" remix also hit No. 1 on iTunes' Top Songs Chart of 46 other countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Singapore and Thailand, one day after it was released.The group, also known as Bangtan Boys, collaborated with the famous American DJ Steve Aoki and rapper Desiigner for the remix. The original "Mic Drop" is one of the 11 tracks on BTS' album "Love Yourself: Her," which was released Sept. 18.The band is scheduled to hold concerts for home fans at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul from Dec. 8-10. (Yonhap)Nov 26, 2017
BTS added to Guinness for being most mentioned boy band on Twitter BTS arrives for the annual American Music Awards held at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, on November 19, 2017. / UPI-YonhapBy Kim Jae-heunPopular K-pop band Bangtan Boys, or BTS, has been added to the Guinness World Records for the being most mentioned musician.According to Big Hit Entertainment, BTS appeared on the “2018 Guinness World Records” book that was published in Sept. The reference book picked BTS for “Most Twitter engagements” sector for boy bands as Bangtan Boys’ name had been re-twitted 152,112 times. The function of re-twitting is to re-send the message to somebody that one has already sent a message to online. The BTS’s Guinness record was based on the book’s research up through May 11.The Guinness Book of World Records congratulated BTS on its official Twitter account for their appearance in the reference book as well as their performance on the “2017 American Music Awards” that took place at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, local time.It added that this is first time the Korean band has succeeded in eNov 23, 2017
SPO and Berlin Phil's harpist offer Scheherazade By Yun Suh-young The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra's lead harpist Marie-Pierre Langlamet will be performing today at the Seoul Arts Center.The "Fairy Tales -- Scheherazade" program includes three pieces: Ravel's Alborada del Gracioso, Ginastera's Harp Concerto, Op. 25, and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Op. 35. Alborada del Gracioso is translated as "Morning Song of a Jester," where Gracioso has been the household jester in the classic Spanish comedies of Calderon and Lope de Vega. The Ginastera's Harp Concerto will be performed in collaboration with Langlamet. The composition best brings the harp to life with rhythm and intensity. Scheherazade is a more popular work based on the character in the Persian tale "One Thousand and One Nights." Figure skater Kim Yuna performed to the piece during her 2009 World Championship program. The performance will be conducted by Canadian conductor Kwame Ryan who is a regular guest conductor for the SPO. He has worked with many noted orchestras across the world such as Opera de la Bastille, Opera de Lyon, Orchestre Nov 21, 2017
World Orchestra Series opens in Daegu Moscow Philharmonic to perform next weekBy Yun Suh-young Russian conductor Yuri SimonovViolinist Sergey KrylovThe Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra will perform in Daegu on Nov. 26 as part of the World Orchestra Series, an orchestra festival that will last until next month. Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the world’s five major orchestras, will be performing with Russian conductor maestro Yuri Simonov and renowned Russian violinist Sergey Krylov at the Daegu Concert House's Grand Hall. The program will feature mainly Tchaikovsky's pieces such Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 "Pathetique," Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 35, and “Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture.” The World Orchestra Series is an international orchestra festival unique to Asia held annually in Daegu. This time around, it lasts a month from Nov. 9 to Dec. 9. The World Orchestra Series' "special unit team" held several warm-up events from Nov. 9 to 16 to bring up the atmosphere. On Nov. 11, the team organized guerilla performances on KTX trains and stations across the nation to celebrate Daegu's incNov 17, 2017
Super Junior's Kangin assaults girlfriend: police Super Junior member Kangin / YonhapSuper Junior's agency on Friday publicly apologized for member Kangin's alleged assault of a woman at a bar."We're deeply sorry for causing trouble," Label SJ said in a release. "Kangin had a quarrel with a friend at a bar, which caused a misunderstanding that ended up with a police dispatch to the scene."The fight ended as the singer apologized to the opposite party, the agency said. "Once again, we're very sorry that he caused trouble while having time for self-reflection."Earlier on Friday, the Seoul Gangnam Police Station sent officers to a bar in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, upon receiving a citizen's call that Kangin was assaulting his girlfriend at about 4:30 a.m.However, the singer was set free soon as the victim did not want to file a complaint. The victim claimed herself to be his girlfriend, police said. By law, police cannot punish assaulters against the will of victims.Kangin was excluded from Super Junior's activities for its eighth full-length album "Play" after being fined for causing a car accident and running away while under the inNov 17, 2017
Wanna One sweeps charts after new album release Project K-pop group “Wanna One” members pose during the press conference for their new album “1-1=0 (Nothing Without You)” at CGV Yongsan in Seoul, Monday. / YonhapBy Kim Jae-heunProject boy band “Wanna One” released its second album “1-1=0 (Nothing Without You),” Monday, just three months after the band’s first album “1+1=1 (To Be One)” was released.The new album’s main track “Beautiful” instantly topped all major music streaming service charts online including Melon, Bugs, Mnet and Naver. The group’s comeback show was broadcast live on Mnet and tvN.The band members introduced their new album and new songs as their reward for their fan’s support and love.“Our goal for the new album’s activity is to repay our fans for the love they gave us throughout the year,” said the member Hwang Min-hyun during the press conference at CGV Yongsan in Seoul.“As our fans gave us the opportunity to act as the band Wanna One, we want to play good music for them in return,” addeNov 14, 2017
Super Junior reveals 8th album without Choi Super Junior’s Eunhyuk shows off his dance skill during the press conference for their eighth album “PLAY” at Grand InterContinental Hotel in Seoul, Monday. /YonhapSeventeen releases 2nd album to rival Suju, Monsta XBy Kim Jae-heunPopular boy band Super Junior of S.M. Entertainment, released their eighth studio album “PLAY,” Monday without member Choi Siwon.The group originally planned to return with seven members including Choi. Choi Siwon participated in recording for the album and he appears in the music video as well as the promotional poster.However, he decided not to join Super Junior’s eighth album activity after he got embroiled in an accident where his dog bit popular restaurant owner in September. The restaurateur who owned the restaurant Hanilkwan died of blood poisoning five days after.“Unfortunately, Choi will not be participating in our new album activity,” said member Leeteuk at the press conference for their new album at the Grand InterContinental Hotel in Gangnam, Seoul. “In the last twelve years, we went through Nov 7, 2017
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