Axelrod, Lamsma to stage Alpine Symphony John Axelrod / Courtesy of SPOBy Yun Suh-young Noted conductor John Axelrod and prodigy turned top violinist Simone Lamsma will be performing together at the LG Arts Center in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Thursday."Eine Alpensinfonie" (Alpine Symphony) by Richard Strauss is the main repertoire of the concert while the more popular Gioacchino Rossini's "William Tell Overture" and Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 4 are also on the list.The second half of the concert will be entirely dedicated to Richard Strauss' Alpine Symphony which consists of 22 pieces.Strauss wrote the Alpine Symphony based on his youth experience of living in Garmisch in the Alps. Based on delicate expression, Strauss maximizes the musical impact of orchestral instruments to portray a "grandiose musical fresco" depicting the Alps. Each of the 22 pieces of music represent a scene from the Alps, whether it is the beginning of the climb at dawn, encountering a tornado, reaching the peak and climbing down. The symphony is built as one song telling a story from beginning to end. The piece is known for its vast compositionNov 14, 2016
Organist David Briggs to improvise to silent film David Briggs / Courtesy of Lotte Concert HallBy Yun Suh-youngRenowned organist David Briggs will stage a live performance played to a silent classic film in his first Seoul concert next week.The performance will be held at the Lotte Concert Hall in Jamsil, eastern Seoul, Nov. 26 at 2 p.m. Briggs will play music for the silent film “Phantom of the Opera” (1925) which will be screened. Briggs is known for his improvised organ performances to silent films, such as “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Nosferatu,” “Jeanne d’Arc” and “Metropolis” as well as various works by Charlie Chaplin.Briggs is renowned for his organ arrangements of various symphonies by Mahler, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Elgar, Bruckner, Ravel and Bach. He had been fascinated by improvising organ music accompanying silent films since he was young.The Briggs performance is the second film event introduced by the concert hall since its first on Nov. 4 with a martial arts film. The performance was met with rave reviews from critics who said that it allowed thNov 13, 2016
K-pop star Lee Seung-hwan vocal about Park's resignation A placard that reads “Park Geun-hye needs to resign” is hung on a building owned by singer Lee Seung-hwan in Seongnae-dong, eastern Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Yang Seung-junBy Park Jin-haiSinger-songwriter Lee Seung-hwan tends to raise his voice about sensitive political issues, unlike most other celebrities who are cautious about revealing their stances.This time Lee is vocal about what President Park Geun-hye should do in response to the unprecedented influence-peddling Choi Soon-sil scandal plaguing the nation.The K-pop ballad king has hung a placard on his own company building in Seoul that reads: “Park Geun-hye should resign” since early this month. He is now working on the song “Ditched to the Street” to be released for free to support all citizens in deep despair following the Choi Soon-sil scandal.Lee also plans to hold events to share his thoughts with more citizens on the Choi scandal, according to industry officials.“Many of my fellow musicians look at my actions negatively,” said the 50-year-old musician on social media aNov 8, 2016
Wagner's Lohengrin meets modernity Carlos Wagner, right, speaks during the press conference, Monday. / Courtesy of Korea National OperaBy Yun Suh-youngRichard Wagner's opera "Lohengrin" will be premiering in its original German for the first time in Korea.Lohengrin is a story based on the Knight of the Swan legend that comes from several medieval sources. Lohengrin first appears as a supporting character in Wolfram von Eschenbach's "Parzival" as the son of Parzival, which was expanded into the story of Lohengrin by Wagner. The opera "Lohengrin" premiered in Germany in 1850.Lohengrin is a knight of the Holy Grail who comes to save a troubled maiden, Elsa, who is accused of murdering her brother to inherit her father's principality. However, Elsa is forbidden to ask Lohengrin's name or identity if she were to receive help from him. If she violates this condition, Lohengrin will be forced to leave her. In the end, Elsa could not resist asking this question and Lohengrin leaves her and the town. The core of the story is this theme of the "forbidden question" and of faith and doubt. The plot creates a contrast between LoheNov 4, 2016
Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band to play Seoul Marilyn Manson in town the same weekBy Park Jin-haiRingo Starr / Courtesy of World Show MarketRingo Starr And His All-Starr Band will play in Seoul as part of his world tour atJamsil Stadium in southeastern Seoul, Saturday at 8 p.m. It is his first event ever in Korea in his 54-year career.Starr is the second Beatle to come to Korea, after Paul McCartney played here last year. Starr will play Korea's largest concert venue with guitarist Steve Lukather of U.S. rock band Toto, multi-instrumentalist songwriter/producer Todd Rundgren on guitar and Richard Page of U.S. rock band Mr. Mister on bass, among other musicians.Korean fans have been anticipating the first concert here of the Beatles’ drummer, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a Beatle in 1988 and as a solo artist last year.The Beatles, from Liverpool, England, are in a class of their own. They produced many hits, from their first single “Love Me Do” to their last album “Let It Be.” Starr sang lead in many of their songs, including the famous “Yellow Submarine.”DNov 1, 2016
Tenor Ian Bostridge to stage 'Winterreise' Ian BostridgeTenor Ian Bostridge will perform "Winterreise" (Winter Journey), by Schubert with Chinese pianist Wenwen Du at the Suseong Artpia in Daegu, Nov. 9.This is his second trip to Korea since 2004. The English opera and lied singer is a leading interpreter of "Winterreise" and has written a book "Schubert's Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession." He is a fourteen-time Grammy Award nominee and has been an exclusive artist for EMI Classics since 1996.Bostridge who has a master's and doctoral degree from Oxford University and Cambridge University in history and philosophy, is known to be a "doctor tenor." He began his singing career at the age of 27 in 1993 at the Wigmore Hall in London.The Daegu concert will offer a pre-concert 30-minute narration on Schubert's "Winterreise" to help the audience better understand the piece.Ticket prices range from 40,000 won to 80,000 won. For more information, call 053-668-1800. Oct 21, 2016
Pintscher to perform with Ensemble Intercontemporain Ensemble Intercontemporain / Courtesy of Lotte Concert HallBallerina Alessandra Ferri speaks during a press conference for the Universal Ballet Company’s“Romeo and Juliet” at the Universal Arts Center in eastern Seoul, Tuesday. / YonhapBy Yun Suh-youngFrench contemporary music group Ensemble Intercontemporain, founded by Pierre Boulez, will perform in Seoul for the first time next week.Boulez, one of the most influential composers of the 20th century, established Ensemble Intercontemporain in 1976 with the support of the French government at the time. Ensemble Intercontemporain is the first permanent organization of its kind with 31 soloists dedicated to promoting and performing contemporary chamber music. The ensemble is resident at the Philharmonie de Paris.The music group inherits the traditions of the contemporary music genre along with other groups such as Ensemble Modern (France), London Sinfonietta (U.K.) and Klangforum Wien (Austria).An affiliate group of IRCAM, a contemporary music institute located in the Centre Pompidou, Ensemble IntercontOct 19, 2016
Pianist Cho Seong-jin to embark on US tour Pianist Cho Seong-jin peforms during a gala concert featuring the winners of the 17th Chopin piano competition at the Seoul Arts Center. / Courtesy of CrediaBy Yun Suh-youngPianist Cho Seong-jin, winner of last year’s world-renowned International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, will be debuting in the United States with a nationwide tour starting next week.This is his first performance in the U.S. since winning the 17th Chopin competition. Cho studied at the Paris Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique and had mostly performed in Europe. He has lived in Paris since 2012.Cho will be performing with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra during the U.S. tour from Oct. 21 through Nov. 7 in 14 cities. The highlight of the tour is on Oct. 24 at the Lincoln Center in New York.Performing arts management and production agency Columbia Artists Management told Yonhap News it will be "a preview opportunity ahead of Cho's solo concert at Carnegie Hall in New York next February."Before the tour on Oct. 19, Cho will begin by introducing himself to Korean residents in New Jersey by hOct 12, 2016
Chung Kyung-wha returns with Bach Chung Kyung-wha speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday. / YonhapBy Yun Suh-young Violinist Chung Kyung-wha returned from a 15-year hiatus with "Sonatas & Partitas Bach - Kyung Wha Chung" released Wednesday by Warner Classics. Her previous Brahms’ violin concerto album with conductor Simon Rattle was released in 2001. The new album contains six of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas from No. 1 to 3, a monumental work of Bach.Chung had recorded parts of this repertoire in 1974 but never recorded the entire work. Forty-two years later, she finally attempted and completed recording the whole repertoire. Chung will be holding a concert next month playing Bach’s six pieces from beginning to end in one day. The concert will last three hours and will be a challenge for both the audience and Chung. The piece is like a violin monologue with no other instruments joining in. It is a piece where a single violin performs from beginning to end. Chung had left the stage for five years after pulling a ligament of the index finger on her left hand in 2005 and was unable to Oct 5, 2016
Cho Jae-hyuck to perform Chopin at Dream Forest Arts Center By Yun Suh-youngThe Dream Forest Arts Center offers a series of four classical concerts throughout October in celebration of its seventh anniversary.The concerts themed "Piano & Strings" will be held Oct. 15 to 23 on weekends at 5 p.m.The Dream Forest Arts Center is run by the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.All tickets cost 20,000 won and include a variety of programs ranging from symphonies, concertos and sonatas. The performers include the Seoul Youth Orchestra, Trinity String Chamber Orchestra, violinist Lee Kyung-seon, pianist Cho Jae-hyuck and jazz pianist Cho Yoon-sung.The concert hall is located in Dream Forest in Gangbuk-gu, northern Seoul.The Seoul Youth Orchestra will kick off the festival on Oct. 15 with several works by Mozart such as Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major, K.218 and Horn Concerto No. 4 in D Major, K.412 as well as the well-known Libertango by Piazzolla.The Trinity String Chamber Orchestra will perform with violinist Lee Kyung-seon, showcasing Dvorak's Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op.22 and Tchaikovsky's Serenade for strings in C Major, Op.48, onOct 4, 2016
