Met's Hong declines to lead National Opera By Kwon Ji-younHong Hei-kyung speaks during a press conference at the Ilmin Museum of Art in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, Tuesday. / YonhapSoprano Hong Hei-kyung said Tuesday she will decline an offer to lead the Korea National Opera (KNO), for now.“To be honest, I don’t really know how to lead an opera company, though I’m sure I’ll only be required to add my two cents to a framework that already exists,” she said at the Ilmin Museum of Art in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. She cited her current obligations as the main reasons she would not take the job.Hong, 56, is a member of the Metropolitan Opera New York, and has been rumored to be one of the few candidates to fill the KNO’s directorship left vacant since Han Ye-jin stepped down in February.“Leading the KNO is not something that I can do simply because I want to,” Hong said.Hong is set to appear in “The Marriage of Figaro” with the Muak Opera at the Seoul Arts Center from May 8 to 10.This particular Mozart opera is especially exhilarating for Hong, who will take on theApr 21, 2015
Pianist melts single ladies' hearts Yoon HanBy Kim Jae-heunSpring is the most vulnerable season for ladies to fall in love and no performance was better suited to steal some 180 single ladies’ hearts than the 31-year-old singer-songwriter Yoon Han’s concert at The Plaza hotel, Seoul, on Friday.“I did not have to pick particular songs to play for the single lady fans for today’s concert because all my songs are for ladies and they are love stories,” said Yoon Han, who is also a composer and pianist. “I chose jazz pieces that go well with the spring season.”In his 70-minute concert, Yoon played 12 songs, including an impromptu piano performance and two encores. He also serenaded a female audience member as a surprise birthday present in the middle of the show.Yoon entertained the crowd by playing a mixture of songs from his album and famous songs from movie soundtracks, such as “She” from “Notting Hill.” The pianist also invited his jazz band members to perform in a trio of contrabass, drums and piano during the second half of the show.His encore “MaApr 20, 2015
Azerbaijani music spices up spring Cellist Aleksey Miltykh, right, violinist Kim Bomsori, second from right, and pianist Saida Tagi-zadeh, third from right, perform at the “Invitation of Azerbaijan” concert at the IBK Chamber Hall of Seoul Arts Center, Friday. / Courtesy of Korea Foundation By Kwon Mee-yooThe Korea Foundation (KF) Spring Concert 2015 offered a rare musical delight showcasing exotic Azerbaijani music at the IBK Chamber Hall of Seoul Arts Center, Friday.Titled "Invitation of Azerbaijan," the concert featured two musicians from the Eastern European country ― cellist Aleksey Miltykh and pianist Saida Tagi-zadeh ― with Korean violinist Kim Bomsori accompanying them.It was a part of the KF's annual spring concert series promoting cultural exchanges, inviting foreign musicians to collaborate with Korean artists in cooperation with each country's embassy in Seoul.Ramzi Teymurov, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Korea, expressed gratitude toward the KF for supporting the concert. "It is such a great opportunity for our young performers to present themselves in Korea, joined with this bApr 19, 2015
'Gangnam Style' tops 2.3 bln YouTube views "Gangnam Style," the mega-hit single by South Korean rapper Psy, has surpassed the 2.3 billion mark in YouTube views nearly three years after it was released, his management agency said Monday.The video hit the 2.3 billion milestone Sunday afternoon, YG Entertainment said.Uploaded on July 15, 2012, "Gangnam Style" topped 100 million views on the 52nd day of its release and 1 billion views on the 161st day. In May last year, it became the first YouTube video to garner 2 billion views.It then hit 2.1 billion views in October and 2.2 billion views in January.The rapper, meanwhile, has recently swept China's local music charts with the Chinese-language version of his 2005 song, "Father," featuring the renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang. (Yonhap)Apr 13, 2015
EXO's new album hits Billboard No. 95 Boy band EXO’s new LP, “Exodus,” has landed at No. 95 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart to become the highest-charting K-pop album by male artists.Some 6,000 copies of “Exodus,” released on March 30, were sold in the first week of April.The count edges 2NE1’s record of 5,000 copies sold in the week ending March 2, 2014, but the four-member girl group’s “Crush” continues to hold the record for highest-charting album on the Billboard 200 at No. 61.EXO’s Billboard 200 rank has broken the record the 10-member band set last year when its EP “Overdose” hit No. 129 after selling 3,000 copies.EXO’s second full-length album has earned them a second consecutive No. 1 on Billboard’s World Album chart, and their title song, “Call Me Baby,” checked in at No. 2 on the World Digital Songs chart.Apr 10, 2015
Seoul Phil composer says no more slander Chin Un-suk, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s composer-in-residence, speaks at a press event to announce the lineup for the SPO’s Ars Nova series of concerts, at a restaurant in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of SPOBy Kwon Ji-younThe Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s (SPO) composer-in-residence has stressed that while the SPO is managed and operated in a manner that many deem unusual, no major changes should be forced onto it in light of its achievements over the last decade.At a press event Monday, Chin Un-suk said that the last four months have been extremely difficult for her. Hardest on the heart was the degradation of the SPO’s reputation and achievements, she said.“The SPO performs at an international standard, but the environment in which it exists has not been very supportive of late,” Chin said. “The issues we are facing are not limited to the SPO _ it’s true about almost any organization here in Korea.”Chin recalled when she first joined the SPO. It was like starting with absolutely nothing, she said.&ldMar 30, 2015
LA Phil brings 'New World' to Seoul The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra performs John Adams’ “City Noir” under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel at the Seoul Arts Center, Thursday. / Courtesy of Kumho Asiana Cultural FoundationBy Kwon Ji-younA smattering of applause broke out in the audience when the first half of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Seoul performance drew to an uncertain close Thursday night, as guests, unsure of whether the piece had come to an end, waited anxiously for Gustavo Dudamel to lower his baton.Somehow, Dudamel and the “LA Phil” had managed to cram all its instruments and instrumentalists onto the Seoul Arts Center stage, with two harps on the maestro’s left and a celesta to his right ― the young Venezuelan conductor opened with a forceful musical statement in the form of John Adams’ “City Noir.”Resplendent saxophone solos did thrill audiences throughout, but never before has a conductor’s movements on stage been so central to understanding a piece. “City Noir,” an ode to old Hollywood, is what the composer calls &ldMar 27, 2015
Hahm launches orchestra truck tour The Symphony S.O.N.G orchestra company, headed by conductor Hahm Shin-ik, performs on a truck in the schoolyard of Samyang Elementary School in northern Seoul, on March 19. The orchestra recently launched a free classical concert project called “The Wing” in a bid to spread classical music to more people. / YonhapConductor Hahm Shin-ik speaks to reporters after performing at Samyang Elementary School inSeoul, on March 19. / YonhapBy Baek Byung-yeulMobile food vendors are a worldwide trend for providing the relatively low-cost indulgence of street food, but can mobile trucks help popularize classical music as well?One person who believes so is conductor Hahm Shin-ik.The former chief conductor of KBS Symphony Orchestra recently launched an ambitious project, believing that classical performances in a non-traditional setting would help spread orchestra music to people living in remote places.To realize this idea, the 58-year-old chief director of Symphony S.O.N.G (Symphony Orchestra for the Next Generation), borrowed a 5.5-ton truck from local paint manufacturer NoMar 24, 2015
Berlin Radio Symphony brings Brahms to Seoul The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra performs with Frank Peter Zimmerman at the Seoul Arts Center on March 13. / Courtesy of VinceroBy Kwon Ji-younThe Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSB) opened with Carl Maria von Weber’s “Oberon” Overture at the Seoul Arts Center on March 13, an ideal preamble to a night of flamboyant technique and refined orchestration.The RSB (also known as the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin), staged a dynamic yet ariose intro, with an overwhelming second violin presence. The briskly paced performance exploded, cooled and exploded again as the strings pushed the forte dynamic to its peak. It closed with the same vitality.The orchestra, helmed by Polish-born conductor Marek Janowski, invited Frank Peter Zimmerman to the stage, ready for Sibelius’ Violin Concerto Op. 47. Zimmerman’s intricate execution dramatized the piece’s North European sentiment, a vortex of compulsive, rhythmic riffs against a churning orchestra.Many familiar with Zimmerman may have wondered why the German violinist chose to give the piece such an eMar 17, 2015
Spring concert thrills audience Guests applaud at the start of The Korea Times’Spring Music Festival at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Monday. Hungarian Ambassador to Korea Gabor Csaba, right, and his family were in the audience./ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulKorea Times event attracts 1,500 guests including dignitariesBy Kwon Ji-younA standing ovation rounded off The Korea Times’ Spring Music Festival, which featured soprano Kim Soo-yeon, tenor Ryu Jung-phil and musical actress Sonya, among others.More than 1,500 guests including the newspapers’ readers, government officials, diplomats, business leaders and cultural figures graced the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Monday evening, to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the nation’s oldest English daily.The evening began with Tchaikovsky’s “Polonaise” from the opera “Eugene Onegin” by the Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Park Sang-hyun.Soprano Kim followed with arias, including a majestic rendition of Rossini’s “Una Voce PMar 16, 2015
