Entertainment - The Korea Times

LMFAO to bring ’party rock’

By Kwaak Je-yup When K-pop fans were dancing to the moves of idol groups Big Bang and Girls’ Generation last year, pop music lovers elsewhere were rocking to the addictive sounds of American duo LMFAO, DJs RedFoo and his nephew SkyBlu. As demonstrated by their appearance on the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show and in one of the commercials, they made one of the definitive albums of 2011. And on April 7, local fans will get a chance to see the duo in action on the stage of Olympic Hall in Bangi-dong, southeastern Seoul. That fan base includes 24-year-old movie star Jang Geun-suk, who introduced them to the local mainstream audience by mimicking their moves on a TV show. His reenactment of the signature moves, nicknamed “shuffle dance” here, caused a sensation; now at any given club on any night, one could easily see a group following the same routine. The 36-year-old uncle and his 25-year-old nephew were first signed to the Interscope Records in 2008 and scored an international breakthrough three years later, when they released the single “Party Rock Anthem” from the first al

Feb 7, 2012

32 Beethoven sonatas ― pinnacle of piano music

Kim Sun-wook to play complete cycle By Do Je-hae Pianist Kim Sun-wook will launch a two-year recital series next month to perform Beethoven’s 32 sonatas, considered by some music scholars as one of the most monumental piano repertoires. Still a student in his early 20s, currently training at the Royal Academy of Music in London, it’s too early to tell what his focus will be in the years ahead. But so far, it seems he is serious about keeping Beethoven at the center of his repertoire and musical development. The 23-year-old previously completed a cycle of the five Beethoven concertos in 2009 in Korea. Kim will play the Beethoven sonatas in chronological order. He will take on the earlier sonatas (Nos. 1 through 16) this year. The first recital will take place at the LG Arts Center on March 29. “This project will guide the audience to explore the life and works of one of the most significant composers in the history of Western classical music,” Chelsea Oh, LG Arts Center PR manager, said. Beethoven wrote 32 piano sonatas between 1795 and 1822. Although originally

Feb 1, 2012By Do Je-hae

Album Reviews

Lana Del Rey “Born To Die” (Interscope) Lana Del Rey is a female solo vocalist undoubtedly on fire in the music scene. Critics and gossipers alike are digging up dirt from her past as Lizzy Grant in 2008, with rumors about her rich parents on people’s lips. “Born To Die,” Del Rey’s first full-length album under her current alias, hits just the right note to keep them talking. The theme of the 12-track album is good-girl-meets-bad-boy, which inevitably becomes boring after a couple laments. Despite the trite obsession, Del Rey does flaunt her unique voice and catchy producing. Hypnagogic melodies and the singer’s cloying vocals with hints of croakiness remind one of Madonna in the 1980s. Overall, this album proves that Del Ray is a hipper version of Katy Perry ― you can’t ignore her but you are hesitant to take her seriously. The title track “Born To Die” highlights her retro voice and a hypnotic ambiance that faithfully carries through the album. Using a full orchestra and sample-based synthesizer, it offers a filmic experience, especially paired with the cinematic scen

Jan 31, 2012

Verbal Jint emerges from underground

By Noh Hyun-gi Last year’s “Go Easy” may have put hip-hop artist Verbal Jint on the map but it was his fourth full length album since 2001. He has also released numerous singles. Following the relatively mainstream album, the spotlight was on his academic career. As a graduate of Hanyoung Foreign Language High School and Seoul National University, he is currently taking time off from the School of Law at Hanyang University. The envy of many parents and students, Verbal Jint is a seasoned musician who represents a breakthrough generation in Korean hip-hop history with peers like P-Type, Sean2slow, and Masta Wu. “We were different in that we grew up with

Jan 24, 2012

C-REAL takes over world of girl groups

By Noh Hyun-gi Stepping into the K-pop scene dominated by big names like Girls’ Generation and 2NE1 would be a tough decision for anyone. But five members of bubbly girl group C-REAL, Chemi, Re Dee, Effie, Ann J and Lenny, make it sound so matter-of-fact. “I always knew I would become a singer, I actually don’t know what I would be doing if I hadn’t,” Chemi, the leader of the group who has just turned 20, told The Korea Times in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Thursday. Even the youngest member, Lenny, 15, who just graduated from junior high school describes her decision as inevitable. “I always loved to sing, I always wanted to be a singer performing on a stage.” C-REAL made its debut in October 2011 with “Round 1,” an album with six tracks produced by the industry’s hit makers like Sinsa Dong Tiger and Brave Brothers. Sinsa Dong Tiger is the in-demand producer behind girl groups T-ARA and Four Minute, and the boy-band BEAST. For C-REAL’s album, Sinsa Dong Tiger wrote “Please Don’t Do This,” a track that harmonizes electronic beats with emotional lyrics, and the Brave Brothers

Jan 17, 2012

In-house recording labels gain popularity

By Do Je-hae The latest trend in the classical music industry is the establishment of recording labels by orchestras, with a focus on capturing live performances. In the last decade or so, an in-house recording label has emerged as one of the trademarks of world-class symphony orchestras in Europe and North America, reaching new audiences and dealing with financial challenges. Two of the world’s most respected ensembles — the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) — will perform in Seoul next month. As front-runners in their field, both have a long history, marvelous concert hall to call their own and outstanding musicians and conductors. Additionally, they have also been the industry’s front-runners in producing in-house labels, with much of their latest output gaining critical acclaim. As producers of such labels, orchestras are in complete control of the methods of recording, distribution and promotion of their CDs and other multi-media products. LSO Live As exclusive contracts with the big-names like Deuts

Jan 15, 2012By Do Je-hae

Damien Rice exceeds expectations

Magic hour filled with candid music, a cappella, wine By Noh Hyun-gi Damien Rice, famed Irish singer-songwriter best known in Korea for “The Blower’s Daughter,” the track that featured in the movie “Closer,” came to Korea as the fourth artist of the Hyundai Card Culture Project. The project invites world-class artists like John Legend, Mika, and Comedie Francaise. During the two-hour show at the Olympic Hall in Olympic Park, Seoul, Wednesday, Rice captivated local fans not only with his musical talent, but also with humor and honest recounts of moments that inspired his songs. Rice walked up to the stage with an acoustic guitar with shaggy hair and hipster-like attire, looking shockingly different from the neat face on the posters. He began with “The Professor & La Fille Danse,” from his 2005 album “B-sides.” His signature un-styled vocals went on to express angry lust and hopeless self-loathing in masterfully written tracks like “Delicate,” “Fool,” and “9 Crimes.” The magic truly became apparent in the middle of signing “Volcano,” a mid-tempo number from his de

Jan 13, 2012

iPads appearing on stage

By Do Je-hae Asian piano sensations Son Yeol-eum and Lang Lang have something in common — they both chose the iPad as a performing partner. For the first time for a Korean pianist, Son stepped on to the stage without a page-turner for an encore during a recent concert. Instead, she played by sight-reading from a score on her iPad. During a concert at the Kumho Art Hall, the 25-year-old played Liszt’s arrangement of Beethoven’s 9th symphony, tapping the screen of the iPad with her left index finger to turn the pages on her own. Soloists usually perform from memory, but when playing encores, they sometimes appear with page turners and scores. But in this case, Son appeared with neither, except for an iPad which she held close to her heart when bowing to the audience after the electronically-aided performance. The 2nd prize winner of the 2011 Tchaikovsky Competition is an avid user of the iPad in practice as well. Professional classical pianists are required to memorize huge volumes of scores and carrying them around can be a burden. That’s when the iPad comes in

Jan 11, 2012By Do Je-hae

Seoul Philharmonic to visit Japan

By Do Je-hae The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) and its music director Chung Myung-whun will embark on a new tour of Japan next week, the first of their several overseas tours this year. The nation’s oldest symphony orchestra will play two concerts in Tokyo and Fukuoka on Jan. 16 and 18, respectively. The program will feature Mahler’s first symphony the “Titan” as well as Debussy’s “La Mer.” The tour takes place after today’s release of the SPO’s second recording for Deustche Grammophon (DG) in Japan, containing the above-mentioned symphony and a key work in Chung’s conducting career within and outside Korea. The SPO has been a regular presence in Japan, where their music director has had a lengthy association with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra since 2001 as its special artistic advisor. Chung is one of the most popular conductors in Japan and last year played a tribute concert for the victims of the earthquake in Japan in March. Targeting Asia’s top music market “With our Mahler Series in 2001 and the European tour and recording projects, the SPO’s ensem

Jan 10, 2012By Do Je-hae

Album Review: Joshua Bell ’French Impressions’

Joshua Bell ‘French Impressions’ (SONY CLASSICAL) Violinist Joshua Bell, 44, has rarely recorded sonatas over his illustrious recording career, which started in 1988 with the Mendelssohn concerto at Decca. After focusing on concertos and pieces accompanied by an orchestra, he has released “French Impressions.” Recorded in November 2010 at the Musical Instrument Museum in Pheonix, Arizona, the album was released Tuesday. With sonatas by Franck, Saint-Saens and Ravel in collaboration with U.S. pianist Jeremy Denk, this is Bell’s first recital program with Sony Classical. “‘French Impressions’ is the culmination of my last decade of exploration and performance with pianist Jeremy Denk,” Bell said in a statement. “I hope that with this recording, we can affect the listener with the same joy and spiritual enrichment that these masterpieces have provided us over the years.” The Bell-Denk duo has been performing regularly in more than 80 recitals since 2004. Both musicians are graduates of Indiana University. Though recorded in a museum, this album carries the energy

Jan 10, 2012

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