Entertainment - The Korea Times

K-pop stars to tour overseas in 2012

By Noh Hyun-gi With seemingly unstoppable momentum, K-pop stars are advancing across the globe. Many fans have asked the artists to visit their home countries through innovative methods like uploading flash mob videos online. Moved by these active and sincere requests, K-pop stars will hold concerts around the world and are planning additional gigs to accommodate the enthusiastic fans. JYJ confirmed last week that it will hold its first concert in South America this year. The group is comprised of Jaejoong, Yuchun and Junsu, former members of one of Korea’s most popular boy bands, TVXQ. On March 9, the trio will perform at the Teatro Caupolican in Santiago, Chile. World famous bands such as X-Japan and Korn have previously performed at the venue. In November, JYJ will travel to the capital of Peru, Lima, and perform at Explanada Sur del Estadio Monumental, the second largest football stadium on the continent. The stadium had been a concert stage for Britney Spears, The Black Eyed Peas, and Avril Lavigne. They gained popularity in South America after releasing the Engli

Jan 10, 2012

Rising stars to shine in Kumho Asiana’s new year concert

By Do Je-hae Two rising classical music stars will feature in a new year concert hosted by the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation (KACF). Violinist Shin Hyun-su and pianist Kim Tae-hyung, two key artists supported by the KACF, will perform well-known pieces for the two instruments by Beethoven, Brahms, Kriesler, Mozart and Wieniawski. The highlight of the program is Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, “Spring,” one of the most lyrical works for violin and piano of all time. The concert will take place on Jan. 12 at Kumho Art Hall. The two artists, who made their debut in the KACF’s Prodigy Concert series, have made names for themselves by winning awards at prestigious international competitions. Shin gained recognition when she won the first grand prize at the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud International Violin Competition in 2008. A former student of Korea National University of Arts (KNUA), the 25-year-old has never studied outside Korea. Her sister Shin A-ra, also a locally trained violinist, is the assistant concertmaster of the Seoul Philharmonic Orche

Jan 6, 2012By Do Je-hae

Album review

Why we recommend it: Renowned conductor Christian Thielemann brought his Deutsche Grammophon contract to the Staatskapelle Dresden upon being elected one of the world’s oldest orchestra’s future music director. Recommended track: The first track is “Maestoso.” Like the first movement of Brahms’ single violin concerto, it is long for a first movement, but there is not one boring moment. Maurizio Pollini and Christian Thielemann ‘BRAHMS : PIANO CONCERTO NO.1’ (DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON) Maurizio Pollini is widely considered a living legend of the piano, who commands versatility in repertoire and inhuman technical facility matched by few in his generation. A leading artist of Deutsche Grammophon (DG) since the 1970s, he is largely associated among Korean piano fans for his recordings of Chopin’s Etudes and Preludes, which have continued to remain a standard reference particularly for piano students. Because he has never toured in Korea and live recordings of the pianist is rare, the latest DG release of Pollini’s live rendition of a Brahms piano concerto is a welcome op

Jan 3, 2012By Do Je-hae

Pianist brings to stage Elgar, Strauss

By Do Je-hae An upcoming concert at the Sejong Chamber Hall will feature chamber music that is rarely performed here, like the Elgar Sonata for Violin and Piano and songs by Richard Strauss. Pianist Lee Jee-hee will lead the Jan. 12 concert, which also involves the participation of two singers — a baritone and a soprano — and a violinist and an additional pianist. Lee is a professional accompanist trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London. The program will also include a solo performance of Mendelssohn’s “Phantasie Op. 28” and Liszt’s “Concerto Pathetique,” the Hungarian composer’s most substantial and ambitious two-piano work played without orchestra. The concert is a rare occasion to experience various genres of chamber music in a single concert, according to Lee. “The most important aspect of our performances is communication. It is an occasion for various artists to connect emotionally,” Lee said in a statement. “I hope to display to the fullest my capacity not just as a soloist but also as an able accompanist.” A graduate of Hanyang Un

Jan 3, 2012By Do Je-hae

Violinist Chung Kyung-wha to perform Bruch

Violinist Chung Kyung-wha, who recently completed a four-city tour on Dec. 26, is returning to the stage on Jan. 15 with her younger brother Chung Myung-whun, music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. As soloist of the New Year concert of the SPO, she will play Bruch’s “Scottish Fantasy,” a piece she performed for a legendary Decca recording with German maestro Rudolf Kempe conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the 1970s. The recording also features Bruch’s popular violin concerto. Ray Minshull, head of Decca’s classical artists’ department from 1967 to 1994, once made a remark about Chung’s impeccable interpretation of the formerly unknown “Scottish Fantasy.” “At the time there were considerable reservations about risking the (then) virtually unknown Scottish Fantasy, since the standard concerto to put on record with the Bruch had become the Mendelssohn, but the agreed feeling was that with a star of our soloist’s magnitude we could afford to take the risk,” Minshull wrote in an introduction for a re-is

Jan 2, 2012By Do Je-hae

Top performing arts school celebrates 20th anniversary

By Do Je-hae The Korea National University of Arts (KNUA) was established as the only institute of higher education for nurturing artists 20 years ago by the culture ministry. The school will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its founding this year with a special concert on Jan. 11 at the arts theater of its campus in Seokgwan-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. It has an additional campus in Seocho-dong. "Our school was founded to prepare the nation for a new century in the arts. We have produced leaders in the field and contributed to improving Korea's international image through spreading Korean culture," KNUA President Park Jong-won said in a statement. The anniversary concert will be led by conductor Chung Chi-young with performances by soprano Kim Young-mi, tenor Choi Sang-ho and Kim Duk-soo, a master of "samulnori" (traditional Koran percussion music) and a KNUA faculty member. The concert will also feature young violinist Lee Ji-hye and the K’ Arts Ballet. KNUA has 26 departments in six schools: music, drama, film TV and multimedia, dance, visual arts, and Korean tra

Jan 1, 2012By Do Je-hae

Evanescence, Beirut to perform in Seoul

By Noh Hyun-gi To start off the New Year, two American bands, Evanescence and Beirut, are holding concerts in Seoul for the first time. Both bands have enthusiastic legions of fans in Korea eager to attend a concert without having to travel abroad. Evanescence, a rock band known for the dreamlike voice of the vocalist Amy Lee, will be holding a concert in Feb. 17 at AX Korea in Gwangjang-dong, Seoul. This eagerly anticipated concert will feature songs from the newly released eponymous album “Evanescence.” In 2003, as one of the most successful new metal bands of the 21st century, the band shocked the world with its first full-length album ``Fallen.’’ Selling more than 800,000 copies in the United States alone, the debut album sold around 17 million copies worldwide. Introducing a genre of metal different from Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, Evanescence experimented with a more gothic sound. Given that the scene was heavily saturated with new metal based on hip-hop, the band’s success reflected the exceptional vocals and talent of its members. Beirut, an American band

Dec 30, 2011

Chung Kyung-wha delivers safe program in return to stage

By Do Je-hae It’s hard to define the outcome of violin virtuoso Chung Kyung-wha’s return to the stage this week as a recitalist for the first time since a career-threatening finger injury sustained in 2006. The 63-year-old performed with a pianist during a four-city tour that started Dec. 19 in Incheon and concluded Monday at Seoul Arts Center. She delivered a program of pieces that she had played often in past recitals. She has always had a lovely tone, ideal for the lyrical sonatas by Franck and Brahms, the centerpiece of her recitals. They were performed during her recitals here in the early and late 1990s. The only glimpse of a new direction was provided at the opening of the show, a rendition of Mozart’s sonata in E minor. Chung has never recorded it and has shunned from playing the full cycle, unlike peers of similar stature like Itzahk Perlman or Pinchas Zukerman who have been ardent champions of the work on the stage and in recording studios. In interviews conducted in her early 40s, Chung said that she had the highest admiration for the Mozart cycle by violin

Dec 27, 2011By Do Je-hae

Album review: T-Pain, ’Revolver’

Revolver Why we don’t recommend it: nothing special, nothing really T-Pain Recommended track: “Fantasy” is a saving grace that is at least T-Pain material The album “Revolver” is the fourth studio album by T-Pain released on Dec. 2, 2011. Though the artist confirmed that the recording for the album was completed in 2010, he delayed the release due to concerns about the deteriorating music market. And the album probably won’t do much good for the market. Stylized as “RevolveЯ” so that without the R’s at the end the middle spells evolve, the title is a misnomer; none of the 14 tracks exhibit any evolution of T-Pain as an artist. The official single of the title track “Best Love Song” featuring Chris Brown was released on March 22 and garnered significant attention worldwide but it might as well be Brown’s track featuring T-Pain. YouTube covers of the track by aspiring artists online are more interesting than the original. “Fantasy” featuring female singer Dawn is the only offering that carries T-Pain’s style of sexual lyrics carried with his weirdly soothing voice.

Dec 20, 2011

Maestro Chung to renew SPO tenure

'Overpay' controversy tarnishes Seoul Phil. music director's image By Do Je-hae What will be the definitive legacy of conductor Chung Myung-whun with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) after his renewed three-year term ends in 2015? The 58-year-old conductor and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon agreed to a new contract last Friday, extending his current term which concludes at the end of the month. Despite causing a public stir for being paid an “excessive” salary, Park reportedly asked Chung to stay with the SPO. “I respect the passion he has given to the orchestra,” Park said after the meeting. “Under Chung’s leadership, I hope that the SPO will reach a level that the citizens can be proud of.” Chung expressed his hope to contribute to improving the level of the local classical music community. “It has been six years since I joined the SPO. Making a global orchestra is an extremely difficult task. We need cooperation from all sides,” Chung said. Chung’s new three-year tenure will be finalized during an SPO board meeting later this week. Because the Europe-based Ch

Dec 18, 2011By Do Je-hae

K-pop