Dutoit, Juillet happy to returnBy Lee Hyo-won Staff reporter The Lindenbaum Music Festival in Seoul welcomes back Maestro Charles Dutoit and violinist Chantal Juillet, among other internationally renowned musicians, to take part in an intense music-making session with talented Korean youths. ``We’re very, very happy to be back here we had great success last year,’’ Juillet, artistic director and concert master of the orchestra project, told reporters in Bangbae-dong, Monday. Last year’s inaugural event brought together some 100 budding local musicians through an audition to master and play Mahler. This year another batch of youths in their teens and 20s started rehearsing Monday to stage Richard Strauss’ symphonic poem ``Ein Heldenleben’’ next week. ``When I first came (to Korea and conducted) it was in 1974, and the orchestra I was conducting was not so great, just normal. In recent years we’ve seen emerging artists, soloists and composers from Korea and orchestras all over the world have Asian musicians. It was an enormous surprise to come back and work with these young (musicians), and it was aJun 28, 2010
Seoul Phil praised as `world-class’ in EuropeBy Lee Hyo-won Staff reporter The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra has returned, heads held high with confidence, from its European tour _ ``the success far exceeded our expectations,'' CEO Kim Joo-ho told reporters in Seoul, Friday. The orchestra performed in nine cities across Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic and Russia from May 29 to June 11 under the baton of its music director Maestro Chung Myung-whun, receiving praise as a ``world-class orchestra" as well as securing future international concert engagements. Each night the ensemble performed to large audiences with at least 90 percent seat occupation rates _ with the exception of a couple of cities with slow economies _ said the Seoul Philharmonic. Though Korean ensembles often perform overseas, it is the first time that one gave an extensive tour in Europe where it had to compete at the box office alongside prominent local draws. The German press in particular praised the orchestra's performance at the prestigious Berlin Konzerthaus. Among four dailies that reviewed the evening, Berliner Morgenpost said the orchestJun 27, 2010
Ditto Festival expands its horizonsBy Lee Hyo-won Staff reporter The fourth season of the annual Ditto Festival kicks off Tuesday evening, and is expected to bring a Bohemian flair to the East Asian classical music scene. The event’s namesake Ensemble Ditto, led by violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill, was launched in 2007 and the male chamber group’s popularity spread like wildfire among the mostly young, female fans. What had initially been a chamber recital series quickly grew into a full-scale summer music festival. This year’s edition, titled ``Bohemian,’’ has gotten larger in scope in terms of both repertoire and geography, with the group due to perform in sellout concerts not only here but also in Japan for the first time. It has also invited guest artists of international renown from Japan, France, Canada, Russia and the United States to take part in eight concerts through July 4 at Seoul Arts Center and Hoam Art Hall, downtown Seoul. ``I’m very honored and we’re very excited,’’ O’Neill told reporters Monday in Seoul about Ditto’s upcoming Japan debut. He added that all 7,000 tickets for the tour in TJun 21, 2010
Album reviewsOriginal Motion Picture Sound Track `StreetDance' (Universal Music Korea) ``StreetDance'' is the latest to join the undying trend of films about street-level dance/drum-offs. The U.K. import is set to be released in theaters here June 17, following the OST, in both 2D and 3D. The first half of the album is plagued with remixes with songs like Vitamin C's "Graduation," the Nutcracker and even Britney Spears, a la one-man wonder Girl Talk, though far less smooth and way less hip. However, the song choices seem fitting for a film that is made to be predictably unoriginal, but still manages to get heads bobbing and emotions wrapped in theatrical drama. Briton trio N-Dubz contributes to the soundtrack, as well as Chipmunk, Cheryl Cole and Lightbulb Thieves. _ Ines Min Bon Jovi `Commemorative World Tour Collection' (Universal Music Korea) Bon Jovi needs no introduction. The 27 year-old American rock band has been garnering thousands of fans since their eponymous debut album in 1984, and their latest worldwide Circle Tour will see them perform 135 shows iJun 15, 2010
Soprano Sumi Jo storms across 12 cities in JapanBy Lee Hyo-won Staff reporter International opera star Sumi Jo is dazzling fans all over Japan with a 12-city tour through June 24. The diva’s tour in Japan kicked off June 3 in Sapporo in time for the release of her new Deutsche Grammophon album ``In Concert,’’ which features popular operatic arias accompanied by the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra. The project is particularly making headlines for the participation of Tomomi Nishimoto, a Japanese female conductor who has a strong fan base in the rather conservative Japanese classical music scene. Japanese fans are traditionally known for preferring instrumental performances over vocal ones and so local concert organizers are surprised that tickets for Jo’s tour are selling fast and concerts are full house performances, said Jo’s agency in Korea SMI Entertainment. ``This tour was possible because Sumi Jo has a wide fan base in Japan, which, means more than individual success _ it has paved the path for young Korean artists to shine on the international stage,’’ said Cho Young-joon, head of SMI Entertainment. JapaJun 13, 2010
Girls’ Generation to debut in JapanBy Han Sang-hee Staff reporter Korean girl group Girls' Generation is finally making their official debut in Japan. The group's agency SM Entertainment announced Friday that the nine members were leaving their local fans for the time being to "start a new journey." ``The girls are planning to introduce themselves to Japanese fans through a showcase held at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan, on Aug. 25,'' the agency said through a press release. The venue can house more than 10,000 people, and the agency added that the girls were preparing an exciting show for not only Japanese fans, but also the Japanese press, music labels and agencies. Along with the showcase, the group will also release a debut single with Nayutawave Records, a branch of Universal Music. The label works with numerous top Japanese artists including Kiseki and Greeen. Girls' Generation is the only Korean artist on the label. ``Thanks to the group's high popularity in Asia, the band has been receiving numerous requests from Japanese music labels. We hope the band and Nayutawave Records will Jun 11, 2010
Wonder Girls begins US tourBy Han Sang-hee Staff reporter The Wonder Girls made a successful start to its American tour in Washington D.C. last Friday. The concert was a sell-out and fans were on their feet from start to finish as the girls performed their hit songs, according to the band's agency JYP Entertainment Wednesday. ``We were so nervous, but when we heard the crowd cheering and supporting us we could gain strength and finish the concert without making any big mistakes. We'll continue the tour with the love and support from our friends in mind. We thank everyone,'' the girls were quoted by the agency after the show. The group offered ``I Wanna'' and ``Good Bye'' from their fourth album ``2 Different Tears'' and also sang some of their favorite pop numbers, including ``Don't Cha'' by the Pussycat Dolls. The crowd shouted out the members' names as the group continued the show with songs ``So Hot'' and ``This Time.'' The girls sang ``This Time'' in English, just for the concert. Similar to their local show last year, the members showed off their talents on individual stages as well. Jun 9, 2010
Hancock to bring world closer to musicBy Han Sang-hee Staff reporter The world gets smaller every day through innovative tools such as the Internet, but this doesn't automatically mean people are more open and eager to accept one another's culture. That's why we need artists and projects that can help people get together and form a sense of unity. The initiative for jazz pianist and multiple Grammy Award winner Herbie Hancock's new album ``The Imagine Project'' was just that: to ``celebrate the similarities and differences of all the various cultures in the world and worship the true human spirit.'' In an email interview with The Korea Times, the 69-year-old musician said one of the purposes of the album was to become a passageway to peace. ``Music is very powerful. We tend to choose music whenever we are going through an important day. It helps us remember those special days and places in our lives. That's why I try to inspire people through the lyrics. Through lyrics, people obtain hope for the future, and further learn the need to build a globalized future for our children and our children's children,Jun 9, 2010
Album reviewsOriginal Motion Picture Soundtrack 'Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time' (Universal Music) Some soundtracks are made to stand on their own, fantastic in both theatrical and musical regards, and then there are those simply made to blend in with the film. This is of the latter breed. Composer Harry Gregson-Williams (Golden Globe nominee for the first "Chronicles of Narnia" film) brings the audience a soundtrack that's as manufactured as the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced, Hollywood blockbuster it was made to accompany. The 19-track-long OST falls back repeatedly on the same theme: heavy brass and Middle-Eastern influences build up to crash into a hushed, languid, wind-instrument melody. And the film, panned for its all-Caucasian cast, ends no better musically with the unfitting, uninspired original by Alanis Morisette. / Ines Min Celine Dion 'Taking Chances World Tour Live' (Sony Music Korea) Legend Celine Dion's year-long tour from 2008 to 2009 saw her perform in 25 countries on five continents. Revisiting past hits such as "The Power of Love" and newer hits fromJun 8, 2010
Violinist Kim So-ock delves into BeethovenBy Lee Hyo-won Staff reporter Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, the only work by the composer written for the solo violin and orchestra, is not as frequently played compared to its wide popularity. It was most recently staged here during the Seoul Arts Center’s Orchestra Festival in April and fans can look forward to a soulful rendition Thursday at the same venue by London’s “wunderkind” (Newsquest-Herald & Times) Kim So-ock and the Kim Dae-jin-led Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra. Beethoven is perhaps best known for stormy, tragic works marked by red-hot passion, and the concerto was written in 1806 around the same time he wrote the “Appassionata” Piano Sonata, Op. 57 and the “Eroica” Symphony, Op. 55. But this was a period of intense creative activity when the composer demonstrated varying styles and forms, and the violin piece displays a lyricism governed by harmony and balance of scale. “It’s not so much about the brilliance or virtuosic capacity of the violin like the Mendelssohn or Tchaikovsky concertos. It shows the violinist’s musicianship and more souJun 8, 2010