Album ReviewsMika Nakashima `No More Rules' (SonyBMG) J-pop diva Mika Nakashima has just released a compilation of 15 songs that have been used in TV commercials for Japanese cosmetics line Kanebo Kate. Nakashima doesn't just sing the songs, but also appears in the commercials as a model for the brand's funky make-up colors. ``Game,'' a catchy dance track, is the latest song to be used for the Kanebo campaign. Her deep husky voice is well suited for the diverse pop, jazz, dance and rock tunes that have helped sell thousands of lipsticks and eyeliners in the last seven years. Also included in the album are ``Heaven on Earth,'' ``My Sugar Cat'' and ``Black & Blue.'' -Cathy Rose A. Garcia Apr 14, 2009
Redman, Nah Youn-sun and WakeniusBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Jazz artists like American saxophonist Joshua Redman, Korean singer Nah Youn-sun and Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius will delight fans with their exceptional music this spring. Redman, a Harvard-educated saxophonist, is returning to Seoul for another concert at the LG Art Center, April 26. New members of his trio, drummer Gregory Hutchinson and bassist Reuben Rogers, will accompany Redman on stage. The charismatic saxophonist is known for his astonishing performances that balance tradition and innovation. Redman was born in 1969 to jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman and Renee Shedroff. He grew up in Berkeley, where he began playing the saxophone at the age of 10. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University, with a B.A. in Social Studies in 1991. He was accepted to Yale Law School but was granted a year deferment. Redman moved to New York City to ``take a year off," but decided to pursue a career in music. In November 1991, he won first place in the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. By 1993, heApr 14, 2009
Veteran Artists Turn New Chapter in CareerBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Two of South Korea's most feted classical musicians, violinist Lee Sung-joo, 55, and cellist Chung Myung-wha, 65, will host special recitals in Seoul that mark a special moment in their careers. Following the marathon recitals of Beethoven sonatas by pianist Paik Kun-woo and cellist Yang Sung-won in 2007, Lee will realize her own longtime dream of playing the German composer's complete violin sonatas, Sunday, at Kumho Art Hall. Lee paid attention to finding the right balance of presenting well-known pieces together with the lesser-known ones, ``to tell a story of Beethoven's transforming music over time,'' she said in a statement. Sunday, beginning 3 p.m., Lee will play Sonatas Nos. 1-5 and No. 10, in between Nos. 3 and 4. At 7:30 p.m., the violinist will deliver Nos. 8, 6, 7 and 9, in that order. She explained the recital would be a long journey exploring the life and music world of Beethoven. ``I am vis-a-vis with the great artist Beethoven. I hope to share this wonderful yet extremely arduous experience with everyone,'' she said. LeeApr 13, 2009
Kwun to Perform With Tokyo Met SymphonyBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Japan's renowned Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, led by maestro Kazuhiro Koizumi, returns to South Korea April 16. The last time they played here was 23 years ago, and coincidentally enough, it will feature a 23-year-old Korean violinist as soloist. The concert at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts presents a program of Tchaikovsky, including Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 with Kwun Hyuk-joo ― a Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory graduate praised for his ``quintessentially Russian'' sound. Not surprisingly, it is the violin concerto he performed most frequently onstage. ``But it's different each time I play it and depends on the orchestra and conductor,'' Kwun told The Korea Times, Tuesday, in Seoul, expressing enthusiasm about playing with a major Japanese orchestra for the first time. The violin concerto seems to have a special place in his heart. ``When you watch a movie, sometimes you feel an emotional release in your heart that's liberating, refreshing and beautiful. Russians are very free-spirited, relaxed and never rushApr 8, 2009
Album ReviewsUtada `This Is The One' (Universal) Japanese pop star Utada is making another bid to conquer the American market with ``This is The One.'' Featuring 10 English language songs, the album just might be the one that will grab the attention of the American audience. Her first single, ``Come Back to Me,'' is a laid-back R&B ballad, while ``Apple and Cinnamon'' has a catchy chorus that will get stuck in your head. Unlike Korean star BoA's electronic dance-fueled American debut album, Utada's album shows more diversity, with R&B ballads like ``This One (Crying Like a Child)'' and mid-tempo dance tracks like ``Me Muero.'' -Cathy Rose A. Garcia Apr 7, 2009
Pearl Jam Stays Strong After 19 YearsBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Pearl Jam, along with other bands from Seattle such as Nirvana and Soundgarden, defined the grunge music scene in the early 1990s. The genre resonated with teenagers around the world, with its mix of punk-heavy, metal-indie rock music and angst-laden lyrics. More than 19 years later, grunge music is just a distant memory, but Pearl Jam is still together and going strong. Formed in 1990, the band is composed of guitarist Stone Gossard, bassist Jeff Ament, guitarist Mike McCready, drummer Matt Cameron and lead singer Eddie Vedder. And they admitted they are quite amazed the group has stuck together for so long and will be celebrating their 20th anniversary next year. ``It's pretty insane that we've lasted 20 years. At the start, I guessed we might make three or four records, have a little bit of success and we would have gotten to play with some of our heroes. Probably the biggest fringe benefit is that we've shared stages with Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins, REM, Neil Young, the Rolling Stones and Frank Black, the list goes on and on.Apr 7, 2009
Liebreich Seeks Innovation for TongyeongBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter It seems natural that the Tongyeong International Music Festival (TIMF) will be led by Alexander Liebreich, who is from the country where Isang Yun's music is most popular, and has built a special bond with the two Koreas over the years. Beginning in 2011, this young German conductor will assume artistic directorship of the event, held every year in the late Korean-German composer's South Gyeongsang Province hometown. ``My relationship with Korea evolved in a very natural way, with natural chemistry,'' the 40-year-old told The Korea Times in a recent interview in Seoul. In 2002, the conductor had the unique opportunity to tour both sides of the 38th Parallel, and became a guest professor in Pyongyang as part of a joint project by Seoul's Goethe Institute and the German Academic Exchange Service. ``Germany has this history of a divided country, so it's a natural thing to have a dialogue with Korea. It's a cultural dialogue, not a political one,'' he said. ``It was very, very pleasant to see that young (North) Koreans were very passionate abApr 7, 2009
Pianist Evgeny Kissin Dazzles Korean FansBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Evgeny Kissin said that performance is ``the gift to composers and all of humanity,'' and this pianist is the gift that keeps on giving. In his Seoul recital, Thursday, the Russian sensation ― or revolution rather, to imply the historic dimension of his presence ― gave 10 encores and serviced fans with an autograph session that continued past midnight. The pianist's concert was an event people did not want to miss. The concert hall of Seoul Arts Center was fully packed well before the show began, with less than a handful of latecomers slipping in after his delightful rendition of select pieces from Prokofiev's ``Romeo and Juliet.'' Each time the tall figure emerged onstage the audience exploded into applause but would hush instantaneously when he sat down. No one dared to cough between the movements of Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 8, and it was as if the members of the audience were turned into stone under the spell of Kissin's magical pianism. An occasional shifting in the seat would softly echo through the hall, and the musician's deliberateApr 3, 2009
Kissin to Share Passion With KoreansBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Evgeny Kissin has returned to South Korea. The tall, pale-faced figure emerged before the press Wednesday in Seoul, softening his intense air with a bright smile and, with that unmistakable mound of dark, untamed curls, looking almost anachronistic in the image-obsessed, Mozart-meets-MTV era. Like his otherworldly presence, he seems to carry on the world on his own pace. The 37-year-old pianist took the world by storm as a child prodigy and has since been ranked alongside Rubinstein and other historic artists. International competitions, the usual rite of passage for musicians, were never necessary ― ``yes, I have never participated in a concours, so I don't know anything about them and they don't concern me,'' he said in a matter of fact manner. The people who are unable to forget him as a 12-year-old braving Chopin concertos don't bother him either. ``Even though the human life span has become longer in the 21st century, there has to be a problem if people regard a mid-30-year-old as a child prodigy,'' he said, throwing the room into a rumble oApr 1, 2009
Maestro Paik, Rising Stars to PerformBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Following 2007's historic marathon of Beethoven's complete piano sonatas, maestro pianist Paik Kun-woo brings another unique project ― one featuring four grand pianos in concert with three of South Korea's hottest young artists, Kim Sun-wook, Kim Tae-kyung and Kim Jun-hee. The idea for a concert featuring pieces for eight hands was conceived a few years ago, Paik told reporters Monday in Seoul. ``During (Franz) Liszt's time, renowned pianists came together for a concert featuring multiple pianos. I wondered how it would be to do something similar here, today,'' he said. Paik and the three Kims will alternate the parts of first, second, third and fourth pianos for Milhaud's ``Paris'' Suite for Four Pianos and Wagner's ``Overture zu Tannhauser'' transcribed for eight hands. Also included are Ravel's ``Bolero'' transcribed for the four instruments and Rachmaninov's ``Symphonic Dances,'' Op. 45. ``The multiple pianos will create grand sounds, and harmonize and resound like the glimmerings of twilight,'' said the maestro. While the performance itMar 31, 2009