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
Album ReviewsPearl Jam `Ten (Legacy Edition)' (SonyBMG) Pearl Jam, one of the proponents of the grunge movement in the early 1990s, have re-released their debut album ``Ten.'' Selling over 12 million copies when it was first released in 1991, ``Ten'' spawned hit songs ``Jeremy,'' ``Go'' and ``Even Flow.'' The new edition of the album features re-mastered tracks and remix versions by producer Brendan O'Brien. The remix versions offer a fresh perspective on Pearl Jam's youthful, angst-ridden music that continues to resonate even in 2009. Also included are six previously unreleased tracks including ``Brother,'' ``State of Love and Trust'' and ``Just a Girl.'' -Cathy Rose A. Garcia Mar 31, 2009
Singer Rachael Yamagata to Take Stage for First Time in SeoulBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Her name might not quite ring a bell, but you might have already heard American singer Rachael Yamagata's soulful songs in movies like ``Elizabethtown" and ``Prime," and TV shows such as ``The O.C.," ``Grey's Anatomy," and ``The L Word." Fans of the Korean drama ``One Fine Day'' (2006) might even remember hearing one of her songs, ``I'll Find a Way." Yamagata will hold her first concert in Seoul on April 17, as part of ``The Beautiful Singer-Songwriter Series at the Theater.'' ``(Fans) can expect a dynamic set with a combination of ballads and pure anthemic rock songs. I'm bringing a cellist and the strings add so much! I'm so excited to be coming and will see all soon,'' she said, in an email interview with The Korea Times. Yamagata and her twin brother Benji were born to a Japanese-American father and an Italian-German mother in 1977. As a child, she always sang and played the piano. ``I was constantly writing little improv songs. In high school I did a lot of music theater, and in college, while I was studying theater, I fMar 31, 2009
John Legend to Host Charity Event in SeoulBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Grammy Award-winning R&B singer John Legend will be hosting a charity event called ``Night of Charity for Children" in Seoul, Saturday. Legend will sing a duet with Korean R&B singer T Yoon Mi-rae at the event, which will be held at the Bamboo House, Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam. Proceeds raised will go to various Korean orphanages and Legend's Show Me Foundation, which funds programs to eradicate poverty in Mbola, Tanzania. U.S. Ambassador to Korea Kathleen Stephens will be the special guest of honor. There will be a VIP reception for the attendees. Only 75 tickets, priced at 1 million won (approximately $700) each, are available for sale. For information, e-mail seoulfoundation@yahoo.com. Legend made his debut in the music industry in late 2004, when he released ``Get Lifted.'' He was named Best New Artist, and won Best R&B Album for the song and Best R&B Male Vocal Performance for ``Ordinary People" at the 2006 Grammy Awards. He was also a staunch supporter of U.S. President Barack Obama during the U.S. presidential campaign last yeaMar 25, 2009
Raul Midon Returns to KoreaBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter American singer Raul Midon returns to Seoul for another concert, as part of ``The Beautiful Singer-Songwriter Series at the Theater'' in April. Midon, a blind guitarist whose deep, soulful voice invites comparisons to another blind musician Stevie Wonder, impressed Korean fans when he held a concert in Seoul last year. In an email interview with The Korea Times, Midon shares fond memories of his concert in Seoul, as well as his guest appearance on the TV music show ``Love Letter with Yoon Do-hyun.'' ``The Korean fans are special because they are so open and responsive to my music,'' he said. Midon will perform April 26, at the M Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Gwanghwamun, downtown Seoul. He promises some surprises for his upcoming concert, but declined to elaborate. ``I'll be playing songs from my previous two albums, `State of Mind' and `A World Within A World' and also previewing songs from my upcoming album. If I tell you, it wouldn't be a surprise,'' he said. Midon attracted fans and impressed cMar 24, 2009
Album ReviewsKelly Clarkson `All I Ever Wanted' (SonyBMG) Grammy Award-winning pop singer Kelly Clarkson returns to the music scene with ``All I Ever Wanted.'' The album debuted on the top of the Billboard charts last week, proving that Clarkson is still perhaps the most successful winner of the hugely popular talent show American Idol. After the lackluster reviews for her previous album ``My December,'' Clarkson seems to have learned her lesson. This time, she filled her new album with radio-friendly pop-rock tunes like ``My Life Would Suck Without You'' and ``Don't Let Me Stop You.'' She shows off the vocal chops that made her an American Idol winner in stirring ballads like ``Cry'' and ``If No One Will Listen.'' -Cathy Rose A. Garcia Mar 24, 2009
Legendary Rock Star to Perform in SeoulBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Jon Lord, a legendary rocker from the seventies, will visit Korea to hold a concert at Sejong Centre on April 11. Accompanied by musical stars Steve Balsamo and Kasia Laska and the Seoul Art Orchestra, led by conductor Choi Sun-yong, Lord celebrates the 40th anniversary of his debut. Lord will offer a unique combination of classical and rock music, playing pieces from ``Concerto for Group and Orchestra'' in the first half of the concert and wrapping up with representative songs from his Deep Purple era such as ``Pictures of Home,'' ``April'' and ``Child in Time.'' ``Concerto for Group and Orchestra'' was a joint concert held at the Royal Albert Hall in 1969 between the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Deep Purple. The upcoming performance could be regarded as a sequel, as Lord continuously seeks ways to bring together classic music and rock. He developed a fondness for classical music at age six when he learned to play the piano. He formed the band Deep Purple in 1968 after his meeting with guitarist Richie Blackmore and was also Mar 24, 2009