Simon Rattle Brings Brahms SymphoniesBy Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Maestro conductor Sir Simon Rattle, who has recently concentrated on more modern works with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, is bringing four Brahms symphonies to Korea for the first time. Sir Simon, who arrived in Seoul Tuesday for the concerts Nov. 20-21, told reporters in a press conference that he and the orchestra are glad to perform Brahms symphonies together in Seoul. ``We are very happy now people are exploring Brahms … And this will be in Korea the first time we play the four symphonies together,'' the 53-year-old conductor said. Sir Simon has been cautious in performing the German composer's works in recent performances since appointed to the Berlin Philharmonic in 2002. He said that in the early years after he took the helm of the Philharmonic, there was so much emphasis on Brahms and Mahler that he thought the orchestra should take a little bit of a step back for the first few years. But six years into his conductorship and experimenting with new music and looking at some other repertoires, Sir Simon believes that tNov 18, 2008
Album ReviewsDido `Safe Trip Home' (SonyBMG) Five years after her last album, British singer Dido is making a comeback with her third album ``Safe Trip Home.'' She hasn't lost the warmth in her voice, as heard in tracks like ``Don't Believe in Love'' and ``Quiet Times.'' Produced by Jon Brion, the album has a very mellow, pop sound that will surely please Dido's fans, but may bore others. Dido stays true to her signature sound, while trying to prove she has matured as an artist. She continues to write thoughtful song lyrics, such as ``The Day Before The Day'' about her late father and ``Grafton Street.'' -Cathy Rose A. Garcia ABBA `Abba_ The Albums' (Universal) It's been 25 years since Abba last recorded together, but fans can listen to the group's musical journey with this 9-CD special box set. Go back to Abba's early days with the ``Ring Ring'' and ``Waterloo'' tracks, and re-live the height of their success with the 1975 self-titled album, as well as ``Arrival,'' ``Abba: The Album'' and ``Voulez Vous.'' Also included are the group's last two albums ``Super Trouper'' aNov 18, 2008
Priscilla Ahn Readies for SeoulBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Korean-American singer Priscilla Ahn is brushing up on her Korean before she heads over to Seoul for her first concert in December. The pretty, 24-year-old Ahn promises to do something special for her Korean fans at her Dec. 4 concert at the Sangsang Madang Live Hall, Hongdae. ``It will be a very intimate show. I will play my guitar and harmonicas, and my friend Gus Seyffert will play bass. I'm hoping that it will be a successful show so that I can keep coming back to Korea to perform! I'll think of something special I can do for the show, but until then, I'm hoping to brush up on my Korean language before I go over," Ahn said in an email interview with The Korea Times. Born Priscilla Natalie Hartranft in Fort Stewart, Georgia, Ahn later changed her name to reflect her Korean mother's last name. She believes her Korean heritage is very important. ``Even though my mom is very Americanized now, she still makes delicious Korean food all the time and she watches all the Korean soap operas. When I get sick, only her Korean soups andNov 18, 2008
Pianist Paik to Perform Messiaens WorkBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Pianist Paik Kun-woo will perform Olivier Messiaen's two-hour ``Vingt Regards sur l'enfant-Jesus'' for the first time in 12 years. ``It's hard to pinpoint the differences between now and 12 years ago. We (the piece and himself) are not complete strangers, so I'm trying to take a step forward and take my understanding to the next level,'' Paik, 62, said during a press conference Friday. This performance will be a dedication event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Messiaen's birth. Messiaen is considered one of the most celebrated composers in the world, not to mention a successful organist and curiously enough, an ornithologist. Born in France, he started composing at the age of eight, and continued his musical journey until he died in 1992. He was appointed organist at the church of La Trinite in Paris in 1931 and was deeply interested in the sounds of birds, which were expressed in many of his works. ``I was very young when I first discovered his works. When I did, I was deeply touched. I think it was back in 1968 or 1969 when I Nov 17, 2008
Piano Man Billy Joel Rocks KoreaBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter American music legend Billy Joel brought the ``New York State of Mind" to Seoul, Saturday evening. Joel, also known as the ``Piano Man," performed for the first time in Korea at a packed Olympic Gymnasium, Olympic Park, southern Seoul. The crowd roared with excitement as Joel appeared on stage. He showed off his renowned piano playing with the ``Prelude," before singing ``Angry Young Man." ``Annyonghaseyo, Korea," he shouted, as everyone in the audience cheered. There were initially some technical difficulties, but Joel tried not to let it affect his performance. ``I'm Billy Joel's father. Billy didn't make it tonight," the 59-year-old singer joked about his age. But during the two-hour concert, Joel didn't show signs of his age. He sang almost non-stop, and played the piano, guitar and harmonica with such passion and aplomb. Joel tried to say a few Korean words like ``kamsahamnida," which he shortened to ``kamsa," but the Korean audience didn't seem to mind. He gave heartfelt performances of his most successful songs suNov 16, 2008
Simon Rattle to Conduct Berlin Phil in SeoulBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter The highly celebrated Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is coming to Seoul with maestro Sir Simon Rattle to offer fans a memorable experience with classical pieces by Brahms. As the eleventh concert in the Kumho World Orchestra series, the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation is offering one of its biggest performances. This is the third time for the Philharmonic to visit Korea, the first being in 1984 with maestro Herbert von Karajan, and the second in 2005. Rattle and the orchestra will present all four of Brahms symphonies, in contrast to their recent performances which have concentrated on more modern works. The 126-year-old Berlin Phil is historically quite close to Brahms' work _ von Karajan made four recordings of the composer with the orchestra, while successor Claudio Abbado also recorded his works prior to being appointed as musical director. Rattle, on the other hand, has been more cautious in performing the German composer's works, which is another reason this performance will be quite special, according to the organizers. Nov 12, 2008
Yo-Yo Ma Brings Joy in New AlbumBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter World-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma wanted to recreate and share the ``joy'' of the holidays with his latest album ``Songs of Joy and Peace.'' ``I'm happy this album has come out at this particular moment because for me, music is a personal thing that we all share, but sometimes I feel there's a distance between what goes on stage and what happens at home when we listen to music,'' Ma said, during a press conference at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Gangnam, Wednesday. Ma said his family and friends usually spend the holidays at home having fun and playing music, which includes him ``playing the piano badly.'' He wanted to recreate these special moments on an album, but this time with his ``best musical friends, who feel like family.'' As a result, ``Songs of Joy and Peace'' features collaborations with top artists like Dave Brubeck, James Taylor, Renee Fleming, Chris Botti, Diana Krall, Pacquito D'Rivera and the Assad family. ``This is an album that can never tour. It's impossible to bring everyone together to do five minutes of musiNov 12, 2008
Album ReviewsPink `Funhouse' SonyBMG Pink has always been known for aggressive pop-rock songs that are just bursting with energy. Fresh from her divorce from pro motocross rider Carey Hart, Pink seems to have channeled all her anger and energy into this new album ``Funhouse." ``So What" is Pink's message to her ex-husband, as she sings ``I'm still a rock star and I don't need you. And guess what, I'm having more fun now that we're done." She also includes some heartfelt ballads like ``I Don't Believe You" and ``Glitter in the Air." Overall, ``Funhouse" is all about Pink working out her anger and pain, and isn't really much fun. -Cathy Rose A. GarciaNov 11, 2008
SHINee Open to New OpportunitiesBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Korea boasts a number of idol groups, especially young, pretty, talented boy bands, and SHINee is starting to steal the spotlight with their cute image, catchy music and chic fashion style. The Korea Times met the group last week at their agency SM Entertainment, while middle and high school students waited in front of the building in the hope of getting a glimpse of the young stars. The group_ Jong-hyun, Min-ho, Tae-min, O-new and Key_ entered the room with a ``annyeonghaseyo!'' (loud and clear.) The young singers looked tired from their hectic schedule, with blank expressions and sleepy eyes. However, their eyes lit up when asked how they became singers, answering that their love for music gradually led them to the entertainment business. ``After watching K-pop singers like H.O.T. on television, I started to mimic their dance moves. I loved it, and it turned out that I was actually good and so I went for an audition,'' Tae-min added. Considering that the members are all relatively young, the youngest Tae-min being 14 and the oNov 10, 2008
Oasis Doesn’t Care What People Say About AlbumBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter British rock superstars Oasis are finding renewed commercial and critical success with their latest album ``Dig Out Your Soul.'' But Oasis is not concerned about what the people say about their music. ``It's interesting to see what people say but at the end of the day I don't care. We're so far beyond people making a difference with a review. So it doesn't really matter to me what people think about it,'' Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher told The Korea Times in an email interview. Oasis returned with their seventh album ``Dig Out Your Soul,'' which many critics say is the best Oasis album in a long time. Noel and his younger brother Liam have written songs that show a more mature side of Oasis. Most of the songs still show strong influences from The Beatles, something Oasis is always known for. Gallagher describes the music as ``driving, pounding, acid rock, added with much more groove.'' He wrote the first single ``The Shock of the Lightning," which was released last month. ``We don't really like setting out ground rules aboutNov 5, 2008