Alicia Keys Talks About AIDS, MusicBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Grammy award-winning R&B superstar Alicia Keys is busy with a world concert tour and a budding acting career, but she still finds time to help children with AIDS in Africa. In an e-mail interview with The Korea Times, Keys talked about her documentary ``Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland,'' her music and upcoming movie. Keys, co-founder of the Keep a Child Alive foundation, recently released a documentary of her trip to South Africa, Uganda and Kenya. Directed by South African filmmaker Earle Sebastian, it shows inspiring stories of children and families affected by AIDS and Keep a Child Alive's projects such as providing anti-retroviral medicine for children with AIDS. ``It is a truly remarkably uplifting, inspiring and fantastic documentary, just really about the resilience and the beauty of life there. It's not something that makes you feel helpless and hopeless after you've seen it. Instead, it makes you feel totally motivated and excited,'' she said. The documentary can be viewed or downloaded for free on www.alicJul 1, 2008
Asia Philharmonic, EU Orchestra Coming to KoreaBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Concertgoers will be able to taste the best of East and West this summer, with the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra concert at the end of July and the European Union Youth Orchestra in August. East Asian Stars & Asia Philharmonic Classical music icons of South Korea, China and Japan will convene for the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra's concerts in Incheon July 29 and the following day in Seoul. The highlight of the program is Beethoven's Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C Major (Op. 56). Featured soloists are South Korea's feted conductor and pianist Chung Myung-whun; Japan's violinist Daishin Kashimoto, who plays in chamber groups alongside artists such as Yuri Bashmet; and Chinese cellist Wang Jian, a recording artist for Deutsche Grammophon. The orchestra itself brings together the most talented musicians from Asia and the Asian Diaspora, such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's concertmaster Robert Chen and the Philadelphia Orchestra's principal violinist Anna Marie Ahn Peterson. The birth of the festival orchestra can be traced baJun 29, 2008
Young Song Tangos With CelloThis is the 15th in a series of interviews with the next generation of classical musicians ― ED By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter It takes two to tango, and for Young Song (Song Young-hoon), the cello seems to be the perfect partner ― ``Even my wife says the cello is my real wife,'' said the 34-year-old, laughing. The Korea Times sat down with the cellist as he grabbed some seaweed rolls before performing with the Inspired Passion Chamber Orchestra at Seoul Arts Center, Monday. The concert hall was almost empty, but the explosive applause following his electric rendition of Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 1 was completely out of proportion with the disappointing turnout. Pressed chest-to-chest with the cello, Song led the dramatic yet far from overbearing music. The rest of the world seems to disappear for whole minutes at a time, but the beauty of his ``tango'' lies in the poetry of the silence between notes. ``Even if we play for two people, we need to give it our best. I actually had a great time tonight. It's really important to perform with new groups, not just the big onJun 24, 2008
Album ReviewsColdplay ``Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends'' EMI Korea Acclaimed British rock band Coldplay kept fans waiting three years for their fourth album, but it was worth the wait. Breaking free from their tried-and-tested formula of emo-rock, Coldplay has embraced a refreshing new sound with the help of top music producer Brian Eno. Some of the album's strongest tracks are ``Viva La Vida,'' ``Lovers in Japan/ Reign of Love'' and ``Death And All His Friends.'' The haunting melody of ``Strawberry Swing'' will stay in your head long after listening to it. Chris Martin and the band have gotten a Sgt. Pepper-inspired makeover, with some obvious similarities between the two. In case you're wondering, the album's title refers to a painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, which also inspired the album cover. - Cathy Rose A. Garcia Jun 24, 2008
Club Day at Hongdae, Hangang ParkBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Get ready to party this weekend, as annual outdoor club music festival Next Floor 08 kicks off at Hangang Nanji Park and Hongdae on Friday evening. Partygoers can choose to go to any of the 22 participating clubs at the 86th Club Day at Hongdae or head to the all-night Hangang Club Festival at Hangang Park. Hosted by the Korean Club Culture Association, Next Floor 08 hopes to promote club culture by inviting international and local artists to perform at the festival. Korean and foreign DJs, hip-hop and electronic artists will perform at the Next Floor special stage at Hangang Park. Headliners for June 27 include Korean hip-hop group DJ Doc and punk group No Brain, along with Israeli duo Infected Mushroom, Australian electronic group Infusion and Canadian house music DJ Max Graham. Infected Mushroom is a popular psychedelic trance duo from Israel, composed of Erez Aizen and Amit Duvdevani. Infusion, one of the hottest electronic groups from Australia, is known for their exciting live performances. On June 28, the headliJun 24, 2008
Korean, US Chorales to Resound in SeoulBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts has invited the Seoul Metropolitan Chorus and the Chicago Children's Choir to give concerts on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Seoul Metropolitan Chorus, one of the Sejong Center's residential art groups, fetes 30 years of music-making with a classical program. The highlight is Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Seoul-based Prime Philharmonic Orchestra. The last complete symphony composed in 1824 by the German master, ``Chorale'' is one of the best-known works of the Western repertoire. It is often considered an icon and forefather of Romantic music. The fourth movement incorporates parts of Friedrich Schiller's ``Ode to Joy,'' which Herbert von Karajan rearranged into what became the official anthem of the European Union. Also included in the program are a medley of pieces for choruses in operas including ``Lucia di Lammermoor'' and popular tunes such as Robert Schumann's ``Die Rose, die Lilie, die Tauble, die Sonne.'' Tickets cost from 10,000 won to 5Jun 23, 2008
Summer ConcertsParty Away the Sizzling Nights By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter The sizzling hot season is here and for those who want to spend a refreshing time with music, summer-themed concerts can be a good way to party the night away. Fly to the Sky (FTTS), one of Korea's favorite R&B duos, is holding summer concerts. The 26-year-old Hwanhee and 27-year-old Brian chose ``Vacation'' as the title for their concert, and the performance will indeed give people a break from the stressful and hot day. FTTS released their new album ``Recollection'' last April. Comprised of their favorite songs of the 90s, the group refreshed the already well-known works of fellow singers with their signature deep voices and R&B tones. At the concerts, the two singers will offer songs off their new album for the first time on stage, along with numbers from their previous seven albums ― some of them rearranged with an acoustic or jazz twist. The ``Vacation'' concerts will mark the start of an Asia tour, which will continue across China, Hawaii, Thailand and Japan. FTTS' concerts will be held at theJun 22, 2008
DMC Rocks Hard Rock Cafe SeoulBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Hip-hop legend Darryl ``DMC'' McDaniels showed Korean fans what real hip-hop music is like, when he performed at the grand reopening of the Hard Rock Cafe Seoul, Wednesday evening. It was DMC's first time to visit Seoul, but he was obviously pleased with how hip-hop culture has spread to this part of the world. The Hard Rock Cafe Seoul in Itaewon was packed with people, who jumped, cheered and chanted to DMC's rap music. DMC, a founding member of hip-hop pioneers Run-DMC, got the party started with one of the group's old hits ``Here We Go.'' DMC also performed the classic, ``Walk This Way.'' The song was remade in collaboration with rock group Aerosmith, who first recorded it in 1975, in the 1980s, and started the trend of collaborations between artists from different musical genres. Instead of a rock group, DMC collaborated with local hip-hop duo Dynamic Duo, who rapped some parts in Korean. In a press conference before the concert, DMC admitted he doesn't even listen to any of today's music or watch any of the musicJun 20, 2008
Young Maestros Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Li Yundi to Take Center StageBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter This is the 14th in a series of interviews with the next generation of classical musicians ― ED Youthful musicians are making their way to Korea. Thirty three-year-old conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin and Chinese ``superstar'' Li Yundi, 26, will perform in Seoul June 25. ``I am 33. Working with the best orchestras and going to all the great countries, including Korea, I mean, I am living my own dream,'' said Nezet-Seguin in an e-mail interview. He knew he wanted to become a conductor at age 10, and he is visiting Seoul as the new principal conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. ``This is my first big tour. Rotterdam Philharmonic is an orchestra that is very, very special in the European landscape. (It possesses an) extraordinary energy and you don't find this always in other orchestras. It's important to show the world what we are able to do,'' he said. The concert will be a rare treat for concertgoers, as it features Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2. Li recently recorded a deeply affecting, lyrical rendition of the concerto witJun 17, 2008
Album ReviewsVarious Artists `Sex and the City' (OST) Decca Music Group The sensational TV series-turned-movie "Sex and the City" features the latest Manolo Blahniks, posh New York brunch places ― and hip music. The original soundtrack features an eclectic mix of both new songs and rock classics. Fergie sings the rhythmic pop melody ``Labels or Love,'' a revamped version of the familiar HBO theme song. For those who didn't immediately dart for the theater exit when the end credits appeared, it was Jennifer Hudson who sang ``All Dressed in Love.'' Also included are ``How Deep Is Your Love'' by the Bird & the Bee and ``Walk This Way'' by Run-D.M.C. featuring members of Aerosmith. - Lee Hyo-won Jun 17, 2008