Album ReviewsJennifer Lopez `Como Ama Una Mujer' SonyBMG This album is a full-fledged collection by multicultural diva Jennifer Lopez in her first-ever Spanish edition. Lopez prepared for this album for about two years. Her husband, Marc Anthony, known for his hit number, ``I Need To Know,'' Estefano and Julio Reyes made the disc glossier than ever. The album consists of 11 tracks, including ``Que Hiciste,'' her first Spanish single that's flavored with dynamic flamenco rhythms and Latin guitar sounds. Tracks such as ``Como Ama Una Mujer,'' ``Amarte Es Todo,'' ``Apresurate'' and ``Sola'' capture romantic, feminine and exotic feelings. -Chung Ah-young Ne-Yo `Because Of You' Universal Soulful vocals of the gifted R&B songwriter and singer Ne-Yo are a combination of R. Kelly and Michael Jackson in this album, ``Because Of You.'' This is the second album following his debut album, ``In My Own Words'' a year and half ago, following mainstream R&B and soul trends. Hip-hop godfather Jay-Z features on ``Crazy,'' an ear-catching number, while ``Leaving Tonight'' is a duet May 8, 2007
Biggest K-Rock Festival EverBy Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Avid fans are about to be treated to the biggest K-rock concert ever held in Seoul, featuring a total of 101 Korean rock bands gathering for a rock festival. The concert will run May 17-26. Four hundred plus musicians, all Korean, will give all they have to the crowd eager to experience this historic event. ``There are various rock festivals inviting highly acclaimed foreign rock musicians. But it is the first time a rock festival of this kind will be hosted with a line-up of some 420 Korean rock musicians for 10 days,'' said Park Song-won, an official of the festival organization. The festival is designed to promote the integrity of live rock music and show a wide variety of Korean rock genres. Following this year's launching, it is planned that the festival will be an annual event. The line-up includes Boohwal, Black Hole, Black Syndrome, The Rock Tigers, Crying Nut and Peter Pan Complex, which have a strong presence on the local rock scene. Boohwal, an iconic rock band from the 1980s, will perform on May 17. Boohwal is famous aMay 7, 2007
Rising Pianist Collins to Perform SchumannBy Bae Keun-min Staff Reporter Promising young Irish pianist Finghin Collins will hold a solo recital in Korea at Kumho Art Hall in central Seoul on May 11. Collins, the first prize winner of the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Vevey, Switzerland in 1999, first appeared on the local stage in March, performing with the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra. As part of the art hall's World Artists Series, Collins, 30, will present a program comprised of George Handel's Suite for Keyboard Vol. 1, No. 5 in E Minor (HWV.430), Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 21 in Bb Major (D. 960), and ``Scenes from Childhood'' for piano (Op. 15) and ``Phantasiebilder'' for piano (Op. 26) by Robert Schumann. His Schumann performance is especially worth attending. The October issue of Gramophone Magazine in 2006 reviewed for his Schumann album, saying ``At his finest his playing is enviably clear and transparent yet touched with a subtle and distinctive eloquence, allowing Schumann's voice to shine through.'' Before putting his name on the map by winning the 1999 Haskil CompetMay 6, 2007
Muse, Damien Rice, Chemical Bros Lined Up for PentaportBy Seo Dong-shin Staff Reporter Remember the thrilling performances on stage of the likes of Placebo, Franz Ferdinand and the Strokes last year, which made the overjoyed crowd forget about the rain, muddy puddles and relatively poor facilities and simply get carried along by the festive mood? Rock music fans can rest assured they will have that moment again this year. Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival announced its first portion of line-up on its official Web site Friday, which includes hot names such as Muse, Damien Rice and Chemical Brothers. The annual festival, the second of its kind, will take place from Friday through Sunday on July 27-29 at Songdo Daewoo Motors Park in Incheon. More line-ups are to be announced in the coming days, but the first line-up revealed on Friday already made some fans leap with joy. Muse, a three-piece band hailing from England, has sold over seven million albums around the world and has a dedicated following in South Korea, as was proven with their first solo concert in Seoul in March. The band will have kept their last words on the May 6, 2007
Album ReviewsGlenn Gould `Bach: Goldberg Variations' SonyBMG Piano legend Glenn Gould is revived in this digital remastered release commemorating the 25th anniversary of his death. By analyzing the musical attributes of pitch, note duration and velocity of the original mono record, sound engineers present Gould as he was meant to be heard _ each delicate and magnificent stroke of the keys. Just as the original recording left most listeners awestruck, this remastered edition will further prove the pianist's meticulous technical abilities, complete accuracy of note-spinning and well-controlled emotions, which makes this release a definite collectors' item. -Bae Keun-min May 1, 2007
Funny Classical Musicians On Their Way to SeoulBy Bae Keun-min Staff Reporter Do you find Classical music boring and hard to understand? The unconventional string trio Pluck will attempt to change this long-standing stereotyped idea on the music genre with its performance ``The Specialists'' during its 3-week stay in Seoul. Pluck, comprised of violinist Adrian Garratt, violist Jon Regan and cellist Sian Kadifachi, has tried to break the rigid, traditional performance formality of classical music performance by combining it with mime and slapstick comedy. Unlike your usual string trio, Pluck members, who are trained classical musicians, set a violin on fire, make silly faces and even wear pantyhose, creating a full-blown farce on stage with their classical techniques. With the new approach since its inaugural performance of its first show ``Musical Arson'' at the world famous Ronnie Scott's Jazz Bar in London in 2003, Pluck has won four international awards, including the Tap Water Award for Cabaret at the Edinburgh Fringe 2003 and the Spirit of Fringe Award at the Edinburgh Fringe 2004. The trio will presentMay 1, 2007
Meyer to Debut as Associate Conductor for Seoul PhilBy Bae Keun-min Staff Reporter Clarinetist Paul Meyer will make his debut as Associate Conductor for the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in a concert on May 11 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The French musician will wield the baton as the orchestra performs a classical score enjoyable for all age groups. Some 500 underprivileged will be invited to the concert. Comedian Kim Tae-gyoon will be featured as a commentator for Prokofiev's ``Peter and the Wolf'' (Op.67). Meyer has been scheduled to conduct the orchestra in August and October as well. The 42-year-old Meyer will be in charge of the orchestra's newly launched Woodwind Academy. Through the program, the Seoul Philharmonic will select woodwind musicians from colleges and provide them with ensemble training so that they can play as guest members of the orchestra. Meyer studied at the Paris Conservatoire and the Nasler Musikhochschule after his debut with the Orchestre Symphonique du Rhin at the age of 13. He received more acclaim after winning the French Young Musician's Competition in 1982 and thApr 29, 2007
Korean Group Ranks 2nd in Billboard ChartBy Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Korean female group S-Blush ranks second with its debut single, ``It's My Life'' on Billboard Chart this week. The single rose to second place on the Hot Dance Club Play category of the U.S. music chart in the May 5 edition, up from the fourth last week. The single has been on the chart for about 10 weeks. The Hot Dance Club Play totals the number of introductions among DJs at clubs in the United States. The single has been remixed in more than 10 different versions after it was released by iTunes, the U.S.-based digital media site. ``It's My Life'' was co-composed by American composer Peter Rafelson and Korean singer/producer Lee Hyun-do, a former member of Deux. Despite the rising interest in the group, detailed profiles of S-Blush have not been unveiled. The group launched by CJ Music in 2005 has been covertly trained as part of the Global Project targeting overseas markets. CJ Music did not reveal its profiles such as names and faces or any introductions. The group originally consists of five members from both Korea and Apr 29, 2007
Sejong Soloists at Kennedy CenterThe New York-based Sejong Soloists, founded and led by famed Juilliard violin professor Kang Hyo, will perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. on May 8. The concert will close this season's Kennedy Center Fortas Chamber Music Concert Series. The ensemble, comprised of a dozen young string musicians from Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the United States, will perform Golijov's ``Last Round'' (nonet), Haydn's Notturno in F Major, Tchaikovsky's ``Rococo Variations'' and Ravel's String Quartet in F Major. kenbae@koreatimes.co.krApr 29, 2007
Beijing Symphony to Host Free ConcertsBy Bae Keun-min Staff Reporter The Beijing Symphony Orchestra will visit Seoul to perform two free concerts on May 7 and 8 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The concerts were arranged in celebration of the 15th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and China. The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will make a return visit to the Chinese capital in November and give two concerts. Seoul and Beijing sealed a sister-city affiliation in 1993. The Beijing Symphony, founded in 1977, will provide two different programs, which include the overture of the Verdi opera ``La Forza del Destino'' and Shostakovich's Symphony No.11 in G Minor (Op.103), also known as ``1905.'' Selected works by Chinese composers will also be performed. Conductor Tan Lihua will lead the concerts, featuring violinist Chen Xi and erhu (Chinese violin) player Yu Hongmei. Reservations are available at www.seoulphil.co.kr on a first-come-first-served basis. For more information, call (02) 3700-6300. kenbae@koreatimes.co.krApr 29, 2007