Canadian Bruce Liu wins 2021 Chopin Competition; Lee Hyuk finishes without prize Bruce Xiaoyu Liu of Canada reacts after being announced as the winner of the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, local time. Reuters-YonhapBy Park Ji-wonCanadian pianist Bruce Xiaoyu Liu won the first prize at the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday, while Korean national Lee Hyuk finished his final round without a prize.The decision was made after 12 pianists from 10 countries competed for three days starting on Monday. The winner will receive 40,000 euros ($46,620) in prize money and a gold medal. Korean pianist Cho Seong-jin won the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in 2015, becoming the first Korean national to win the award. The competition has been held every five years since 1927.Katarzyna Popowa-zydron, the chairwoman of the jury, said the judges asked themselves, "What kind of Chopin do we have in the 21st century?" before choosing the winner.The 18th competition was supposed to be held last year, but was delayed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The winnerOct 21, 2021By Park Ji-won
'Beethoven liberates musicians': specialist Rudolf Buchbinder Pianist Rudolf Buchbinder listens to reporters' questions during a press conference held at Cosmos Hall in Seoul, Monday, to promote his recital series in Korea, which is planned to be held from Tuesday to Oct. 24 at venues across the nation. Courtesy of Vincero By Park Ji-wonKnown as one of the best Beethoven interpreters in the world, Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder has been placing Beethoven at the “center” of his life. He has performed Beethoven's Complete Piano Sonatas more than 50 times over the last 60 years of his career. He also owns a wide range of original, first-edition scores and music-related documents which include up to 12 and a half of Beethoven's signed scores.When the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world and many of his recitals had to be canceled last year, the 74-year-old recorded “The Diabelli Project” under the classical music label Deutsche Grammophon, which covers composer Anton Diabelli's original 33 variations on a waltz; 11 variations froOct 19, 2021By Park Ji-won
Director Jaap van Zweden of HK and NY Philharmonics to conduct KBS Orchestra on Oct. 29 Conductor Jaap van Zweden / Courtesy of Wong Kin ChungBy Park Ji-wonThe poster for KBS Symphony Orchestra's “Be Your Light” concert / Courtesy of KBS Symphony OrchestraJaap van Zweden, the Dutch music director of both the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic orchestras, will conduct the KBS Symphony Orchestra to play Beethoven's famous “Symphony of Fate” and Prokofiev's “Symphony No.5 in B flat major.” Titled, “Be Your Light,” the concert is part of the orchestra's regular concert series. Van Zweden was named the 26th director of the New York Philharmonic, one of the world's most famous orchestras, in 2018. In September, he conducted the New York Philharmonic's live concerts at Lincoln Center for the first time since the pandemic and has announced that he will resign beginning in 2024. He will lead the KBS's orchestra's performance of Beethoven's “Symphony No.5 in C minor” and S. Prokofiev's “Symphony No.5 in B flat major” on Oct. 29 at the Seoul Arts Center.The KBS Symphony Orchestra said in a prOct 19, 2021By Park Ji-won
Young pianists vie for glory in Poland's Chopin competition 27-year-old Kim Su-yeon from South Korea, one of the finalists of the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition, poses for photos during a rehearsal at the Warsaw Music University in Warsaw, Poland, Oct. 11. AFP-YonhapFor South Korean pianist Kim Su-yeon, the music of Frederic Chopin is a way of life and competing in the world's most prestigious event bearing the French-Polish composer's name is a dream come true. She says the first piece by the 19th-century composer and piano virtuoso ― who was born in 1810 and died in 1849 ― that she learned to play as a child was his Minute Waltz."Coming here was my dream because Chopin is my favorite composer. I never tire" of his music, the 27-year-old told AFP in Warsaw where she is hoping to secure a spot in the finals of the 18th Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition later this month.Held every five years since 1927, the Chopin competition would normally have been held last year, but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic ― a first since World War II. "It was challenging to get all the competitors into Poland," says ArtOct 15, 2021
AI-generated arrangement of Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons' describes climate change-hit Seoul in 2050 Violinist Lim Ji-young plays Vivaldi's “Four Seasons” arranged by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Australian composer Hugh Crosthwaite at ODE Port, Seoul, Tuesday. She will perform the arrangement with an orchestra in an upcoming concert to be held at Lotte Concert Hall, Oct. 20. Yonhap By Park Ji-won Poster for the concert “The [Uncertain] Four Seasons” / Courtesy of Music & Art Company Vivaldi's “The Four Seasons,” arranged by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Australian composer Hugh Crosthwaite to describe the climate change-hit Seoul in 2050, will be played by award-winning violinist Lim Ji-young with an orchestra in an upcoming concert to be held at Lotte Concert Hall on Oct. 20.As part of an international project titled “The [Uncertain] Four Seasons” led by global marketing company AKQA to raise awareness on global warming following a report bOct 15, 2021By Park Ji-won
Independent orchestra CHAM to play 'The Queen Symphony' By Park Ji-wonThe poster for the show, “REQUIEM from The Queen Symphony” / Courtesy of the CHAM Philharmonic OrchestraThe CHAM Philharmonic Orchestra will play “The Queen Symphony,” composed by Tolga Kashif in tribute to the British rock band, Queen, in a charity concert to be held Oct. 15 at Lotte Concert Hall.The independent orchestra, which was founded in 2018 by members who had performed on the occasion of the anniversary of the April 3 Jeju Massacre, will play the piece based on some well-known melodies from Queen such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You” “Who Wants to Live Forever,” “Radio Gaga” and “We are the Champions.” The work, consisting of six movements, lasts more than one hour. The composer is known to have introduced requiem lyrics to deliver a message of reconciliation, the orchestra said.The piece has been performed regularly throughout the world since it premiered in 2002, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.The composer has been seeking to come up with classical pieOct 12, 2021By Park Ji-won
Korean American violinist named concertmaster of Hamburg Philharmonic By Park Ji-wonViolinist Daniel Cho / Courtesy of Sejong SoloistsDaniel Cho, a 27-year-old Korean American violinist, has been appointed as concertmaster of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra in Germany, filling a seat that had reportedly remained empty for the last 13 years.String ensemble Sejong Soloists, of which Cho is also a member, announced that Cho had passed the audition for the long-awaited leader of the renowned orchestra, founded in 1828, which was attended by the orchestra members as well as conductor and music director Kent Nagano.Cho studied at the Juilliard School under violinists Kang Hyo and David Chen. He joined the Sejong Soloists academy program, becoming the youngest member to join the ensemble, which was founded in 1995 by Kang. He made his Carnegie Hall recital debut in New York at the age of 16, followed by his European debut at the Louvre Museum in Paris.He moved to Germany in 2017, earning a master's degree at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin, studying under Kolja Blacher. He was the joint winner of the second prize at the Max Rostal InternatOct 12, 2021By Park Ji-won
Vienna Philharmonic likely to perform in Seoul Poster for the concert by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Riccardo Muti / Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing ArtsBy Park Ji-wonThe Vienna Philharmonic, one of the world's most prestigious orchestras, could perform in Korea next month, becoming the first foreign orchestra with more than 100 members to hold concerts in Korea since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts said Tuesday that the health authorities here are considering giving the 120-member company a quarantine exemption for a six-day visit. Anyone who entering Korea is obliged to undergo a two-week quarantine, but if the visit is for “important business purposes,” academic interest or humanitarian reasons, the government has been lifting the mandatory quarantine after reviewing applications.The center said the orchestra has made its application and is awaiting a government review for the exemption.There is a chance for the art troupe could be exempted as a number of conductors or musicians have visited Korea over the past few months without quarantine requiOct 6, 2021By Park Ji-won
New York Philharmonic marks 'homecoming' after pandemic Musicians perform during the New York Philharmonic's first concert after its reopening at the Alice Tully Hall in New York, Sept. 17. AFP-YonhapFollowing 556 days of pandemic-inflicted cancellations and unconventional concerts, the New York Philharmonic opened its new season Friday, a "homecoming" for musicians limited to live streams, one-off and outdoor shows for more than a year.After enduring months of crisis, the Phil, one of America's oldest musical institutions, re-opened its subscription season with a program featuring Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, Anna Clyne's "Within Her Arms," Aaron Copland's "Quiet City" and George Walker's "Antifonys." The pandemic forced the famed symphony orchestra to cancel its 2020-21 season, resulting in more than $21 million in lost ticket revenues.Hundreds of people queued outside Alice Tully Hall in Manhattan's Upper Westside in evening wear, showing mandatory proof of vaccination in order to gain entry for the night of orchestral music.Catherine Colson arrived with friends ahead of what she anticipated would be "a memorable night of phenomenSep 19, 2021
Nat'l gugak center to focus on original form of traditional music Kim Young-woon, newly-appointed director general of the National Gugak Center, speaks during a press conference held at the center in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of National Gugak Center By Park Ji-wonPeople's attention to traditional music is likely higher than ever thanks to the popularity of the so-called fusion gugak (Korean traditional music) genre. A video of Leenalchi, an alternative pop band, has already exceeded 15.3 million views on YouTube, and one of a series of promotional videos from the Korea Tourism Organization featuring the band and its music exceeded 47.6 million views on the streaming platform. The sampling of “Daechwita,” a traditional military band piece, by BTS's Suga (August D) for his single of the same name also promoted the genre among global listenersBut not many Koreans are familiar with traditional gugak, including court and folk music, despite enjoying the rising attention to the “new” music genre. Kim Young-woon, newly-appointed directorSep 17, 2021By Park Ji-won
