Seoul Spring Festival to present rare Beethoven works

A performance of last year's Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music (SSF), which due to the coronavirus, took place in the fall, at the Yun Po-sun residence on Oct 12, 2020 / Courtesy of SSF

By Park Ji-won

The Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music (SSF) will present rare Beethoven works as well as his chamber repertoire in Seoul in May, under the theme “Ode to Joy.“ The program had been planned for last year to mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birthday, but was postponed and then moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Artistic director of the SSF Kang Dong-suk said during an online press conference held via Zoom, Monday, “We played all of Beethoven's quartet and piano works at past festivals. This year, we will play rare Beethoven pieces that haven't been played often. Up to 11 out of the 13 works we plan to play will be for the first time in this festival … The rest of the program we will proceed with as we had planned for the 2020 season.”

He added, “I think that pandemic-weary audiences and performers both want actual performances. The music will give people comfort amidst the hard times caused by the pandemic.”

The program includes Beethoven's Duo for Clarinet & Bassoon in B-flat Major WoO 27 No. 3, Piano Trio in B-flat Major WoO 39, Seven Variations on “Bei Mannern, welche Liebe Fuhlen” (In men, who feel love) for Cello and Piano, WoO 46 and Serenade for Flute, Violin and Viola in D Major Op. 25.

Rare classical works, such as J. W. Krogulski's Piano Octet in D Minor Op. 6,” J. Ibert's Entracte for Flute and Guitar, and E. Schulhoff's Concertino for Flute, Viola and Double Bass, which are rarely performed, will also be presented.

Up to 52 performers, which include Kang and new rising stars, will put on 11 performances at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, the Seoul Arts Center and the Yun Po-sun Residence. The festival has made a name for itself by showcasing promising young musicians ― pianists Cho Seong-jin and Son Yeol-eum performed in it when they were younger.

Pianists Kim Kyu-yeon, Kim Jun-hee, Lee Jin-sang and Cheung Jae-won, violinist Han Soo-jin and guitarists Park Kyu-hee and Park Jong-ho will join the festival for the first time. Christopher Temporelli, the only vocalist at the festival, will perform “An die Ferne Geliebte” (To the distant beloved) for Voice and Piano Op. 98.”

“It is important to make music among different generations. Young performers, in particular, have not had many chances to play chamber music. So this opportunity will be crucial for them to perform and communicate with many other musicians,” Kang noted.

The annual festival will be held from May 13 to 23.