Tragic origins: Korea National Symphony celebrates Weber and Mendelssohn

In 1806, Carl Maria von Weber accidentally drank nitric acid used for engraving, mistaking it for wine. The near-fatal mishap left his vocal cords damaged for life. A year later, entangled in his father’s catastrophic debts, he was arrested for embezzlement and banished from Württemberg. Yet, out of this chaotic crucible in his early 20s, the German composer forged his Piano Quartet in B-flat major — a daring work that helped lay the groundwork for early Romanticism.

Nearly four decades later, Felix Mendelssohn found himself consumed by a different kind of anguish. Plunged into severe depression following the sudden stroke and death of his sister and musical confidante, Fanny, Mendelssohn struggled to regain his footing. Writing to his sister Rebecka while recovering in Switzerland in 1847, he confessed his desperate attempt to force himself back into his craft: "I am trying to be industrious, in the hope that I may once more find some interest and pleasure in work."

That search for solace yielded his final completed masterpiece, the String Quartet No. 6 in F minor. A stark departure from his trademark classical poise, the piece stands as a raw, trembling requiem.

The Korea National Symphony Orchestra will bridge these twin narratives of creative resilience in "Chamber Music Series II: Romantics Born of Hardship." Scheduled to be held at the IBK Chamber Hall in the Seoul Arts Center on Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m., the concert marks the 200th anniversary of Weber’s death by pairing his pioneer spirit with Mendelssohn’s turbulent inner life.

The evening opens with Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 6, performed by ensemble members of the Korea National Symphony. Driven by fierce tremolos and syncopated rhythms, the piece replaces idyllic melodies with breathless intensity, reflecting the psychological storm that preceded Mendelssohn’s own death at age 38, just months after its completion.

Shifting from grief to imaginative escape, Russian pianist Andrei Gugnin takes the stage for Mendelssohn’s Fantasia in F-sharp minor, Op. 28. Conceived before Mendelssohn ever set foot in Scotland, the piece captures a dreamed-of landscape through ambient arpeggios and dazzling technical passages. Gugnin, winner of the 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition and the 2023 German Piano Award, brings a refined touch to the work's theatrical shifts.

The concert culminates in Weber’s Piano Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 8, featuring Gugnin alongside string players from the orchestra. Juxtaposing playful syncopation with startling harmonic detours, the piece showcases the young Weber subverting Classical forms in favor of dramatic flair.

Through shifting ensemble configurations — from string quartet to solo piano and piano quartet — the performance offers an intimate look at two masters who transformed personal grief and existential hardship into timeless Romantic art.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.