Korean Symphony Orchestra Performs Holst's 'The Planets' at New Year's Concert

At 7:30 PM on the 31st at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] The Korean Symphony Orchestra's New Year's Concert will be held on the 31st at 7:30 PM at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center.

The first part of the performance will feature Johann Strauss II's "Emperor Waltz" and Mozart's "Flute Concerto No. 1."

The "Emperor Waltz" was composed by Johann Strauss II as a celebratory dance music piece for the 40th anniversary of the reign of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I. It begins with a quiet march-like theme and crescendos into the main section, embodying the cheerful spirit of Vienna's music and the courtly elegance of the Viennese waltz.

Mozart's "Flute Concerto No. 1" will be performed in collaboration with flutist Han Yeo-jin, who was selected as the "2020 Rising Star" by the Korean Symphony Orchestra.

Han Yeo-jin, at the age of 11 in 2013, became the first Korean and youngest winner of both first prize and the audience award in the general division of the Biwako International Competition. In 2014, she advanced to the finals as the youngest participant in the Carl Nielsen International Music Competition and received a special prize. In 2017, she placed third and won the audience award at the Kobe International Flute Competition, known as a gateway for flute stars and which has produced world-renowned flutists such as Emmanuel Pahud and Andrea Lieberknecht. Han Yeo-jin set records as the first Korean to place and the youngest participant to win at the Kobe International Flute Competition. She is currently studying under Andrea Lieberknecht at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, deepening her musical expertise.

The Korean Symphony Orchestra will conclude the concert with "The Planets" by British composer Gustav Holst. Holst, who had a strong interest in astrology, named the seven orchestral suites after the seven planets of the solar system. The first movement is subtitled "Mars, the Bringer of War," and the second "Venus, the Bringer of Peace," among others. Holst completed "The Planets" in 1916. After Pluto was discovered in 1930, Holst did not compose a piece for it and passed away in 1934. In 2000, British composer Colin Matthews composed "Pluto, the Renewer," dedicating it to Holst's daughter Imogen.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.