Pyeongchang Olympic Hymn Sung by Hwang Sumi: 'The Last Four Songs'

On the 28th, Performing on the KBS Symphony Orchestra Stage, Passionately Singing Strauss Lieder

Photo by KBS Symphony Orchestra

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Soprano Hwang Sumi (34, photo), who sang the 'Olympic Hymn' at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, will take the stage at the 751st regular concert of the KBS Symphony Orchestra on the 28th.

Hwang Sumi will perform the German composer Richard Strauss's (1864?1949) song cycle "Four Last Songs" at the concert held at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center. "Four Last Songs" is a piece inspired by the poetry collections of German poets Hermann Hesse (1877?1962) and Joseph von Eichendorff (1788?1857). Strauss composed it in 1948, facing his own death.

"Four Last Songs" is a song cycle that Hwang Sumi holds dear. In October last year, she released her debut album "Songs" under the world-renowned classical music label Deutsche Grammophon. While "Four Last Songs" is usually performed with an orchestra, Hwang Sumi's "Songs" album features piano accompaniment. At the album release press conference, she revealed that she strongly requested to record "Four Last Songs" and include it on the album.

Hwang Sumi gained international recognition by winning the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium, one of the world's three major music competitions, in 2014. In September of the same year, she became a resident artist at the Bonn Opera House in Germany and is currently active mainly in Europe and the United States.

At the regular concert on the 28th, the KBS Symphony Orchestra will perform Gustav Mahler's (1860?1911) Symphony No. 1 "Titan" in addition to "Four Last Songs." The conductor for the day will be Dirk Kaftan (49), music director of the Bonn Beethoven Orchestra and Bonn Opera House.