[On Stage] Esme Quartet Ahead of Debut Stage, Their Delightful Charm

2018 UK Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition Winner Quartet in the Spotlight
Performing 4 Pieces at Lotte Concert Hall on the 9th "Program Changed to Bright and Hopeful Pieces"
"Hope Chamber Music Becomes Popular in Korea... Want to Pass Esm? Quartet to Juniors"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Are women around the age of 30 originally this cheerful? A poet once said, "Thirty, the party is over," but they seemed to retort, "What are you talking about! Thirty, the party is just beginning!"

The string quartet 'Esm? Quartet' was formed in October 2016, centered around leader Bae Won-hee (33, first violin), along with Ha Yuna (29, second violin), Kim Ji-won (28, viola), and Heo Ye-eun (28, cello). Bae Won-hee was thirty years old by Korean age at the time. Just a year and a half after their formation, in April 2018, Esm? Quartet caused a sensation by winning the world's most prestigious 'London Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition' in the UK.

Those who amazed the world will hold their domestic debut concert at Lotte Concert Hall on the 9th. It is truly a party about to begin. Ha Yuna turns thirty this year, and Kim Ji-won and Heo Ye-eun will turn thirty next year.

On the 1st, the interview with Esm? Quartet was conducted in a more cheerful atmosphere than any other interview. The quartet gathered at Lotte Concert Hall at 8:30 a.m. that day and spent the whole day recording and filming. The interview started at 5:30 p.m., yet they showed no signs of fatigue.

During the interview, Bae Won-hee mentioned the currently most notable quartets in the world. "Belcea, Hagen, Casals, and others are currently the hottest in the world..." Then she hesitated for a moment and smiled, joking, "Right after us..." All four burst into laughter like girls holding balloons.

This innocent laughter will resonate through the strings and reach the audience seats at Lotte Concert Hall on the 9th. In a time when everyone is exhausted due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is there a concert that can give more strength than this?

From the left, Bae Won-hee, Heo Ye-eun, Kim Ji-won, Ha Yu-na [Photo by Credia]

Lotte Concert Hall is the venue where Esm? Quartet participated in Lotte Cultural Foundation's L Concert series, performing music by Haydn, Grieg, and Mendelssohn. Besides that, Esm? Quartet has also held several small house concerts. So, the stage on the 9th is not their first in Korea. Nevertheless, they named it a debut concert. Ha Yuna explained, "It's the first time we are presenting a program composed of pieces we want to play, so it has a special meaning." Accordingly, they paid close attention to the selection of pieces.

Esm? Quartet plans to perform four pieces: Mozart's String Quartet No. 14, Jin Eun-sook's string quartet 'Parametastrin', Daniel Galitzki's 'Song of Londonderry', and Schubert's string quartet 'Death and the Maiden'. Originally, they prepared Schumann's String Quartet No. 1 but changed it to Mozart's No. 14.

Bae Won-hee said, "Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden' is a dark and heavy piece. Schumann's piece also has a unique melancholy. Given the gloomy atmosphere due to COVID-19, we thought it would not be good to perform Schumann and Schubert together. We wanted to present brighter and more hopeful music."

Ha Yuna said, "The subtitle of Mozart's No. 14 is 'Spring,' and it means to bring back the lost spring."

'Parametastrin' is included in their debut album released this March. Although it premiered in 1996, Esm? Quartet is the first to record it on an album. It is a rarely performed piece, and Bae Won-hee happened to hear it on the radio, thinking it was experimental and cool, only to later realize it was 'Parametastrin.'

Esm? Quartet visited Jin Eun-sook, who lives in Berlin, Germany, to seek advice and recorded the piece. Out of respect, they plan to perform it again at their debut stage.

The Irish folk song 'Song of Londonderry' was recently added to their program. Composer Daniel Galitzki is a Russian-born composer living in France. He specially arranged and dedicated the piece for Esm? Quartet's debut concert. Bae Won-hee described it as "a lyrical and beautiful piece."

From the left, Kim Ji-won, Bae Won-hee, Heo Ye-eun, Ha Yu-na
[Photo by Credia]

Esm? Quartet is also scheduled to participate in the 'Classic Revolution,' a classical music festival newly launched by Lotte Cultural Foundation this August. Could this be an opportunity to increase their activities in Korea? It may not be easy. They have gained such fame that an elderly couple at London's Victoria Station in the UK once asked, "Aren't you Esm? Quartet?"

They spend about ten months a year busy with performance schedules in Europe. Their 2022 performance schedule is already being arranged. Even now, they receive about two performance proposal emails per week.

Heo Ye-eun hopes, "We wish to perform regularly in Korea as well." She added, "For some reason, I have heard many say that it is hard to listen to quartets in Korea. There is a prejudice that quartets are difficult, so people don't listen, and because they are unfamiliar, they seem difficult, which creates distance. I think we can narrow that gap. When we perform pieces that clearly show our interpretation, the audience understands us a lot. If we work hard, I think more people will like us. I hope the popularity of chamber music will increase through us."

Bae Won-hee expressed her hope that the popularity of chamber music will grow so that Esm? Quartet can continue to be passed on to juniors.

"In Europe, there is a well-established system for learning chamber music. You can systematically learn quartets at university, and there are good financial support systems. That's why I was able to easily play and grow in quartets in Germany. My small wish is that interest in chamber music increases in Korea as well, creating an environment where many students want to learn chamber music. Since we cannot do Esm? Quartet forever, I hope it becomes a quartet that can be passed on to truly excellent juniors. We will work hard so that the name Esm? Quartet can remain."